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Wilton Board of Selectmen OKs two bridge replacement projects, each costing more than $5M
WILTON — The Wilton Board of Selectmen approved two bridge projects, each totaling more than $5 million. Last week, the board unanimously approved two state-funded replacement projects for Honey Hill and Cannon Road bridges. The projects are awaiting final approval by the town’s attorneys. Both projects were discussed on Jan. 20 with Director of Public Works Frank Smeriglio, who said the town received the grants around two or three years ago. He said both grants include other incidentals like the design, construction contingencies and inspection services for both projects. “The state requires that there is an inspector on the project eight hours a day, every day,” he said. Smeriglio added that there are also easements and state permits that still need to be completed for both bridges. “Work can’t start until the easements are in place,” he said. “We don’t plan on starting until the beginning of April.”
CT DOT plans new $35 million transportation project. It will be paid for by the state.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation has a $35 million plan for a shoreline train station improvements project. The plan calls for improvements to the Madison Shore Line East Railroad Station that will require acquisition of rights of way and impact local wetlands, records show. The work would include construction that is anticipated to begin in fall 2027, according to the Department of Transportation. The project also is anticipated to be undertaken with 100% state funds, according to the DOT. Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Manager Scott Anderson said, “This project relates directly to CTDOT’s ongoing commitment to improve commuter rail services.” For example, the project would include a new pedestrian bridge over the active rail line that would connect to the north and south side platforms, according to the DOT. “The proposed work at the town’s Shore Line East Station will make commuter rail services modern, reliable and convenient so that the future transportation needs of Connecticut’s residents are met,” Anderson said, in a statement.
Update of Hartford’s underground loop heating system on hold
A contentious plan to heat state office buildings in downtown Hartford with a new generation of gas-powered boilers is on hold due to potential interference from the planned reconstruction of Interstate 84, officials confirmed this week. In an interview Wednesday, Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman said her agency decided late last year to pause a planned renovation of the Capitol Area System — a network of 15 buildings connected by underground heating and cooling pipes known as the “loop” — following discussions with other state officials about need to utilize space around the loop for highway construction. By agreeing to pause the project, Gilman said the state would avoid wasting money on new equipment that might later need to be removed to accommodate the highway. In addition, she said the pause will give officials more time to consider more climate-friendly alternatives to new gas investments that have been pushed by some advocates. The loop is powered by the CAS thermal plant on Capitol Avenue, which utilizes natural gas boilers to provide heat and hot water for hundreds of state offices, as well as some private buildings such as the Bushnell Performing Arts Center. (The state Capitol building relies on a separate system to heat and cool the 146-year-old building.)
https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/update-of-hartfords-underground-loop-heating-system-on-hold/
Site at Waterbury-Middlebury line eyed for apartments or hotel
A Washington, Connecticut-based company is seeking permits to construct either a new apartment complex or hotel on roughly 7 acres at the border of Middlebury and Waterbury. In June, a Waterbury wetlands agent approved Credit Resources of Connecticut Inc.’s plan to excavate rock outcrops on the site and install drainage and parking, creating a development pad partially framed by a rock wall. The work would involve blasting and removal of 3,805 cubic yards of material, according to application materials. Now, Credit Resources — whose principals are Philip and Gretchen Farmer, of Washington — is seeking an excavation permit from Waterbury’s Zoning Commission. A public hearing is scheduled during a commission hearing Wednesday evening. About 4 acres of the development site sits in Waterbury. Land records show that portion was acquired in a $1.06 million transaction in 2009. According to a Jan. 16 memo from Waterbury City Planner Robert Nerney, the project depends on the State Department of Transportation moving forward with its plan to realign the Exit 17 interchange from Interstate 84 onto Chase Parkway, which quickly crosses from Waterbury into Middlebury.
https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/site-at-waterbury-middlebury-line-eyed-for-apartments-or-hotel/
CT town has concerns about planned 4.65-megawatt solar array. A treasured scenic view is one of them
Citing concerns about views from the Heublein Tower, potential environmental damage and more than $300,000 in unpaid property taxes, Simsbury has successfully asked state regulators for a public hearing on Lodestar Energy’s plan for a solar array on Nod Road. The company is proposing a 4.65-megawatt solar facility on about 19 acres at the former Tower Ridge Country Club. The state Siting Council must decide by June 2 whether to declare the project needs no certificate of environmental compatibility and public need; Lodestar wants that designation because it would streamline the approval process. Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis this winter was able to secure a hearing so neighbors and other residents can offer their opinions before the council votes. “As drafted, the application raises serious concerns about potential harm to both the wetlands and the flood zone,” she told the Siting Council in a Dec. 30 letter. “We recommend relocating all development outside these sensitive areas and outside Simsbury’s local Upland Review Area.”
East Lyme to embark on $17 million PFAS removal
East Lyme — It’ll take $17 million to upgrade a town water treatment plant near East Lyme Middle School so it can remove PFAS, or forever chemicals, from three wells that provide drinking water for residents. If all goes according to plan, Water and Sewer Department Chief Operating Officer Ben North said Monday the project should be done in fall or winter 2027. North said he hopes the final cost will end up being less. Unfortunately, he said, there’s no grant funding available, and the town will have to borrow to pay for the project. Last week the Board of Selectmen voted to let the town use about $165,000 in funding left over from other projects to pay for preliminary engineering and equipment and to help with the down payment on the loan the town will eventually need to get. The town will start paying back the loan when the work is complete, and when it makes its first payment, it also has to pay the accrued interest all at once.
https://theday.com/news/845516/east-lyme-to-embark-on-17-million-pfas-removal/
In New Haven, state plans $113M State Street Station upgrade, Court Street Bridge closure to cars
NEW HAVEN — A more than $100 million project to upgrade aging infrastructure at State Street Station received mixed feedback at a recent public information session with the state Department of Transportation. During last week’s session at High School in the Community, DOT officials, as well as representatives of engineering and architectural firms, said they’re looking to elevate the overall landscape bridging State Street and Wooster Square. The officials specifically talked about two related projects: upgrading the platform, elevator and stairs at State Street Station and narrowing the Court Street Bridge and closing it to vehicular traffic. According to DOT Project Manager Jonathan Kang, the combined projects are estimated to cost $113 million from state and federal funding. Kang said the narrowing of the Court Street Bridge is required for track alignments to support plans to replace and elongate the currently deteriorated center platform. Doing so, he said, will allow for passengers to enter and exit trains more quickly as more doors will be serviced and will improve access to the station through Court Street. Currently, an average of 40 trains stop at State Street Station on weekdays, officials said.
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-ct-dot-state-street-station-21306706.php
Congress advances transportation funding bill
The legislation largely maintains funding for public transportation and passenger rail but slashes a program to add intercity passenger trains. U.S. House and Senate appropriators agreed Tuesday on bipartisan legislation to fund transportation through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends Sept. 30. The bill “provides the overwhelming majority of public transit and passenger rail investments” funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The House passed the bill Thursday and the Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week to prevent a partial federal government shutdown on Jan. 30. The bill is “a really good-news story for our industry,” APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said in a hastily arranged webinar for its members Wednesday. When combined with advance appropriations from the IIJA, the bill provides $21.1 billion to public transportation, a $168 million increase over the Fiscal Year 2025 level, according to APTA. However, more than $500 million was cut from a capital investment grant program for fixed-guideway transit, including light rail, subways, commuter rail and bus rapid transit.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/congress-thud-transportation-appropriations-fy2026/810465/
New Haven weighs eminent domain to acquire English Station for waterfront park
NEW HAVEN — City officials are weighing the use of eminent domain to acquire the 8.6-acre island that houses the long-idle English Station power plant if negotiations with the owners fail, a move aimed at transforming the contaminated industrial site into a public park and outdoor pool. The option is spelled out in a Jan. 9 letter and proposed order sent by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers. The administration is seeking alder approval to pursue the acquisition of Ball Island, a property the state has indicated it is willing to remediate. The order would authorize the city to negotiate with the property’s owners — Paramount View Millennium LLC and Haven River Properties LLC — to purchase the site, which the city hopes to rename the “Park at Mill River.” It also includes language allowing the city to initiate eminent domain proceedings if a voluntary sale cannot be reached. “Be it further ordered that if it is not possible to negotiate the terms and conditions of a mutually acceptable conveyance … then the mayor is hereby authorized to direct the filing of eminent domain proceedings,” the order states, citing authority under the city charter and state law.
Blumenthal introduces bill to help prevent roadside deaths of police, construction workers
After a series of deaths on Connecticut highways in recent months, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is introducing legislation aimed at minimizing roadside accidents involving construction workers, state police and good Samaritans. The legislation would provide federal funding to states for creating more awareness, as well as providing tools to collect data on where and when these accidents tend to occur. That would give law enforcement more information when determining where to patrol. State Department of Transportation workers and State Police joined Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Thursday at the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden to announce the proposed legislation. Blumenthal spoke of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop in May 2024. Blumenthal’s legislation is not designed to protect just construction workers and first responders, but also members of the public who can be killed in work zone accidents, too, he said.
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