Mayor Caroline Simmons’ proposed $91.4 million total capital budget funding for next fiscal year is more than 60 percent higher than this year’s adopted $55.5 million, and the lion’s share of the new spending would be on school projects. Borrowing would fund $56.2 million of the capital budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. The rest would be funded through other sources, such as state or federal grants. Simmons said the school projects within the fiscal 2023-24 capital budget include a roof replacement at Stamford High School, new flooring at Julia A. Stark Elementary School and improvements at Rippowam Middle School and at Springdale, Davenport Ridge, Northeast and Newfield elementary schools. A state budget bill signed into law last year increased the reimbursement rate for certain school construction projects in Stamford from 20 percent to 60 percent for 25 years.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/stamford-budget-schools-91-4m-17830477.php

Nearly four years after plans for a complete redesign of the East Norwalk Interstate 95 exchange, the state continues to study whether the area should be converted into Connecticut’s first “diamond intersection.” “A traffic study is ongoing to determine if a diverging diamond is a feasible alternative in the area, and what other potential alternatives may improve safety and alleviate traffic,” DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said. “A timeline for this potential project is still being developed.” The diverging diamond interchange would involve both directions of traffic briefly crossing over to the opposite side of the road between the on- and off-ramps. The proposed design would eliminate the need for drivers to cross oncoming traffic, theoretically resulting in less bottlenecking at the intersection. “This project is currently in the concept stage and options are being evaluated,” Fesenmeyer said, according to the meeting minutes.

https://www.thehour.com/news/article/east-norwalk-i-95-diverging-diamond-ct-dot-17816633.php?cmpid=fbsocialflow

After launching the project nearly a year ago, city officials say disaster prevention measures along Harbor Brook are nearing completion, with a possible conclusion date as early as this fall. Construction is running ahead of schedule, Ennis said, thanks to this year’s atypically mild winter which gave crews space to operate with greater efficiency and avoid weather-induced roadblocks traditionally seen between December and early March. Ennis said while a conclusion to channel work in northern Meriden could come in the fall of 2023, he conceded an end date in 2024 is also likely given demolition roadblocks engineers faced in the neighborhood. “It’s not that we’re running out of money [for demolition], it’s that we didn’t plan on doing anything about that,” Ennis said. “The original plan was to reuse that building, but when we had a fire last year, it became structurally unsound.”

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Harbor-Brook-channeling-expected-to-conclude-early-next-year.html

East Hartford’s Town Council, meeting Tuesday night, unanimously agreed to sell the 25-acre former Showcase Cinemas site for $1 to developers planning to build at least 300 apartments. The council also unanimously signed off on a series of conditions that in some ways ease the expectations and burden of developers Brian Zelman and Avner Krohn – acting through Jasko Zelman 1 LLC. Jasko Zelman 1 and town officials had previously set terms in agreements last year that, included, among other things, a 27-year tax fixing agreement. In those agreements Jasko Zelman 1 agreed to build a minimum of 360 apartments. Krohn noted it is to the developers’ advantage to build as many units as possible, as there is tremendous pent-up demand in East Hartford alone. The town has not seen new apartments built in five decades, he said.

East Hartford agrees to sell Showcase Cinemas site for $1 in return for 300-apartment development

The Board of Selectmen approved a $10.5 million appropriation for construction and remediation of Penfield Pavilion to meet a federal deadline, but some local officials are calling the decision rushed and drawing comparisons to the former Tetreau administration. In addition to addressing the outstanding notice of violation lodged by FEMA, the town must remove fill containing PCBs and asbestos from under the pavilion. In an effort to avoid a 10 percent flood insurance hike for almost 1,800 Fairfield residents, the Board of Selectmen voted at a Monday meeting to appropriate $3 million to raise the height of Penfield Pavilion. The board also appropriated $4 million to remove the contaminated material and $3.5 million for the associated construction costs. According to Planning Director Jim Wendt, if FEMA were to move forward with the downgrade, they would not reconsider Fairfield’s rating in the National Flood Insurance Program until construction was complete, which would take 12 to 18 months. After that, the town would need to reapply for the program, requiring a review of town building permits by FEMA.

Fairfield Selectmen Approve $10.5 Million for Rebuild and Cleanup

“Yes, the initial bids came in over budget,” confirmed Thomas Gill, Bridgeport’s director of economic development. He declined to say by how much, arguing it would compromise the integrity of the second effort to solicit prices. Specifically the city wants to move forward with masonry, structural steel and extensive heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements at the 10,000-seat arena, which opened in 2001. New bids are due April 4. Five years and $615,328 worth of city legal expenses later, in the summer of 2021 the City Council approved a settlement that would keep the Islanders skating at the arena for at least another 10 years. In exchange, Bridgeport was to invest as much as $28 million to return the venue to like-new condition. The city so far has set aside $15 million toward that goal.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/bridgeport-rebids-arena-upgrade-prices-run-28m-17826927.php?src=rdctpdensecp

Darien-based real estate development and investment company V20 Group purchased four acres of the former shopping center from its owners, the Palmer family, to finally begin redevelopment on the empty shopping center after years of delays. The deal was finalized on March 1. With a prime location across from the Noroton Heights train station, the upcoming development — renamed Noroton Crossing — will become a mixed-use community geared toward local commuters, featuring apartment housing, restaurants and retail and a private preschool. The Palmer family is no longer involved in the redevelopment, but will maintain ownership of the remaining property, including Palmer’s Market. Construction is tentatively slated to begin in spring this year and take less than two years. Retail is expected to move in by early 2024 and apartment residents around late 2024 through early 2025. Demolition equipment is already onsite and could begin within the week, pending permit approval.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-noroton-heights-shopping-center-17825170.php

Gov. Ned Lamont rejected calls Wednesday by business owners and House Republicans to pause the collection of a new mileage tax on tractor-trailers that raised $4.3 million in its first month, the majority from out-of-state truckers. “You got to pay your bills in life,” Lamont said. “We’ve got a lot of expense when it comes to roads and bridges.” Starting Jan. 1, carriers using tractor-trailers have to pay between 2.5 cents and 17.5 cents for every mile driven in Connecticut, with the fee dependent on the gross weight of the vehicle. The new tax is projected to eventually produce $7.5 million a month, or $90 million a year, for the special transportation fund, which collected about $2 billion in 2022, mostly in sales tax and fuel tax revenues. The Democratic-controlled legislature passed the truck mileage tax at Lamont’s request last year, two years after he failed to win approval of highway tolls, a far bigger revenue source pitched at a time when the transportation fund was approaching insolvency.

Lamont defends truck mileage tax: ‘You got to pay your bills’

State truckers joined Republican lawmakers on Wednesday to criticize the highway use tax that took effect in January, predicting higher consumer prices and financial burdens on their businesses. They stressed that the highway tax’s estimated $90 million a year was supposed to target out-of-state 18-wheelers, it seems the bulk of the charges will fall on state companies. In fact, of the $4.3 million collected by the state since January 1, $3.3 million came from out of staters, according to the state Department of Revenue Services. Candelora described Lamont’s position as “really dug in” in defense of the highway fee. “If we’re going into a budget cycle with surpluses and a transportation fund that currently has a surplus, we’re very well poised to put a pause on this program,” Candelora said. Gov. Ned Lamont stands by the new tax and the Democratic co-chairmen of the tax-writing Finance Committee supported the program that was adopted by the General Assembly in 2021, as a means to help support state transportation projects and was sold to state lawmakers as focused on out-of-state haulers to contribute to improving state highways.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/gop-lawmakers-ct-truckers-slam-new-highway-use-17827093.php

The city presented a proposal this week to create a new Route 9 northbound off-ramp on River Road, which one day could lead motorists to a revitalized and redesigned riverfront. The goal, Florsheim said, is for the city to partner with the state in the “right way to get this project realized.” The off-ramp would be located in an industrial area near Walnut Street and Meadow Meat on Eastern Drive and eventually lead to Main Street. The area, which runs along the Connecticut River, is part of the city’s master plan of redevelopment. Another DOT project due to begin this week, according to signs on Route 9, would eliminate the stop sign at Route 17 — one of the deadliest highway on-ramps in the state, the mayor has said. The state will be undertaking a three-year project to build a 1,000-foot acceleration lane to replace the stop sign, the deputy director said. Kozikowski reviewed the city’s 2030 Plan of Conservation and Development and how it relates to the Return to the Riverbend master plan.

https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/middletown-propose-dot-adding-downtown-exit-route-17824672.php