Amid the uncertainty, the IIJA provides a welcome stable infusion of $1.2 trillion in funding to a variety of construction sectors over five years. The legislation will boost a wide range of infrastructure work, from bridges to broadband, as well as bolster industries focused on low-carbon and American-made materials. However, there are a number of headwinds that could hamper the rollout of federal infrastructure work in 2023, and overcoming them requires careful planning. The challenge will be for the primes to find enough subcontractors to staff them. The IIJA stipulates a certain number of MWBEs to meet its inclusion goals, which adds to the difficulty of finding enough of the right subs. Although supply chains have bounced back somewhat since the early part of the pandemic, COVID-19-related shocks look set to continue and obtaining certain materials in a timely fashion will likely still prove challenging in 2023. This strain may be particularly noticeable in the spring, when construction season begins in the Midwest and Northeast, according to Callahan.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/new-year-challenges-for-iija-infrastructure-act-projects/640021/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-01-11%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:47226%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

Norwich Public Utilities, the entity that manages the city’s water supply, estimates there are at least 800 private water service lines in the city with pipes that contain lead, and an upcoming survey is expected to reveal more. The water is protected with corrosion inhibitors, but the utility plans to begin replacing those lines this summer. In December, the utility received $600,000 from the state bonding commission to replace 70 lines to private homes and businesses. While this first phase will be finished by Labor Day, it’s part of a larger project to eliminate all lead water service lines in the city within five years, according to a press release. This money comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in Nov. 2021, which has a $15 billion section for replacing lead service lines across the country, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/2023/01/12/npu-to-begin-replacing-norwichs-lead-water-service-lines-this-summer/69786208007/

Depending on her ruling it could be one of the longest and most complex criminal trials in the state’s history, but a Superior Court judge is deciding whether to hold one trial or three for the six defendants in the Fairfield illegal dumping case. Five former senior Fairfield town officials, a prominent developer and the head of an environmental waste disposal company are accused of one of the largest environmental crimes in state history — dumping truckloads of contaminated fill on town property and then constructing a scheme to cover it up. The cleanup of the contaminated soil, discovered in town parks and under the Penfield Pavilion, has already cost town residents millions of dollars. In 2013, Julian Development was hired by the town to manage a pile of debris next to the public works garage with the prohibition that it was to accept no contaminated material there and was to eventually clean out the site. But over the next three years, the site went from 40,000 cubic yards of material to approximately 120,000 cubic yards, covering nearly three acres. Subsequent tests found the pile contained high levels of PCBs, lead, and other hazardous materials, according to court documents.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/State-seeks-one-big-trial-in-Fairfield-dumping-17711605.php?src=rdctpdensecp

The town was awarded $1.425 million to cover the design and construction costs of a storm mitigation system for the high school sports complex, Department of Public Works head Frank Smeriglio said.
Smeriglio said the town will work with Boston-based athletic vendor Stantec for the design phase, although the price has not yet been finalized. Once the design for the project is complete, the contract for construction on the high school complex will go out to bid. The total will be used strictly to address storm mitigation in and around the high school complex, according to Smeriglio. The need was first determined after Hurricane Ida severely damaged the turf football field and then-newly unveiled track worth nearly $1 million. The DPW director said Friday the project will be completed in coordination with the Parks and Recreation Department and its director, Steve Pierce.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Wilton-High-School-field-flood-prevention-grant-17699399.php

Voters have chosen to approve borrowing an additional $2.3 million to supplement a $6.2 million project for new water mains and improved water storage tanks on Wallens Hill Road and Crystal Lake. A referendum saw 209 votes in favor of the additional borrowing versus 170 votes against. Costs to replace a water storage tank on Wallens Hill Road, and build a second tank at Crystal Lake, have increased since the projects first were proposed. The commission in March 2022 received approval from the Board of Selectmen to borrow $6.2 million for the project, which includes replacement of an aging water storage tank on Wallens Hill, construction of a second, smaller storage tank at Crystal Lake and replacing 4,000 feet of water mains on streets served by the water and sewer plant.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Winsted-voters-approve-more-funding-for-water-17705204.php

Science Park’s redevelopers are still planning to knock down an abandoned factory building saturated in toxic oil and marked by broken glass. They’re now one small step closer to realizing that goal, as alders advanced a grant application that would cover a portion of the $10 million they need to demolish and remediate the derelict former site. That was the outcome of Thursday’s latest meeting of the Bard of Alders City Services and Environmental Policy (CSEP) Committee meeting. The state’s Brownfield Municipal Grants program requires that a municipal government itself apply for each environmental cleanup grant, even if a private developer is ultimately responsible for the remediation process. As a result, the city and partnering developers have to receive formal approval from the Board of Alders to apply for each grant.

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/remediation_pitches

An ambitious plan to revitalize and redesign the areas of Church Street and Railroad Square near Christmas Village took a step forward this month, now that the city has received a $5.2 million grant. The plan includes a platform for train passengers on nearby Railroad Square, a public park area, improved sidewalks and street surfaces, signage and landscaping. The Revitalization of Railroad Square project is now in the design phase, and construction is anticipated to start in fall 2023. On Dec. 29, Lamont announced that the state was awarding approximately $36.5 million in grants to eight cities and towns under the second round of the recently launched Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program.

https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Torrington-gets-5-2-million-for-railroad-park-17696888.php

A proposed cluster housing development on land formerly belonging to Barberry Hill Farm will help save the working farm, according to the developer and farm owner Kingsley Goddard. Some 5.8 acres, the rear portion of the 17.5-acre farm, was sold last November for $2.4 million to developer Adam Greenberg, who most recently completed the upscale The General’s Residences at Fence Creek in downtown Madison. The working farm was a major selling point for Greenberg and he said he believes it will make it uniquely attractive to homebuyers. The official name of the project is Barberry 12 LLC and Greenberg is partnering with John Gianotti of Waterside Building and Development, who is the builder. The plan is set to go before the Inland Wetlands Commission in the next month or so.

https://www.nhregister.com/shoreline/article/Can-a-cluster-development-save-the-farm-Owners-17696757.php?src=nhrhpdesecp

The new $53 million Cromwell Middle School project is moving along, with the schematic design phase completed and reviewed at the building committee’s meeting Jan. 4. Next up is the detailed design phase, which is estimated to last about nine weeks. After seeking to hire a construction manager for the project, the committee offered a contract to Newfield Construction of Hartford, which is out for review by the town attorney before being signed. According to committee Chairwoman Rosanna Glynn, the project is still meeting its expected timeline with plans to break ground this October. At the recent meeting, John “Jack” Butkus of Arcadis, a Middletown-based project management company hired to oversee this project, said work is on budget. With any construction project, there are bound to be hiccups. One came to light during the meeting, when it was noted the specifications for the auditorium only had seating for 326, instead of the targeted 500.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Cromwell-Middle-School-project-now-in-design-phase-17704627.php

A federal funding package enacted at the end of 2022 includes more than $6 million in earmarks for the city and millions of dollars more for nonprofit organizations that have offices in Stamford. The largest earmark for the city — a $3 million allocation — is for the construction of a Ferguson Library branch in the East Side neighborhood. Knapp said the library will consult with East Side residents on the plans and start working with an architect to get an idea of the total project cost, which is expected to be more than $3 million. The other earmarks include $2 million for the city to upgrade “inefficient, high-pressure sodium-based streetlights to energy-saving LEDs,” according to a release from Blumenthal and Murphy. In a statement, Mayor Caroline Simmons said all of the projects “were submitted because they will provide critical investments in key priority areas that my administration is focused on — infrastructure, public safety, sustainability and improving quality of life.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Stamford-federal-omnibus-earmarks-6M-library-17686280.php?src=sthpdesecp