Renovations on the Darien Metro-North Railroad train station will not be completed until next year after multiple setbacks, according to First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky. Construction has been ongoing on extensive renovations on the downtown station, with upgrades including platform replacements on both sides, new hydraulic elevators and the state’s first electrically heated train platform, which would help the town avoid salting for ice in the winter. The eastern platform’s replacement is now slated to finish by the end of August and the entire project, barring any unforeseen delays, would likely wrap by March 2026 according to Zagrodzky. The estimated cost of the project, which is state funded, is now closer to $40 million, Zagrodzky said. The cost was originally estimated at $34 million, with the delays adding about $6 million the cost. Construction also reportedly ran into unexpected infrastructure when digging trenches for the electrical supply that would power the heated platform. Workers also found the demolished remains of a 19th century building that had been paved over, Zagrodzky said, which they then had to excavate to install the electrical infrastructure.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/darien/article/darien-metro-north-railroad-station-construction-20252621.php

With state investment uncertain, Andre Swanston and his Connecticut Sports Group, the developers behind the proposed new soccer stadium, are working with city officials on an additional funding mechanism to help get the venue built. More specifically they would obtain permission from the Connecticut General Assembly to employ tax increment financing (TIF), using a portion of any new real estate taxes generated by the lower East Side redevelopment to pay off some of the construction debt, rather than those revenues going straight into Bridgeport’s coffers. First stop is the state legislature, which must allow Bridgeport to establish a special taxing district encompassing where Swanston wants to erect the stadium — as well as housing, a hotel, retail and restaurant space — in a project that he unveiled in late 2023. While the developers have so far repeatedly declined to talk actual numbers, documents from early 2024 showed the soccer facility’s budget to be $96.2 million. State officials last year awarded a total of $16 million toward helping cover the clean-up of environmental contamination, specifying that should the stadium not move forward those targeted properties will be shovel-ready for other redevelopment.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/taxing-district-soccer-mls-bridgeport-stadium-20262928.php

The former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital may become the new site for Casimir Pulaski Elementary School, following a recommendation from the Meriden Board of Education. As part of its capital improvement projects, the Board of Education is considering renovating Thomas Hooker Elementary School and building a new Pulaski at 1 King Place, the former hospital, Assistant Superintendent Michael Grove said during a recent meeting. Renovations for Thomas Hooker include expanding the cafeteria, playground, auditorium and gymnasium. Plans also include adding air conditioning to all classrooms, upgrading the heating system, improving handicap accessibility with an elevator and installing new energy-efficient windows. Deputy Majority Leader Larue Graham asked the board if the building could be utilized for special education students outside the district.

https://www.ctinsider.com/recordjournal/article/new-pulaski-school-meriden-wallingford-hospital-20255330.php

Town officials are in the early stages of a plan to reconstruct part of Tolland Turnpike, backed by $6.7 million in state and federal funding. The project is anticipated to cost $7.2 million, with the remaining $500,000 to be covered by a local match allocated through a Public Works bond referendum approved by Manchester voters in November 2023. Town Engineer Jeff LaMalva said the project involves reconstructing the pavement surface of a roughly one-mile stretch of Tolland Turnpike, including the two railroad crossings, as well as construction of a “shared-use path” on the south side of the road. LaMalva said the project is currently conceptual in nature, but the town will begin the design and permitting phase this summer, with work anticipated to begin in late 2026 or early 2027. A public engagement meeting will be held as part of that work, he said. “We are very grateful for the federal and state funding for this project, as this would likely need to be completed in phases if entirely funded locally,” he said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-manchester-tolland-turnpike-road-work-20255044.php

Father and son team Robert Christoph Sr. and Jr.’s RCI Group has made slow but substantial progress at the Steelpointe site over the past decade-plus but wants more time to respond to future market conditions with construction just starting on a couple thousand units of proposed housing. The prime acreage is located on the lower East Side, near downtown between Interstate 95 and the harbor. Under that agreement, which ends in 2052, the developer is allowed to use a chunk of the real estate taxes due Bridgeport to instead pay off the borrowing funding Steelpointe’s infrastructure, like roads and utilities. That subsidy is known as tax incremental financing. Bridgeport, according to city officials, currently receives $650,000 in annual property tax payments from Steelpointe, with the remaining balance of around $1 million reinvested in the infrastructure. Bridgeport’s tax share will grow as the years pass and more gets built out. But, he continued, when the Christophs seek to borrow to help finance the infrastructure improvements, those preferred terms are often 30 to 40 years long. And since a hotel and about 2,000 housing units are still in the future, RCI wants to push out that 2012 agreement by a couple of decades to 2072.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-steelpointe-tax-deal-extension-20258569.php

Demolition of what used to be the Burlington Coat Factory in downtown Stamford was ongoing as of Friday. The building is being destroyed to make way for a 280-unit apartment building that will take its place at 74 Broad St. Randy Salvatore, the developer behind the project, said demolition could be expected to be completed by early 2025 in previous stories in The Stamford Advocate. The building itself would be seven stories and include around 5,700 square feet of retail space and indoor and outdoor amenities, according to Planning Board documents. The project will also include 310 parking spaces spread between three levels and spaces will be available for library patrons, residents and if needed the retail tenants of the project. The Burlington Coat Factory in downtown Stamford closed in June 2024 and opened its new location in the Ridgeway Shopping Center in July 2024.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/burlington-coat-factory-stamford-20258817.php

Work has begun on the town’s $10 million plans to reconstruct West Hartford Center, its bustling dining and shopping district. LaSalle Road, home to various stores and restaurants, looked a little different after the town took down 36 trees that lined the roadway, the first step in the planned overhaul of the corridor that will culminate in new and wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks, more street furniture and amenities, a mobility hub and new trees. Farmington Avenue will get that same treatment next year. West Hartford first announced plans to reconstruct its town center in 2022, dubbing it the “West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan.” The entirely of the plan is being funded with federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Work on LaSalle Road will continue throughout this year’s construction season. Next year, attention will shift to Farmington Avenue on a similar timeline. The town said it expects all construction to be done by November 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-town-center-construction-20258643.php

City leaders are hopeful that the potential addition of $5 million in state grant money will help them fully fund and realize the $17 million Streetscape Renaissance Project in downtown Danbury. The project seeks to greatly improve the walkability, appearance and economic vitality of the city’s center. The $5 million grant, if awarded, would come from Connecticut’s Community Investment Fund. The project was among the projects recommended for funding recently by the Community Investment Fund 2030 Board. The State Bond Commission will vote on the funding at its April 11 meeting. The CIF grant would come on the heels of a separate recently awarded $4 million in state Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program funds. The goal of streetscape project is to “transform the center of Danbury into a high-spirited, pedestrian-friendly, and economically efficient community,” city officials said in a recent statement.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-streetscapes-project-ct-cif-grant-walkable-20216143.php

Owners and developers of commercial construction projects may hesitate to move forward with new work after President Donald Trump levied fresh tariffs on more than 180 countries, according to industry sources. On Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff for all U.S. trading partners with additional reciprocal tariffs for select nations, such as another 34% on Chinese imports and 20% on European Union imports. Many key construction materials, such as steel, aluminum, lumber and copper, will be exempted from these reciprocal tariffs, according to a White House release. Price increases are expected, but they will take time to be worked into the system. Contractors tend to source products like concrete, gypsum and other raw materials domestically, so those are less likely to be impacted, said Tim Jed, supply chain leader at DPR Construction. That jump in costs mixed with uncertainty on how markets will react to the new trade policy will likely start to slow construction investment activity, said Jeannine Cataldi, associate director of global construction at S&P Global Market Intelligence. That will have an impact on nonresidential construction, specifically privately funded projects.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/trump-tariffs-construction-risk-liberation-day/744334/

East Hartford-based energy company HyAxiom Inc. has partnered with three companies to build a 21-unit, 9.6-megawatt fuel cell project in Bridgeport. The Charter Oak CHP Project will be a combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell that uses thermal loop technology, HyAxiom announced. The system will use byproduct heat from the fuel cells to provide heating to local customers. “This is a model for sustainable power solutions that can be replicated nationwide,” said Dave Alonso, chief commercial officer at HyAxiom. The partnership is with: Ridgewood, New Jersey-based Scale Microgrid Solutions, which designs, builds, finances, owns and operates distributed energy assets; NuPower LLC, a sustainable energy developer based in Easton; and C.E. Floyd Co., a general contractor based in Middletown.

East Hartford fuel cell-maker partners with 3 companies to build 9.6MW facility in Bridgeport