A highly-anticipated and state-funded $3 million upgrade to one of the city’s most well-traveled roads is about a year away. “This project we are embarking on is 100% funded by a LOTCIP construction grant (Local Transportation Capital Improvements Program) and it involves a Complete Streets upgrade to the entire 1.2-mile length of John Downey Drive,” Stewart said. City Public Works and Engineering staff are designing the project in-house and will be seeking input from impacted stakeholders and business owners beginning in Jan. 2023. The entire roadway will be repaved with new curbing installed, in addition to drainage and pedestrian improvements to meet ADA standards. A new sidewalk will be installed all along the road’s west side and a multi-use trail will be built on the east side. The design will include the replacement of the traffic signal at the intersection with South Street as well.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-New+Britain+News/410559/statefunded-3-million-upgrade-to-one-of-new-britains-mosttraveled-roadways-is-on-horizon

A new proposal seeks to build a large, mixed-use development on Black Rock Turnpike, that would add thousands of feet of co-working space and nearly 250 apartments. Post Road Residential is asking the Town Plan and Zoning Commission to conduct a non-binding pre-review on its plans for a five story building with 243 residential units, a 10,000 square foot amenity space and a 6,000 square foot co-working space at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, also known as the Reiner Property. Chris Russo, the attorney for the developer, said the property is currently an eyesore and the proposal will completely turn that around. He said it has been designed in a way that is in line with the town’s transit oriented development study. Commission Chair Thomas Noonan asked if the developers were aware of the Fairfield Metro development breaking ground nearby, and if they plan to complement it. The developer’s team said they looked at those plans.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/fairfield/article/Mixed-use-project-Black-Rock-Fairfield-17589522.php

The study comes at a time when the corridor area is projected to see an 18% population growth and 26% employment growth between 2016 and 2050, a faster pace than Connecticut overall, said Krista Goodin, project manager with CDM Smith. Goodin said the I-95 corridor from Branford to Rhode Island was previously studied in 2004 and later studied in an update in 2018. Both studies identified the need for additional capacity to address increasing congestion and recommended improvements, including widening in some areas and safety and design improvements at interchanges. The project team said it has gathered and analyzed data of the corridor, but stressed that there are no specific recommendations at this phase of the study. The team said it is looking to hear from residents about their feedback based on their day-to-day experience of I-95. Harley said next spring the DOT plans to begin a project centered around the reconstruction of the Exit 74 Interchange and includes the replacement of the bridge carrying I-95 over Route 161. He said the design team also will continue to investigate solutions to reduce congestion and improve safety in this section of I-95.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221115/dot-looks-for-ways-to-improve-i-95-between-branford-and-rhode-island/

A Camden, New Jersey-based housing developer and investor has received a selection committee endorsement to build a mixed-use development worth tens-of-millions of dollars on a 2.8-acre parking lot south of Hartford’s Bushnell Park. After interviews and follow-up presentations, the selection committee ranked Michaels with 12.45 points, closely followed by LCM with 12.275 points, trailed by Spinnaker with 10.025 points and then Spectra/Wonder Works with 9.35 points. According to its website, Michaels operates about 60,000 units of housing in more than 425 communities in 35 states, along with Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company says it has built more than 55,000 units of housing. In Connecticut, Michaels manages four affordable housing communities with a combined 359 units in Meriden and New Haven, according to its website.

New Jersey developer gets tentative nod to build major downtown Hartford mixed-use development

The vacant lot next to the Naugatuck Event Center is expected to be excavated to establish a clean foundation for the eventual transformation of a new transit mixed-use development. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously approved at its Nov. 1 meeting to award a bid to Red Technologies of Portland in the amount of $213,825 for the excavation and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and contaminated soil in the vacant lot at Parcel B, the 7.75 acres at the corner of Maple Street and Old Firehouse Road. Hess said the removal of material doesn’t mean the borough won’t find something else later but all the known PCBs will be removed and any possible remaining PCBs will be a low enough level to allow workers to build over or cap it. Stewart expects the work would start this winter season and the work can be done as long as the ground isn’t frozen over.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2022/11/14/board-oks-parcel-b-excavation-bid/

Cheshire’s Planning and Zoning Commission Monday will continue a public hearing and possibly take action on applications related to a proposed multi-unit housing development, which, if approved, would be the town’s largest apartment complex. Voters in a referendum last week approved by a margin of 60% a modernization plan and $166 million for new school construction that would close three old schools and build two new elementary schools. The Norton School would be demolished, and a new building, to accommodate nearly double the current student body of 500, would be built on the same site.

Cheshire to hold public hearing on largest-ever apartment complex proposal

The Planning and Zoning Commission has unanimously approved plans for a new $2 million water tower to be built at 50 Cook Drive. The project calls for the construction of a 531,200-gallon glass-fused-to-steel water storage tank. It will be built next to the to the existing 590,000-gallon steel tank built in 1999. The existing tank, which also has antenna for the town’s emergency services, will remain until it can be demolished and a dedicated antenna tower and equipment building can be built on the site. The design of the new tank helps keep the water fresh. With the current steel tank, the town has to use robots to get inside the tank to clean and check on its integrity. He added the new tank will have a 30- to 40-year lifespan. The project was initially approved for a $2 million state grant but that has been cut in half. Albertson explained the town is now applying for the $1 million grant, which it needs to be approved before the town can seek bids for the project.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221114/montville-to-build-new-2-million-water-tower/

A Superior Court judge Monday denied a special probation program for three former Fairfield town officials and a local developer charged in the five-year scheme to dump tons of contaminated soil on town property. Following a four-hour hearing, Judge Kevin Russo ruled that the charges against the four individuals for allegedly illegally disposing of hazardous waste and then trying to cover it up are too serious for the accelerated rehabilitation program. “In my view persuading the bluest of blue-collar workers to expose themselves to a petri dish of contaminated soil with PCBs and other carcinogens is a significant aggravating factor which makes it far too serious for the benefit of the AR program,” the judge said. “It was probably equivalent to having someone jump without a parachute because those folks still don’t know what their future holds health wise.”

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Judge-rejects-probation-for-Fairfield-dumping-17584212.php?src=rdctpdensecp

The share of women in construction has hit a record high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women surged into the industry starting around 2016, even as the number of men in construction lagged. When we called experts and advocates for women in the trades, they said one painful truth explains why labor shortages benefit women: hiring them takes extra work. Women are less likely to have experience, since men have dominated the trades for eons, and they’re often not plugged into traditional word-of-mouth hiring pipelines. The turnaround in construction coincided with a surge of women into the workforce — led by Black and Hispanic women — that culminated in most U.S. jobs being held by women for only the second time in history. Federal legislation could further normalize the presence of women on construction sites. The bipartisan infrastructure law President Biden signed last November is a “game changer for women’s inclusion in the trades,” Jackson said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/11/hispanic-women-construction-trades/

From 2020 to 2021, the Connecticut technical education system said participation in work-based learning programs — where students work part-time for school credit and pay — rose by 43% to more than 1,000 students across the system’s 17 schools. That far exceeded the department’s annual goal of 10% to 20% growth, according to Patricia King, who supervises the program. Registered apprenticeships, which are one- to four-year on-the-job training programs offered by employers and trade unions, have also made gains in recent years. According to the state labor department, there were almost 300 more companies employing apprentices in 2022 than there were in 2013. The number of apprentices fluctuated over that time period but has remained above 6,000 for the last six years — up from 4,618 in 2013. Policy researchers say the rising cost of higher education — and crippling student loan debt — has begun to shift popular thinking about the value of four-year bachelor’s degree programs, leading to a renewed focus on career and technical education. These career paths are more affordable (often paid) and line up students with jobs in fields like defense manufacturing, where Connecticut has a considerable need for skilled workers.

More students, companies are pursuing apprenticeships in CT