The town has received $3 million in federal funds to complete a “road diet” project on Broad Street. The $3 million, which was included in the year-end $1.7 trillion federal spending bill, will be combined with $1.2 million from the state to reduce the number of lanes on a segment of Broad Street running from Batchelder Road through the center of town, a distance of approximately 25,050 feet. The project is one piece of a downtown revitalization vision for Windsor, which includes a redeveloped Windsor Center Plaza led by Windsor native Greg Vaca. In addition to federal and state funding for construction, the Windsor Town Council, at a meeting Tuesday, accepted additional state funding for the design phases.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Windsor-revitalization-project-3-million-17694341.php

The project, announced two years ago, is called Hartford 400. It calls for the removal of the massive highway interchanges in Hartford and East Hartford, the construction of new bridges and tunnels, more parkland and the reconnection of North Hartford to downtown, among other things. It is a daunting endeavor: preliminary estimates predict it will take 15 years and cost $17 billion. But some of that money is in the till. The deadline for the Hartford project is 2035, The city’s 400th anniversary, hence the project’s name. It is an ambitious timeframe. Finally, it is ironic, or perhaps unfortunate, that if Hartford 400 moves ahead, the major infrastructure project of the 21st century in Greater Hartford will involve correcting the errors made in the 20th century’s biggest project. Said Larson: “We have to get it right this time.”

Plan to rebuild Hartford highways gaining support, waiting for DOT

City administration is requesting approval from the Board of Aldermen for a $30 million bond authorization to rehabilitate the Chase Municipal Building, the former corporate headquarters of Chase Brass & Copper Co. Mayor Neil M. O’Leary said significant upgrades to the building are sorely needed. The project would include a comprehensive rehabilitation of the building, including exterior window restoration and replacements; electrical, plumbing and mechanical upgrades; handicapped accessibility improvements, and code upgrades, city documents state. On Monday, the board will vote on whether to approve scheduling a Jan. 23 hearing for the project.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2023/01/04/waterbury-seeking-ok-from-aldermen-for-30m-bond-to-rehab-chase-building/

Voters on Saturday will be asked to approve borrowing $2.3 million to supplement a $6.2 million project that includes new water mains and improved water storage tanks in town. The projects were first proposed in 2021 by the Water and Sewer Commission. The commission in March 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. Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, during a Board of Selectmen meeting this week, encouraged residents to vote on the project. Saturday’s referendum will be held from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. at the Pearson School. All registered voters are eligible to participate. 

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Winsted-voters-referendum-water-projects-17693670.php

To celebrate the funding, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited New London on Wednesday to get an up close look at the bridge that spans the Thames River. Joined by newly-reinaugurated Governor Ned Lamont and Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, local representatives and members of industry, the secretary touted the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending. Gold Star Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in the state of Connecticut at 6,000 feet in length and 150 feet in height at the center span. The bridge is actually a twin pair, one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound traffic on I-95. Fixing the steel trusses is the first step in the project and was already underway during Buttigieg’s visit. Local 15 Ironworker’s Union workers from Hartford took a short break from their work to watch Secretary Buttigieg speak.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/Pete-Buttigieg-gold-star-bridge-17695086.php

Over the holidays, even if for only a short time, parking was full to capacity at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport. Officials from Tweed and Avports, the company that operates Tweed, said they know of no one who drove to the airport only to find out the airport’s three parking lots were full. They said they are working to provide more parking for the short term — and additional parking is part of the plan when Tweed ultimately implements its $100 million expansion, which also will include a new terminal on the East Haven side of the airport. But that’s an expansion proposal for which Tweed — which has been issued cease-and-desist orders by the city twice in recent weeks for allowing people to park in unapproved areas — has yet to formally apply. Avelo spokesman Jim Olson said Avelo is working with Tweed to make things as smooth as possible for passengers.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Tweed-Airport-parking-reached-capacity-on-holidays-17692232.php?src=nhrhplocal

At a nearly three-hour meeting Monday, officials from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, representatives from Eversource and about 160 others, began discussing the energy price crisis — which is region-wide — and looking for ways states can pool efforts to find solutions, especially when it comes to procuring energy. Utility companies — Eversource and Avangrid — are not responsible for the price spikes. As electric distribution companies, their job is to get the power to homes and businesses. The cost of the actual power is collected by Eversource and Avangrid on behalf of the generator, which gets all the money. Energy generators and utilities are resistant to change how they make money and lobby strenuously to keep the existing system in place, and it is difficult to build new transmission. Lawmakers, many of whom don’t understand the complicated world of energy, have been reluctant to spend money and therefore timid in their embrace of renewable energy and other infrastructure. And, finally, there has been a persistent focus on short-term energy rates, as opposed to investments in upgraded systems and renewables that may cost more upfront but will save money and improve reliability down the road.

The winter energy crunch, what it costs, and what it will take to fix it

The $2.3 million is in addition to the $6.2 million voters approved in 2021. If voters approve the additional borrowing, the commission will have enough money to replace two water storage tanks. If they do not, only one of the tank projects will be done now. The original $6.2 million was for both the tanks and the replacement of 4,000 feet of water mains under Case Avenue, Center Street, Greenwood Avenue, Thibault Avenue, and the eastern section of Holabird Avenue, from Whiting to Florence streets. Those projects were estimated to cost $6.2 million three-and-a-half years ago, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Works Director James Rollins has said. Since then, costs have risen 37%, to $8.5 million. The water main project cost $2.2 million, $833,000 more than what was originally projected, Rollins has said. But that project is covered with the $6.2 million.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2023/01/02/hearing-set-for-water-proposal-winsted-officials-want-to-clarify-issue-before-saturday-vote/

East Hartford has received a $4 million grant to help it purchase the former downtown Post Office on Main Street and renovate the historic building as an annex to the Raymond Library. The $4 million is a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the government funding package that will bring $38.7 million to organizations in Connecticut’s Congressional First District. “I am proud to have secured over $38.7 million for Connecticut’s First District that will support victims of gun violence, move our infrastructure projects forward, and provide our community members with resources like workforce training and financial literacy programming,” Larson said. Ideas for the post office addition in 2021 included a coffee shop to help draw more people to the library and a permanent office for Literacy Volunteers of America, Town Council Chair Richard Kehoe said at the time.

https://www.courant.com/community/east-hartford/hc-news-east-hartford-receives-4-million-20230103-3jfwweyatfdxrfgbm3xy7toyze-story.html

The new owners of a historic Newington building are seeking a change of use from industrial/office space into retail and office space to revitalize the central downtown landmark. The 109,200-square-foot complex of three buildings at 1170 Main St., formerly known as the Keeney manufacturing site, was purchased for $3.1 million by Omni Broussard Two LLC in December 2021. The owners signed a lease in February with Data Mail Inc., which has been in business in Newington for 50 years and employs nearly 1,000 people in its facility on Hartford Avenue. Once renovated, the building will become “an attractive multi-use property and hub in the center of Newington for residents and visitors to shop, dine, drink, work and congregate,” according to the application. Renovation plans to the 6.8-acre parcel include work to the exterior of the building, which would restore the original art-deco-inspired facade.

Renovation eyed for historic Keeney building in Newington