Voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum for a $385 million overhaul of city schools, with four new elementary schools and a major renovation to one middle school. The project calls for consolidating the current seven elementary schools into four new schools that would be built on the grounds of the John B. Stanton, Moriarty Environmental Sciences and Uncas schools and the former site of the Greeneville School. The Teachers Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School either would be substantially renovated or replaced. The Samuel Huntington School would be renovated and converted into the adult education center and administrative offices. Although the bond question asked for $385 million, the city’s total costs would range from $97 million to $153 million, depending on state reimbursement levels.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221108/norwich-school-construction-referendum-passes/

Avangrid announced in September that it would ask Connecticut to pay a higher price to buy power from the planned 804 megawatt Park City Wind project, and for Massachusetts to pay more for the 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind project. Senior Vice President for Offshore Projects Sy Oytan said at the time that Avangrid needed to sell the power from those two projects at higher prices than it originally agreed to because the cost to build those projects has escalated with inflation, escalating commodity prices, and supply chain shortages. Connecticut agreed in 2019 to buy electricity from Park City at $79.83 per megawatt-hour. It agreed to buy 200 MW of electricity from Eversource and Ørsted’s 704 MW Revolution Wind project at $99.50/MWh, and another 104 MW from that project at $98.43/MWh. Avangrid has not made a formal request to renegotiate its contract with Connecticut yet, but a spokesman said they expect their case will be convincing. Eversource announced in May that it plans to sell its stake in its offshore wind partnership with Ørsted, turning its focus away from developing offshore wind projects and towards integrating wind into the grid onshore.

As Avangrid Moves to Renegotiate Wind Energy Prices, Eversource Sticks With Bids, Looks to Sell Wind Projects

The state rail plan ensures Connecticut complies with the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, according to a DOT statement. Work on the new plan began in 2021 and several public hearings were held in the past year. State officials previously touted ambitions outlined in the plan, including decreasing travel time to New York by 25 minutes and potentially connecting Connecticut riders with New York’s Penn Station. A 2021 statewide Rail Improvements Economic Impact Study conducted by the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, found that there has been a disinvestment in rail connectivity over the last 30 years, according to the plan. Additionally, DOT plans to invest in infrastructure improvements that will allow freight trains to increase service. To implement the plan’s initiatives, nearly $13 billion will be invested into the state’s rail system over the next five years. Of the $12.7 billion, $8.7 billion is for the New Haven line; $12.5 million for the Danbury line; $120 million for Waterbury and $921 million for Hartford, and “many more millions of dollars along the corridor,” Leone said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Connecticut-rail-plan-economy-17564062.php

As permitting gets underway for a proposed $24 million, 384-acre second business park in Occum, neighbors are rallying opposition to the plan many say would ruin Norwich’s quiet corner. The first chance for public comment will be at a neighborhood meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Norwich Worship Center, 165 Lawler Lane. NCDC has an option to purchase the 17 properties for $3.55 million from M&A Holdings LLC and Byron Brook Country Club LLC. NCDC’s option expires Dec. 31. Meanwhile, NCDC and real estate consultant Henry Resnikoff have pushed forward with design and permitting. The City Council-zoning board approved zoning regulations for a Business Master Plan District in April 2021.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221105/norwich-residents-get-chance-to-comment-on-proposed-second-business-park/

With an infusion of $10.5 million in federal dollars, the city and a private company on the harbor are aiming to make Bridgeport a hub for future offshore wind energy projects. But the direct beneficiary of that federal aid is not Avangrid’s previously ballyhooed Park City Wind project, but instead local shipyard operator Bridgeport Boatworks. But as reported in July, a lease announcement between Park City Wind and the ferry was premature, and, because of re-zoning under Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration, the proposed staging area cannot proceed, though the operations/maintenance building could. Then last week it was announced during Avangrid’s third quarter earnings call with Wall Street analysts that Park City Wind’s completion date had been pushed back from 2026 to 2027.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Millions-federal-aid-offshore-wind-Bridgeport-17558811.php

The Board of Finance is grappling with how the city will fund its share of a $1.5 billion school facilities plan. Full implementation of the plan, including addressing all the deferred maintenance, would cost the city about $952 million over two decades. The new plan projects that the state will contribute a total of $766 million. The plan calls for about $39 million in funding from the city for the coming fiscal year. The number rises as high as $51 million in future years. Freedman said the city will have to make up the difference through taxes. This year, the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives agreed to raise $20 million for school construction projects through an increased tax rate. Freedman said he will recommend that Mayor Caroline Simmons include another $20 million in her budget proposal for fiscal 2023-24.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/How-will-Stamford-fund-its-half-of-a-1-5B-plan-17559956.php?src=sthpdesecp

Some skeptics in Norwalk opposed the plan because of the cost, others because they would lose their land by eminent domain. And everyone’s concerned about the years of construction and mess… including demolition of the Maritime Aquarium IMAX Theater. The CDOT had considered all sorts of new bridge designs… truss, lift, bascule, counter-weight and even an elevated fly-over. But one design seemed conspicuously missing that might have be cheaper… a non-movable, “fixed” bridge. The Walk Bridge project is worth watching because it may act as a template for other “billion dollar bridge” replacements farther east in the years to come.

Talking Transportation: Why Not a Cheaper, Simpler Replacement for the $1B Walk Bridge?

The death toll in construction hasn’t changed in the past decade, raising important questions about the effectiveness of OSHA and what it would take to save more lives, according to an analysis by Construction Dive. Workers continue to die at the same rate — 10 out of every 100,000 workers didn’t come home between 2011 and 2020 — highlighting weak enforcement, meager inspections and fines, and the opioid epidemic. With last year’s staff levels, for example, it would have taken inspectors 236 years to visit every workplace in the U.S., according to union group AFL-CIO’s Death on the Job report. Fines would need to rise above the cost of doing business and find their targets, especially among small contractors, which account for about 90% of the industry and often fly under the radar.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/osha-enforcement-violations-death-on-the-jobsite-construction/634308/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202022-11-03%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:45747%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

The 6,000-plus seat Dunkin’ Donuts Park was completed in 2017, following a construction project that was delayed by a year and which saw costs jump from an initial $56 million budget to $71 million. The city blamed Middletown-based Centerplan Cos., terminating it as both the developer of the partially complete stadium and revoking the right of an affiliated limited liability company to build apartments on nearby city-controlled lots. RMS CEO Randy Salvatore had planned to roll right into construction of a second development – a 522-spot parking facility attached to a structure with 528 apartments — on a site just southwest of the stadium, across Main Street. Salvatore said he hopes to proceed with construction early next year, but it would be impossible to be certain of the timing of a court resolution.

Facing court roadblock, North Crossing developer seeks Hartford approvals for 528-unit apartment building

Rising construction costs and quickly climbing interest rates have pushed the Farmington High School construction project about $18 million over budget, and town voters will get to decide next month how to deal with that. School and municipal officials are asking voters next month to authorize spending another $9.7 million on the project, but are assuring that it won’t come from local taxpayers. A panel overseeing the project blamed higher interest rates, supply chain disruptions and fast-rising construction costs for the overruns. The full budget for all construction labor and materials had been set at $115.6 million, but the lowest bids in October totaled $121.5 million, according to Lorel Purcell of O&G Industries, the town’s construction manager.

https://www.theday.com/state/20221103/farmington-high-school-project-millions-of-dollars-over-budget/