The state Department of Transportation is proposing to build $12.5 million of roundabouts at the Exit 89 interchange of Interstate 95 which it says will make for a smoother traffic flow at the Allyn Street exit, decrease backups, reduce speed and help prevent wrong-way driving. The DOT is proposing single-lane roundabouts at three intersections: the I-95 southbound on and off ramps; the I-95 northbound on and off ramps; and the Allyn Street and Sandy Hollow Road intersection. Scott Bushee, principal engineer of the state highway design unit and chairman of the DOT’s roundabout committee, said the traffic circles have fewer “conflict points” in which vehicles could collide. A conventional intersection has 32 conflict points, compared to eight with a roundabout. The roundabout project would cost $12.5 million, while an alternative for signalized intersections would cost $6.4 million, according to the DOT. The project is slated to be paid for with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.

https://theday.com/news/753396/roundabouts-proposed-for-exit-89-interchange-of-i-95-in-groton/

Electric utility United Illuminating said Wednesday that the cost of designing and building a proposed underground transmission system from Bridgeport to Fairfield would be about $838 million. That’s about a half-billion dollars more than the estimated cost of rebuilding the overhead transmission system at $306 million. UI says the aging transmission infrastructure, which runs along Metro-North railroad, needs to be upgraded to maintain current levels of railroad service. If the Siting Council approved the overhead solution proposed by UI, the roughly $300 million cost would be spread across those 14 million customers. However, if the Siting Council approved the underground option, Connecticut ratepayers would be responsible for the additional $500 million, according to UI.

Underground transmission line project could cost CT residents $500M

The Wallingford YMCA has received approval for renovation of its 26,900-square-foot west side facility following a unanimous vote from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday. The Y is aiming to double the size of their existing facility with a brand new aquatics center at their west side location at 8 North Turnpike Road. Primarily a gym facility, the addition will add a 17,500 square-foot space for a six-lane lap pool along with a lazy river exercise channel and splashpad playscape. According to Executive Director of the Y, Sean Doherty, there is still around $3 million of the total to meet their $7 million project goal, and while they’re still talking behind the scenes with donors and legislators to secure more funding, he encouraged members of the public to donate what they could to reach their goal – to limit the amount of financing needed for the project.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/wallingford-ymca-pool-expansion-approval-ct-20369816.php

A development partnership has announced a new $43 million affordable housing acquisition and renovation in Brewery Square, in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven. Community Preservation Partners and Beacon Communities will collaborate on the purchase and upgrading of Brewery Square Apartments, a two-building development with 104 units. The historic complex was originally constructed in 1896 as the Quinnipiac Brewery Co., and then converted to housing in the 1980s after being vacant for several decades. The renovation will transition 84 of the 104 units into the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, with affordability levels ranging from 30% to 80% of the area median income, averaging just below 60%. The partnership has been in negotiations with the city of New Haven over the terms of the tax break for several months.

$43M New Haven affordable housing renovation to proceed

Indianapolis-based developer Scannell Properties is proposing two new warehouses, totaling 881,500 square feet in Windsor Locks. Scannell is seeking a special permit and site review for the project, at the corner of Old County Road and Route 20, on 76 acres owned by tobacco company OJ Thrall. Architecture and engineering firm BL Companies submitted an application, dated May 6, on behalf of Scannell. In a statement released to the Hartford Business Journal, Scannell Director of Development Daniel Madrigal asserted Monday’s hearing was a chance to demonstrate positive changes to the company’s development plans, which were prompted by input from residents and local officials. The project would result in the equivalent of 153 jobs during construction, then 110 warehouse jobs and 50 truck driving jobs, according to the Goman + York analysis.

Two warehouses, totaling 881,500 sq. ft., proposed in Windsor Locks

Private developers scrapped more projects in May than in any other month on record, according to the latest data from Cincinnati-based ConstructConnect. The Project Stress Index, a measure of construction projects that have been paused, abandoned or have a delayed bid date, increased 11.4% in May. That figure puts project stress 22.8% above 2021 baseline levels, said Devin Bell, associate economist at ConstructConnect. Bell pointed to high interest rates and shifting market conditions as key factors reducing project viability. He said those pressures continue to erode developer confidence. A 30.3% spike in overall project abandonments caused the surge in stress in May, according to the report. In contrast, delayed bids dropped 1.9% and on-hold activity remained essentially flat. Public projects moved in the opposite direction over the last year. Abandonments on public works remained flat, while public projects put on hold fell 15.2%, according to the report.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/private-project-abandonments-record-high/750100/

The 2025 legislative session ended last week without a financial commitment from his administration for up to $127 million in desired state aid to help construct a soccer stadium, housing and hotel. The land in question is located just across Stratford Avenue from Boca at the shuttered Shoreline Star off-track betting site. But for Rosario and other proponents of entrepreneur Andre Swanston’s minor league sports venue, the session was not a failure. Lawmakers passed a proposal allowing officials in Bridgeport to establish a tax incremental financing (TIF) district at the stadium site to help pay for up to $190 million of the purportedly $1.1 billion redevelopment. That means a portion of any new real estate taxes generated by the project would pay off the debt rather than going directly into Bridgeport’s municipal coffers. And in lieu of actual state financial aid, the legislature also adopted language requiring Connecticut’s departments of Economic Development and Revenue Services to, by Oct. 1, assess the “anticipated economic impact” of the stadium.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-soccer-stadium-funding-20364704.php

The cash-strapped city school system is set to get a financial boost after state lawmakers voted to set aside nearly $80 million to help build a new special education school and run the district. The Connecticut General Assembly approved a bond bill last week that includes up to $74 million for the construction of the new school in the North End. Lawmakers also provided about $5 million more for district expenses. However, the state’s top education official, Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, will control the money. That $5 million infusion comes after district officials pleaded with lawmakers to increase education funding in the face of a more than $30 million deficit that has led to deep staffing and program cuts, including the elimination of several teaching jobs and bus transportation for about 2,400 students.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/bridgeport-schools-state-funding-20365450.php

The state plans to replace the superstructures of two Interstate 84 bridges near the Danbury Fair mall as soon as 2029 as part of a $138 million upgrade of the highway from the New York border to Exit 4. The bridges in question at eastbound Exit 3 carry a daily average of 81,000 eastbound motorists and an average of 40,000 westbound motorists, according to the DOT’s latest publicly available traffic data. Moreover, the bridges are in one of the most problematic sections of I-84 in Danbury, where daily rush-hour backups are the norm. Left exit ramps and other design flaws are the target of a larger, long-term project called I-84 Danbury to widen and straighten the highway from exits 1 through 8. The ambitious project, with a price tag of $3 billion to $4 billion, is not expected to begin construction for at least a decade, and it is not expected to be complete until the mid- to late 2040s.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/i-84-bridge-danbury-ct-deficiencies-dot-construct-20368074.php

The state government is serving up what Gov. Ned Lamont described Monday as a $4 million “meat and potatoes” grant to replace aging underground utility infrastructure along West Main Street that dates back to the late 1890s. The state funding will enable construction crews to upgrade or replaced approximately 4,440 linear feet water, sanitary, sewer, and storm drainage lines as part of a wider $28.9 million project to redevelop West Main Street between Riverside Street and the Waterbury Green in the heart of downtown. The State Bond Commission in April approved the $4 million allocation that the Community Investment Fund Board approved a month earlier for funding the third phase on the ongoing project to transform the streetscape along West Main Street. Lamont said replacing water and sewer lines is not an exceptionally exciting project, but the aging underground infrastructure dating back to the late 19th Century that this $4 million in state funding will replace is holding back development. He called it a down payment on a new foundation for Waterbury’s future.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/waterbury-ct-west-main-street-grant-lamont-20367961.php