One year ago, all traffic on Interstate 95, one of the busiest highways in the country, was halted in the heart of Norwalk. Traffic flows freely along Interstate 95 in Norwalk under the remnants of the Fairfield Avenue bridge on Monday morning, May 6, 2024. Crews demolished the span last week and over the weekend after a tanker carrying gasoline ignited under the bridge last Thursday, authorities said, leading to massive traffic jams throughout the area. This fiery collision made national news, as for three days, I-95 traffic between New York City and Boston was choked while crews worked to clear the way. Within 80 hours, the damaged overpass was removed, and all lanes reopened, relieving the congestion but leaving Norwalk residents without a vital connection to the busy Route 1 corridor with no bridge over that section of highway. It took 80 hours of round-the-clock work to reopen the highway. Today, the scars of the accident are gone, and traffic flows under and over the bridge as if it never happened.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-i-95-fiery-crash-before-after-photos-20300019.php

Work has begun on Spruce Street enhancements that will complement the 41 apartments planned for the former Nathan Hale School. Manchester will construct a neighborhood pocket park at 140 Spruce St., currently a parking lot next to the historic Nathan Hale School building at 160 Spruce St. targeted for redevelopment by Farmington-based developer Parker Benjamin. Town Engineer Jeff LaMalva said construction began in April and is scheduled for completion by the end of August, with minor impacts to traffic expected during the portion of the work within the road. The project also includes a 17-stall public parking lot to be built at 163 Spruce St., across the street from Nathan Hale School. An existing gazebo will remain but be moved further back on the property. Construction on the lot is anticipated to begin in August, with completion expected by October. The $2.3 million project is funded primarily by American Rescue Plan Act funds, with the parking lot portion paid for with Community Development Block Grant funding.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-manchester-spruce-street-nathan-hale-farmers-20302223.php

The StoneRidge retirement community has announced plans for a $40 million addition to its 32-acre campus that will include a new wing with 72 apartments attached to its existing buildings. StoneRidge Senior Living Community officials said Monday that plans still need to be approved by the Stonington Planning & Zoning Commission, but they are hoping to break ground for the project next spring and be finished within three years. The new wing will be the final phase of the retirement community project. Opened as a continuing-care community in 2004, it offered a range of options for residents as they age including assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. StoneRidge said SB&A Architects of Ames, Iowa, has been hired to do the building design work. The construction firm has not yet been named.

https://theday.com/news/735855/stoneridge-in-mystic-plans-40-million-expansion/

Amazon has completed the purchase of 200 acres of land in Enfield for $20 million, with the company having already aired plans to build a new distribution warehouse. “Amazon represents a major opportunity for job growth and economic development,” said Aaron Marcavitch, Enfield’s director of economic and community development on Wednesday. “We are glad they chose Enfield and Connecticut and look forward to working effectively with them through the permitting and development process.” Earlier in April, Amazon received approval to build a huge warehouse on nearly 160 acres on the Waterbury-Naugatuck line, with a projected employee base of 1,000 people. Amazon is slated to release its first-quarter results on Thursday afternoon. Profits totaled $59.2 billion in 2024, as revenue rose 11% from a year earlier to $638 billion.

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/ct-amazon-warehouse-enfield-land-purchase-20302126.php

The ongoing $100 million redevelopment and expansion of the West Hartford Fellowship Housing campus is continuing, with the first of the nonprofit’s brand-new units ready to be occupied soon. In the end, the nonprofit will bring dozens of more units through the expansion, totaling more than 300 affordable housing residences by the end of the expansion. The first phase of construction, which broke ground in November 2023, is nearly finished — a grand opening is being planned for June. The nonprofit just received $2.1 million in low-income housing tax credits at the most recent Connecticut Housing Finance Authority meeting, which the nonprofit said equates to around $19 million in equity from private investors.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-fellowship-housing-affordable-20299953.php

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport has filed inland and tidal wetlands permit applications with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the airport’s proposed expansion, including runway extension, a new eastside terminal and associated parking and roads. The expansion first was announced on May 6, 2021 — at the same time that city and Tweed officials, joined by Gov. Ned Lamont, announced that Avelo Airlines would begin service to and from Tweed. The relatively short length of Tweed’s runway and its small terminal — along with road access that currently cuts through a largely residential neighborhood in the Morris Cove section of New Haven’s East Shore — have long inhibited Tweed’s efforts to grow. The proposed expansion includes expanding Tweed’s one remaining runway from the current 5,600 feet to 6575 feet, construction of a new 80,000-square-foot terminal on the East Haven side of the airport — which straddles the New Haven-East Haven border — and infrastructure improvements.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/tweed-runway-terminal-new-haven-environment-ct-20303015.php

Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration plans to invest in a new gas heating system for state office buildings in downtown Hartford, but the decision has fueled backlash from state and local activists who say it will spew pollution into surrounding neighborhoods and undermine the governor’s own climate goals. The administration’s plan would upgrade a facility that supplies heating and cooling to an underground network of pipes connected to 15 buildings in downtown Hartford known as the Capitol Area System. The system — also called the “loop” — includes several government buildings including the Armory, the Supreme Court Building and the Legislative Office Building, as well as private ones like the Bushnell Theater. (The Capitol itself relies on a separate system to heat and cool the 146-year-old building.) Environmental and climate activists seized upon the project, arguing that it offered the Lamont administration an opportunity to de-carbonize more than a dozen buildings at once through the installation of electric boilers or a geothermal heating and cooling system. But earlier this year the Department of Administrative Services announced that it was opting to move forward with a “hybrid” approach, utilizing both heat pumps and newer natural gas boilers to power the system. The upgrade is estimated to cost roughly $42 million and take several years to complete.

Plan to heat CT state buildings with natural gas system riles advocates

As part of ongoing repair and improvement efforts, New Haven Public School (NHPS) officials in Connecticut are proposing six renovation projects, including roof and swimming pool replacements across the district. The proposed projects include swimming pool replacements at Conte-West Hills School and Wilbur Cross High School; roof replacements at Truman School, Wilbur Cross High and James Hillhouse High School; and the construction of a new central office at 424 Chapel St. in New Haven. The plan is to eventually move the central office from 54 Meadow St. to the second floor of the Chapel Street building, the New Haven Register reported April 22, 2025. The total cost of the six projects is estimated at $25.1 million, the Register noted. In addition, on Feb. 13, 2025, there was a leak reported inside an English classroom at Wilbur Cross, which is an issue that has been difficult to address because the building’s roof has solar panels. The complaint cited concerns about mold, leaks, air quality and HVAC issues at the two schools.

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/six-school-upgrades-planned-for-new-haven-conn-amazon-facility-to-be-built-in-waterbury/67863

In an April 24 letter, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned DOT funding recipients against engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which he said violate federal law. Duffy also told grantees that they must cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officials or face “enforcement actions.” The DOT may audit grantees and take back funding used for unpermitted activities, according to the letter. Duffy urged transportation agencies to contact a DOT representative proactively to ensure they are in compliance. Since assuming office, Duffy has authorized a series of actions to advance Trump’s directive to “rescind woke policies” and slash regulations, while vowing to give grant preference to regions with higher-than-average birth rates. Last month, the DOT rolled back a Biden-era policy that included environmental and social considerations for projects it funds. In an April 2 hearing, Duffy defended the Trump administration’s freeze on already-approved projects so agencies can review them for mentions of climate change, environmental justice or equity. He did not say whether grant awards that are not yet finalized could be rescinded, but promised to enact the will of Congress when it comes to funding infrastructure: “I’m not going to hold up any projects.”

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/dot-cut-transportation-funds-dei-ice/746631/

Online retail giant Amazon has paid $20 million for two undeveloped parcels in Enfield totaling around 200 acres, one of which had recently been approved for development of an 819,000-square-foot warehouse. In a deed recorded April 23, Amazon bought a 181.4-acre undeveloped property at 35 Bacon Road, and a neighboring 22.1-acre property from Massachusetts-based Winstanley Enterprises. Winstanley is one of the most active developers in Connecticut, particularly in the industrial sector. Amazon confirmed the purchase and said its plans for the property are in the early stages. The company said it would provide more information at a later date. Construction is expected to begin imminently.

Amazon pays $20M for roughly 200 acres in Enfield