Work has begun on the town’s $10 million plans to reconstruct West Hartford Center, its bustling dining and shopping district. LaSalle Road, home to various stores and restaurants, looked a little different after the town took down 36 trees that lined the roadway, the first step in the planned overhaul of the corridor that will culminate in new and wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks, more street furniture and amenities, a mobility hub and new trees. Farmington Avenue will get that same treatment next year. West Hartford first announced plans to reconstruct its town center in 2022, dubbing it the “West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan.” The entirely of the plan is being funded with federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Work on LaSalle Road will continue throughout this year’s construction season. Next year, attention will shift to Farmington Avenue on a similar timeline. The town said it expects all construction to be done by November 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-town-center-construction-20258643.php

City leaders are hopeful that the potential addition of $5 million in state grant money will help them fully fund and realize the $17 million Streetscape Renaissance Project in downtown Danbury. The project seeks to greatly improve the walkability, appearance and economic vitality of the city’s center. The $5 million grant, if awarded, would come from Connecticut’s Community Investment Fund. The project was among the projects recommended for funding recently by the Community Investment Fund 2030 Board. The State Bond Commission will vote on the funding at its April 11 meeting. The CIF grant would come on the heels of a separate recently awarded $4 million in state Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program funds. The goal of streetscape project is to “transform the center of Danbury into a high-spirited, pedestrian-friendly, and economically efficient community,” city officials said in a recent statement.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-streetscapes-project-ct-cif-grant-walkable-20216143.php

Owners and developers of commercial construction projects may hesitate to move forward with new work after President Donald Trump levied fresh tariffs on more than 180 countries, according to industry sources. On Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff for all U.S. trading partners with additional reciprocal tariffs for select nations, such as another 34% on Chinese imports and 20% on European Union imports. Many key construction materials, such as steel, aluminum, lumber and copper, will be exempted from these reciprocal tariffs, according to a White House release. Price increases are expected, but they will take time to be worked into the system. Contractors tend to source products like concrete, gypsum and other raw materials domestically, so those are less likely to be impacted, said Tim Jed, supply chain leader at DPR Construction. That jump in costs mixed with uncertainty on how markets will react to the new trade policy will likely start to slow construction investment activity, said Jeannine Cataldi, associate director of global construction at S&P Global Market Intelligence. That will have an impact on nonresidential construction, specifically privately funded projects.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/trump-tariffs-construction-risk-liberation-day/744334/

East Hartford-based energy company HyAxiom Inc. has partnered with three companies to build a 21-unit, 9.6-megawatt fuel cell project in Bridgeport. The Charter Oak CHP Project will be a combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell that uses thermal loop technology, HyAxiom announced. The system will use byproduct heat from the fuel cells to provide heating to local customers. “This is a model for sustainable power solutions that can be replicated nationwide,” said Dave Alonso, chief commercial officer at HyAxiom. The partnership is with: Ridgewood, New Jersey-based Scale Microgrid Solutions, which designs, builds, finances, owns and operates distributed energy assets; NuPower LLC, a sustainable energy developer based in Easton; and C.E. Floyd Co., a general contractor based in Middletown.

East Hartford fuel cell-maker partners with 3 companies to build 9.6MW facility in Bridgeport

School officials are recommending building two new elementary schools and closing Flanders Elementary School to address its aging facilities and low enrollment there. Under the preferred plan, which is considered “Scenario D,” there would be seven elementary schools. This would include closing Flanders, making Kelley Elementary School larger, making Walter Derynoski Elementary School smaller and expanding South End School. Phase 1 would have a new Kelley with four sections per grade, expanding South End to have additional classrooms on the lower level and closing Flanders. Redistricting would happen once phase 1 is complete, probably in fall 2029 at the earliest. The total cost for this recommendation would be $173.7 million with an estimated district share of $97.2 million. The grant application process for a new Kelley and the South End expansion would be in June with a referendum in the fall. The next phase would start in 2028 with grant applications and a referendum.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/southington-elementary-schools-kelley-flanders-20255250.php

The town is moving forward with plans to rehabilitate 15 roads deemed to be in the “worst condition” at a cost about $3.7 million, officials said. Approximately 8 miles of roadway in New Milford will be rehabilitated this year, using the process of either reclaiming or milling and paving, Wittman said. In road reclamation, the construction process uses soil on site as the base of the new roadway surface. The total amount of additional roadway that will be rehabilitated with chip sealing or rubberized chip sealing will be determined, according to Wittmann. The work was slated to begin April 1 and was expected to be finished by Oct. 1, he said. The planned road rehabilitation work will encompass 6 miles of roadway as well as 1 mile of roadway that will be completed in cooperation with Aquarion and 1 mile completed with Public Works’ in-house staff, said Chuck Ballard, who works on the Public Works’ engineering team.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/newmilford/article/new-milford-rehabilitate-15-roads-in-2025-repairs-20243827.php

Norwich Public Utilities and private crews are continuing work to replace gas lines throughout the city. Over the last few years, NPU has been awarded two grants totaling $20.9 million to replace the “aging and leak-prone” lines with more than 9 miles of new lines, constructed from high-density polyethylene, an NPU release said. That project includes installing new mains and services and repaving roads. The first phase of the work began in October 2024, with pipeline replacement along Asylum Street, from Grant Court to West Main Street, where NPU is now tying in service lines. When that work is complete, the road will be resurfaced, NPU said. Older natural gas pipes, NPU said, are more likely to cause safety issues if they break, and are more likely to leak methane into the air. “These improvements will make our natural gas system safer while reducing leaks that can impact air quality in our community,” Riley said. “These investments will pay benefits for years to come.”

https://theday.com/news/725178/norwich-public-utilities-continuing-to-replace-gas-lines/

The city wants to sell 17.3 acres to Amazon as the e-commerce giant moves ahead with its plan to build a massive distribution center in the South End. The city will hold an April 21 hearing on its proposal to sell the undeveloped property at 305 Great Hill Road and 0 Sheridan Drive to Amazon.com Services LLC for $325,000. Most residents who spoke at a hearing last fall were against Amazon’s plan to build a 650,000-square-foot distribution center in the industrial park on land straddling the Waterbury-Naugatuck town line. Project developer Bluewater Property Group has proposed a 650,000-square-foot, 106-foot tall, multi-floor retail distribution center on the Naugatuck -Waterbury line in the area of 0 Great Hill Road and 0 Sheridan Drive on about 183 acres. It’s divided up to about 114 acres in the city and roughly 69 acres in the borough. Bluewater Property Group Vice President Christina Bernard told residents at that fall hearing the distribution center will operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year and would create 500 to 1,000 permanent jobs. She said the project would create 300 jobs during the construction, estimated to take about 24 to 30 months.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/amazon-distribution-center-waterbury-naugatuck-ct-20250735.php

A multinational electrical equipment manufacturer that made headlines in February with $10 million plans to expand its westside headquarters has withdrawn its application to a city land use commission in order to redesign the blueprints. The 200,000-square-foot Danbury plant, which Belimo built on 34 hilltop acres in 2014, serves as the headquarters for its operations in Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. Whether the Switzerland-based company comes back with an expansion plan similar to the 33,000-square-foot warehouse addition Belimo proposed in February remains to be seen. As far as Danbury City Hall is concerned, leaders say they “fully expect” Belimo to reapply for expansion permission. “Belimo is committed to ensuring that their expansion here in Danbury lays the foundation for long-term success and accommodates all their needs,” said Farly Santos, Mayor Roberto Alves’ economic and community development adviser. “Mayor Alves and his administration stand ready to support their growth, fostering continued prosperity for both Belimo and our community.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/belimo-drops-10m-expansion-danbury-alternative-20254525.php

In East Lyme, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has undertaken a major construction project at Exit 74 where the interstate travels over Route 161. The project will improve sightlines, make the road safer for travelers and ease congestion. CTDOT plans to have the project completed by 2027 at the cost of nearly $150 million. By the completion of the project, I-95 northbound and southbound will have a new look. The northbound and southbound lanes will be raised approximately 14 ft. from their original position on the west side of Route 161 and cut approximately 10 ft. on the east side. Contractors are achieving these changes through the construction of temporary earth retaining systems (TERS). Manafort Brothers was the general contractor for the project and worked closely with additional contractors on the job. As the 2025 construction season opens, workers will shift traffic onto the recently constructed travel lanes and over Route 161. An additional TERS will be constructed closer to the southbound traffic.

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/retaining-walls-earthwork-enable-dot-to-raise-section-of-i-95-in-conn/67671