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Stamford kicks off new Westhill High School construction project with groundbreaking
STAMFORD — Construction of the new Westhill High School, likely the largest school project in Connecticut history, is now officially underway — at least symbolically. A collection of local and state officials gathered at the Stamford school Tuesday afternoon to celebrate a groundbreaking for the project, which includes demolishing the existing Westhill and replacing it with a new 450,000-square-foot building, expected to open in August 2029. Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Deputy Commissioner Eleanor Michael called the Westhill project one of the most significant in the state and likely the largest-ever school project in Connecticut history. The department agreed to pay for 80% of the project to rebuild the school, estimated at a cost of $446 million, last year. That would mean a reimbursement of up to $356.8 million. However, the total cost of the project may not reach that level. In March, the Stamford Board of Finance approved a guaranteed maximum price of $353.4 million for the work. City Director of Operations Matthew Quinones said there is an additional $45 million to $50 million anticipated in soft costs that could drive the total above $400 million. The new Westhill is designed to hold up to 2,458 students and will feature nearly 100 classrooms. https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/new-westhill-high-construction-project-stamford-ct-22280831.php
CT town applying for $9 million to boost sprawling housing redevelopment plan
As wrecking crews demolish the Bank of America building at 99 Founders Plaza for one phase of the Port Eastside mega-development, East Hartford is applying for $9 million in state aid to help pay for converting a vacant office high-rise nearby into an even bigger part of the mixed-use project. Developers have estimated they’ll need $90 million to transform the 19-story office tower at 111 Founders Plaza into about 230 modern apartments. East Hartford is seeking $15 million in state assistance to make the project more financially feasible, and this week is applying for $9 million of that. “There’s no tax abatement for this project, no money from the town. We might be going for a state loan, but all the rest is private equity,” Mayor Connor Martin told The Courant. “We think if we can get all the funding pieces together, it’s realistic to think they can start construction in the beginning 2027. The developers have all their designs down.” A partnership of major developers and industry leaders from around Greater Hartford proposed Port Eastside three years ago, calling it an $850 million project that would generate nearly 1,000 apartments along with restaurants, entertainment venues and more. They’ve predicted it would transform East Hartford’s under-used waterfront by replacing much of the 1970s-era Founders Plaza campus of office buildings; the plan is for a highly walkable cluster of residential and commercial uses with a pedestrian path along the river and greater connections to the Hartford waterfront.
Residents get used to new Gold Star Bridge traffic crossover
Groton resident George Abad, who works the night shift in the emergency room of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, drives over the Gold Star Memorial Bridge multiple times a day. He drove the new crossover lanes driving north on Sunday and the existing northbound bridge on Monday. He thought the crews did a really good job, though there could be more signage on the northbound bridge, but he thinks that is coming. “I think they did a great job with all the lanes, but we just have to remember to go slow,” Abad said. “We have to go slow for a mile and a half for the next four years, and it’ll work out.” Abad was among the residents on Monday getting used to a new traffic crossover on the bridge, which will be in place for four years. The $900 million repair project for the northbound span includes installing a new deck, repairing concrete and strengthening steel. The “crossover” of two northbound lanes onto a section of the southbound bridge — separated by a barrier from the regular southbound lanes — was installed overnight Saturday. Exit 86 is accessible through the crossover. The existing northbound bridge was reduced to two lanes, with the right lane as an Exit 85 only lane.
https://theday.com/news/897654/residents-get-used-to-new-gold-star-bridge-traffic-crossover/
New Haven approves 242-unit ‘Elm City Lofts’ development on former Winchester site in Newhallville
NEW HAVEN — A stretch of the Newhallville section along the Farmington Canal Greenway which has seen major redevelopment in recent years will see even more in the months to come as work begins on the “Elm City Lofts” project, which will add another 242 units to the mix. The project along Shelton Avenue, which the City Plan Commission recently unanimously approved, includes the renovation of a five-story mill building at 89 Shelton that is part of the former Winchester Repeating Arms factory — once the city’s largest employer — into 98 apartments. It also includes construction of two new buildings on what now is an empty lot. One of which would be five stories and 106,325 square feet, with 84 apartments. The other would be four stories and 76,800 square feet, with 60 apartments and about 2,150 square feet of retail space, according to plans submitted to the commission. The developers are Vesta Corp. of Simsbury, which also was involved in the renovation of the former Monarch Laundry building on Derby Avenue into 64 affordable apartments, and Vallone Ventures of Westport. The development would include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and 265 vehicle parking spaces, along with 180 spaces for bicycles. The Farmington Canal trail runs to the east of the site.
CT to study nuclear industry workforce needs
A new state law requires Connecticut to assess the workforce needed to support a potential advanced nuclear energy industry, as policymakers continue exploring whether advanced nuclear technologies could play a future role in the state’s energy mix. Gov. Ned Lamont on May 22 signed Public Act 26-46, which directs the Connecticut Council for Advancing Nuclear Energy Development to study the skilled labor needs associated with advanced nuclear energy projects. The council must identify the types of workers that would be needed to support future projects, including engineers, technicians and skilled trades workers, and determine whether Connecticut’s existing education and training programs could meet that demand. The law also requires recommendations for workforce development, recruitment and training strategies. The measure does not authorize construction of a nuclear facility, provide funding for a reactor project, or change the state’s energy procurement policies. Instead, the legislation is intended to ensure Connecticut is prepared if advanced nuclear technologies become commercially viable and attract investment here.
https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-to-study-nuclear-industry-workforce-needs/
Proposal for massive CT distribution center draws opposition. An ‘unacceptable burden’: resident
Noise, lighting, trucks, exhaust and more are on the minds of Connecticut residents who oppose a proposed nearly 1.4-million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center project that would be built off Interstate 395. The Killingly residents voiced concerns about the development, called Project Husky, that is being proposed by developer Ryan Companies. It also calls for 60 loading docks, 430 trailer parking spaces and 930 associate parking spaces. Although the name of the distribution company was not on any town material or proposals, Amazon was mentioned several times by name during the May 18 town Planning & Zoning Commission meeting. The 228 Westcott Road plan includes the construction of a new warehousing and distribution center of 1,288,220 square feet and includes 340 acres for development and 76 acres of conservation easement. There are also 216 acres proposed to be deeded to the town of Killingly for conservation. The project is located between I-395, Westcott Road and Mashentuck Road, according to the Killingly Planning & Zoning Commission agenda from May 18. Two new distribution centers are being proposed on 54 acres at 90 Putnam Pike. That proposal totals 467,500 square feet of gross floor area with associated loading bays, trailer parking spaces, employee parking, access drives, stormwater management systems, retaining walls, septic systems, utilities, landscaping and lighting, records show.
New Britain secures full funding for long-sought Allen Street drainage project
NEW BRITAIN — Mayor Bobby Sanchez said New Britain has secured all funding needed for the long-awaited Allen Street drainage and flood mitigation project, which city officials say will address years of flooding problems in the neighborhood. “On day one, I made a promise to the Allen Street neighborhood that we would fully fund this project and finally move it forward after more than a decade of waiting,” Sanchez said. “Today, we are proud to say that promise has been kept. This project is about protecting homes, improving infrastructure and finally delivering relief to residents who have waited far too long for action.” The city had already secured nearly $8 million in federal, state and transportation infrastructure funding for the project. Sanchez said an additional $5 million in state bonding support has now been approved, completing the funding package needed to move the project forward. City officials said the additional support came through a partnership involving the New Britain legislative delegation, including state Sen. Rick Lopes and state Reps. Manny Sanchez, Dave DeFronzo, Iris Sanchez and Gary Turco, along with support from Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes.
CT still has thousands of lead pipes carrying drinking water. New funding aims to replace them
Connecticut is set to receive $27.5 million from the federal government to replace thousands of aging lead pipes still carrying drinking water to homes across the state. The funding, announced last week by the Environmental Protection Agency, is the latest allotment given to Connecticut through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Enacted in 2021, the federal law set aside $15 billion for finding and replacing lead pipes nationwide, including about $150 million for Connecticut. Lead, a heavy metal once common in products such as pipes and paints, is a neurotoxin that is harmful to human health, especially for children and pregnant women. Even small amounts can stunt children’s development and lower IQ scores, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Though water quality experts say the federal funding covers only a fraction of what it will ultimately cost to replace all of Connecticut’s lead pipes, public health officials have described the investment as a big step toward improving the state’s drinking water systems. “Drinking water infrastructure projects are costly, and this funding provides significant support to our communities as they work to identify and remove lead service lines,” DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said. “These resources allow Connecticut to move faster in eliminating lead exposure risks, strengthening local public water systems, and protecting the health of all residents — especially our most vulnerable.”
Connecticut’s century-old coastal rail bridges are getting billion-dollar replacements
As passengers travel on the rail lines along Connecticut’s coast, more than 100-year-old bridges carry their trains over some of the rivers that flow into Long Island Sound. Billion-dollar projects are underway to replace two of those movable bridges. And by the time work wraps up in 2030 or 2031, assuming there are no delays, a third new bridge could be under construction. The complex projects aim to keep Amtrak, Metro-North and Shore Line East trains running while work is ongoing and to ultimately increase train speeds. Here’s what those barges, cranes and construction crews are up to, and what plans are still in the works.
Higher gas prices could strain CT construction plans as diesel, asphalt prices surge
While rising gasoline prices threaten Connecticut families’ summer travel plans, the trend is putting pressure on the state’s transportation program as well. Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget director said Thursday that certain gasoline and sales tax receipts could “soften” this summer if prices remain elevated or turn worse in the coming months. And a key business leader warned that the state’s transportation construction dollars likely won’t stretch as far, as the cost of diesel fuel, liquid asphalt and other petroleum-related products surge along with gasoline. “I think we are, unfortunately, all at the whims of the federal government and the decisions of our current president, and this is a situation where we are all suffering,” Lamont’s budget director, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Josh Wojcik, said Thursday. According to AAA, the average price of regular gasoline stood Friday at $4.55 nationally and $4.64 per gallon in Connecticut, with the latter up 60% since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb. 28. That created a brief surge in the state’s $2.3 billion Special Transportation Fund, thanks to a percentage-based tax that reflects changes in the wholesale price. But that tax also has a cap, which has been in effect since March 31. In other words, tax receipts from this source are maxed out — unless motorists start driving more. That’s unlikely given current prices, not to mention a new forecast posted Wednesday on X by GasBuddy. The popular gasoline price-forecasting service projected an average retail price nationally of $4.80 per gallon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, provided supply lines from the Persian Gulf remain blocked.
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