“Nuclear power already provides most of our carbon-free power. That’s why we’re working with the federal government to find ways to expand nuclear capacity here in Connecticut,” he said, then added, “Before you rule out natural gas … that’s where most of our power comes from and will for the foreseeable future, especially without more nuclear power.” That places him between the competing camps of clean and cost: Environmentalists who say carbon-free energy must be priority one, and opponents of procuring power from renewable sources that are more expensive than electricity generated by burning natural gas, including large-scale solar and off-shore wind. Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, the other co-chair, said energy policy must rest on a three-legged stool of cost, reliability and climate.

Natural gas? Nuclear energy? CT Gov. Lamont preserves options on controlling electricity costs

After years of broken promises and delays the Congress Street Bridge linking downtown and the East Side over the Pequonnock River may finally after nearly three decades be rebuilt thanks to a massive infusion of federal dollars. On Thursday U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, all Connecticut Democrats, announced that the beleaguered project is receiving a $24.6 million grant from the federal transportation department. The Ganim administration applied for that federal money a year ago. The bridge replacement went out to bid in the summer of 2022 and four contractors’ responded with prices that were at least double the initial $24 million estimate being split by the city and state. Those new amounts were $42.55 million, $48.04 million, $56.93 million and $57.63 million.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-congress-street-bridge-rebuild-20027198.php

The borough’s $14.8 million downtown infrastructure project is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 15, Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess said. The project involves upgrading Church and Maple streets, the Maple Street bridge and the intersection near Water Street. A little more than $9.2 million of the funding will come from the borough’s American Rescue Plan Act money. The board in 2022 hired Kleinfelder Northeast, a national engineering firm with an office in Rocky Hill, for the final design of sewer upgrades and streetscape designs for Church and Maple streets. The firm is collaborating with Richter & Cegan, a landscape architecture and planning firm from Avon, for the streetscape portion. Workers should be laying the first coat of asphalt on Church Street in June before they move their work to the town Green. This will be followed by Maple Street and lastly the Maple Street bridge, Hess said.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2025/01/09/naugatucks-downtown-project-picks-up-speed/

The city was approved for a $2 million federal grant to come up with ways to knit back together neighborhoods cleaved when I-91 was built in the 1960s, officials said Thursday. The “Reconnecting Neighborhoods” grant comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Among other things, the $2 million grant will pay for design and a related community engagement process to find out how residents would like to see the long-bisected areas of the city stitched back together, said Mayor Justin Elicker. Among the areas the project is likely to affect are Fair Haven, Cedar Hill, East Rock, Wooster Square, Long Wharf, and the Hill, along with Downtown, said Alder Carolyn Smith, D-9, whose ward includes parts of the East Rock and Fair Haven sections. Fair Haven and East Rock are two areas that I-91’s completion split apart.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-2m-grant-reunite-neighborhoods-i91-20024933.php

General Dynamics Electric Boat recently paid $5.5 million for a nearly 55-acre property in North Stonington, where the Groton-based submarine builder plans to construct a roughly 480,000-square-foot warehouse. The property at 45 Frontage Road, right off Interstate 95, currently hosts a 40-year-old, 5,000-square-foot garage. John Cafasso, a principal of Colliers, brokered the sale on behalf of the tribal nation. An Electric Boat spokesperson confirmed the purchase of the North Stonington property but declined comment on plans for the site. Susan Cullen, North Stonington’s planning development zoning official, noted the new warehouse will be about halfway between Electric Boat’s Quonset Point Facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and its Groton facility. The Frontage Road property is also within a district targeted by the town for industrial and commercial development, she said.

General Dynamics Electric Boat to build 480,000-sq.-ft. warehouse following $5.5M North Stonington land purchase

The importance of infrastructure is largely acknowledged as a bipartisan issue, said Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Austin, Texas-based Strategic Partnerships, a government procurement consultancy. “I think that the construction industry should feel very positive about 2025,” Nabers said. “From all indications, the next three or four years will be very good for the construction industry.” There’s plenty of work to be done: Not only the country’s massive repair backlog, but also burgeoning demands for climate resilience, tougher infrastructure cybersecurity and new energy sources to power the rapidly growing domestic data center and manufacturing industries. Three years into the five-year, $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Biden will pass the baton to Trump with a sizable chunk of money left. The new administration will have to staff up and get up to speed with the IIJA’s many programs.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/trump-impact-infrastructure-construction-2025/736597/

A plan to build a solar farm the size of 12 football fields off Fawn Meadow Lane has been approved by the Connecticut Siting Council with a long list of conditions. Greenskies Clean Energy’s application for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need was granted Dec. 5, clearing a required hurdle to operate a 4,625-megawatt solar array. The approval requires that Greenskies of North Haven provide a full site plan before construction on the 36-acre, heavily wooded property begins. Woodbury land use coordinator Will Agresta said Greenskies’ business model involves using the panels to generate enough electricity to power as many as 400 homes. That electricity would be harnessed and then sold to power companies. The Siting Council’s approval follows multiple hearings on the proposal last year.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2025/01/08/siting-council-oks-massive-solar-farm-in-woodbury/#google_vignette

Clinton-based utility company Connecticut Water announced Monday that it replaced more than 93,500 feet, or roughly 18 miles, of water main in 2024. The work consisted of 22 projects in 18 municipalities, at a cost of about $44.5 million, according to Connecticut Water. Some of the pipes replaced were more than 120 years old, including one in Killingly with a date of 1905 on it, the utility said. Fire hydrants were also replaced as part of the initiative. The effort was part of the utility’s Water Infrastructure and Conservation Adjustment program. Connecticut Water said its goal is to replace 1% of its nearly 1,800 miles of water main every year. It prioritizes aging or under-sized water mains.

CT Water replaces nearly 18 miles of water main in 2024

Last year ended with four Connecticut malls in Enfield, Meriden, Waterford and Waterbury losing tenants, a result of retailers either reducing their number of locations, going out of business or relocating stores. With high vacancy levels in those malls, retail and commercial retail experts have said 2025 could be the year that one of the malls shuts down or more likely, begins the process to redevelop for some other use. As malls like Waterbury’s Brass Mill Center, the Crystal Mall in Waterford, the Enfield Mall and the Meriden Mall struggle to fill vacancies and remain relevant, the idea of mixing residential and retail spaces, commonly known as mixed use development, continues to grow. By the end of 2025, the retail component of a mixed use complex in Cheshire, near the town’s border with Southington, will be open. The Shops at Stonebridge will be anchored by a Whole Foods Market, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, a Saybrook Home furnishings store, as well as a pet store, other retailers and several restaurants.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-malls-mixed-use-lead-retail-growth-20018894.php

One of two downtown eyesores will come down this spring after the City Council voted Monday to include $2.6 million in its capital improvement budget to demolish 116 Cook Ave. The spending is offset by a $2 million state grant, leaving the city to pay $600,000. Monday’s council vote allows the city to hire a contractor that can begin the demolition as early as February. Phase one of the project is funded at $16.8 million. LaRosa Construction began work in October. The latest project consists of rebuilding three bridges and creating a waterfront linear trail that links to the Meriden Green. The demolition of 116 Cook Ave. clears the way for a planned new senior center in 2028, when the flood control project is expected to be completed. Phase two consists of channel improvements. Costs range from $10.6 million to $39 million based on a variety of factors. Site engineers proposed relocating the 23,000 cubic yards of dredged soil to the 116 Cook Ave. site to elevate it 4 feet out of the flood zone. However, the soil needs to be tested for hazards before engineers can determine whether it will be trucked out of state, at a significantly higher cost.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-116-cook-ave-demolition-flood-control-20019702.php