Two of Stamford’s five ailing bridges have reopened: West Glen Drive bridge and Lakeside Drive bridge in Stamford are back in service after being closed over the summer and fall. Both bridges were rated “poor” by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and both were closed in the spring for repairs. The CTDOT has 11 rankings for bridge conditions ranging from “failed” at one end to “excellent” at the other. The “poor” rating is defined as as a bridge with “widespread moderate or isolated major defects; strength and/or performance of the component is affected.” Eighty percent of the $3.9 million used to replace the Lakeside Drive bridge came from federal funds with the remainder from state funds. The West Glen Drive bridge, which was built in 1964, cost $2.1 million to replace and was 80 percent funded by federal funds with the rest covered by state funds. It closed around June 17 and reopened to traffic Dec. 6. Meanwhile, work is ongoing on other bridges in Stamford.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/stamford-west-glen-lakeside-drive-bridge-fixes-19971630.php

The town recently received a grant that will go toward helping install sewer systems for nearly 100 homes while also protecting the Long Island Sound. The $1.5 million grant, awarded through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, will go to the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority for construction of a sewer extension in the Dean and Pocono Road area, said Alison Kennedy, operations manager of the Brookfield Water Pollution Control Authority. Kennedy said the extension will serve 91 residential homes and possibly the Town Hall campus. A complete design of the project is anticipated by July 2025. The $1.5 million is the maximum award of the grant, and the town’s match for the grant is $750,000, to total $2.25 million, Kennedy added. “This has been under consideration for a few years now. We’re very thankful that we got a grant,” he said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/brookfield-awarded-grant-towards-helping-sewer-19970894.php

Construction is on schedule at the sites of the new Norwalk High School and South Norwalk School, although it’s not certain if the latter will have solar panels or open in fall 2025 as expected. The new Norwalk High School is slated to welcome students in fall 2027, with the new sports complex atop the bones of the old school to be completed by August 2028, Lo said. The school’s tennis courts will come soon after in the fall of 2028, he said. At the South Norwalk School construction site, the building is framed out and interior partitions and masonry are being installed, Lo said. “I know we are scheduled to open (on time), assuming that everything (continues) to go smoothly,” Lo said. Nevertheless, the South Norwalk School’s roof is being installed soon, he said last Tuesday. But whether solar panels will actually go on that roof is unclear. Regardless, any solar would not be installed at South Norwalk until spring 2026 after it’s clear the school’s roof is stable, without leaks, and ready for installation, Lo said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-schools-construction-solar-panel-19971622.php

The new 20-year agreement, approved by the New London City Council and signed by Mayor Michael Passero earlier this month, is with the Miami Beach Association, Old Lyme Shores Beach Association, Old Colony Beach Association, the town of Old Lyme and associated water pollution control authorities. The contract requires construction of the new sewer system to begin within 18 months. If that doesn’t happen, the beach associations and the town will remain responsible for their portion of the $1.58 million connection fee outlined in the contract. The effort is the result of a mandate from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) going back more than 10 years for the beach communities to reduce groundwater pollution and the potential for pollutants entering Long Island Sound.

https://theday.com/news/274133/new-london-sewer-agreement-puts-pressure-on-old-lyme/

The city is moving closer to razing the former Bristol Babcock industrial complex, which has remained an eyesore and a safety hazard. The Board of Aldermen will vote Monday on hiring a licensed environmental professional from Tighe and Bond for $244,429. The demolition will be followed by an investigation of the site for contaminants and a cleanup, Hyde said. The city will need to apply for more funding to remediate the site, he noted. The State Bond Commission approved $4 million Aug. 8. Overall, the city has $5 million for the site, including $1 million from developer Norm S. Drubner in October 2023 to take the title of the 6.6-acre former industrial complex. The Bristol Babcock property contains four interconnected buildings at 40 Bristol St. in the city’s Platts Mill neighborhood near the Naugatuck line. The property has been deteriorating since the 1980s and has remained vacant since 2002. On Oct. 24, the Board of Aldermen approved acquiring the vacant brownfield.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/12/12/waterbury-readying-to-demolish-aged-eyesore/

State officials recently unveiled an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Dashboard, to help Connecticut residents visualize how and where over half of the $6.4 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds the state has received will be allocated. Per the dashboard, passenger and freight rail projects represent the largest recipient of federal funds, with roads, bridges and other major projects coming in second. While the dashboard does not give a complete picture of the state’s BIL fund allocation, with only about $3.7 billion worth of the total $6.4 billion in projects being included, state officials intend to update it over time. Of the $3.7 billion mapped on the dashboard, a little over $2 billion, or about 54% of the mapped funds, were granted for rail projects, and approximately $1.28 billion, or about 35%, were granted for roads, bridges and other major projects. In total, 497 BIL-funded projects focus on transportation, 53 are climate-related, two are broadband-related, and another two are listed as “other”; one “other” item is funding for the instruction of smart manufacturing college courses, and another is for a fish-passage project in Naugatuck Valley.

https://insideinvestigator.org/state-unveils-dashboard-to-track-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-funds/

A plan to build a 4 1/2-story Amazon retail distribution facility in the city’s South End continues to draw opposition from neighbors looking to keep the massive facility out of their backyard. Bluewater Property Group is proposing to erect the 650,000-square-foot structure on a portion of the 155 city-owned acres along the Waterbury-Naugatuck line, an undeveloped, wooded area adjacent to Naugatuck Industrial Park. The project still requires zoning approvals from both Naugatuck and Waterbury. Tommy Hyde, executive director of Waterbury Development Corp., said the city has long marketed the industrially zoned property as an attractive location for a variety of uses, but, so far, to no avail. Bluewater’s special permit application was slated to be discussed Wednesday night at a zoning meeting in Naugatuck and is scheduled to be taken up by the Waterbury Zoning Commission in the coming weeks.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/12/11/neighbors-voice-angst-at-proposed-amazon-facility/

The Connecticut Port Authority failed to seek bids for a marketing vendor and improperly purchased a variety of services and supplies, a new state audit found. In a lengthy response included with the audit, the port authority partly agreed with the criticism while pointing out the agency was understaffed during the audited period and has since hired more personnel. The authority provided an explanation for each purchase criticized by auditors. The audit covered the fiscal years 2022 and 2023. The authority, located in Old Saybrook, has long endured criticism over its operations and purchasing practices, including ethics violations by members of the staff and board and the redevelopment of the State Pier in New London into an offshore wind hub. The project’s initial budget of $93 million has grown to nearly $310 million.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/audit-ct-port-authority-failed-seek-bids-properly-19969661.php

Months of tense hearings and court-like drama before the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission will wrap up Dec. 19, but the fault lines are evident between advocates of a large-scale excavation and development, on the one hand, and neighbors fiercely opposed to a project they say will lower nearby property values and their quality of life. Developer Gales Ferry Intermodal, owned by Massachusetts-based Jay Cashman Inc., has pitched the plan as a money-maker for the town that’s appropriate for the industrial-zoned property. GFI has applied for a special permit allowing the company to grade the site and blast the north side of the 256-foot-high Mount Decatur, also known as Dragon Hill. The company has proposed a 10-year excavation during which it would cart off and sell the granite rock to prepare the site for development afterward.

Fight Over Planned Decadelong Leveling of Mount Decatur Comes to a Head in Ledyard

The Meriden Senior Center Building Review Committee soundly rejected an alternate plan to dramatically renovate its existing space at 22 W. Main St. and purchase a vacant building next door. The alternative plan would have cost significantly less than the approved $36 million proposal to build a senior center at 116 Cook Ave., City Manager Brian Daniels said. However, committee members found the West Main Street alternative did not share the same amenities marked as priorities, but could be possible at the Cook Avenue site. Daniels worked with city officials and learned the property at 28 W. Main St. was for sale. He asked for estimates and reviewed timelines for grant applications to complete renovations, including roofs and walls at both properties. He presented renderings that revealed exposed brick and wood beams and large windows and sky lights in newly renovated art and ceramics classes. The site would also have exercise classes on the first floor and a small green space in the rear for raised bed gardens and smaller outdoor activities such as bocce, according to Public Health and Human Services Director Lea Crown.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-senior-center-renovation-19971655.php