A new double-track train station supporting a rail line between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as the historic downtown train station, are both expected to be constructed and renovated by early this fall. The $65 million new train station has been under construction for about three years, and the “major initiative” is expected to revitalize downtown Windsor Locks by attracting new daily visitors, First Selectman Scott Storms said. The historic train station is also being renovated to compliment the new modern train station, with both expected to be completed by September, Storms said. Meanwhile, the state has awarded a $4 million grant for brownfield remediation on the parcel adjacent to the train station. The grant will be used to clean up ash and waste on the land, as the historic train station used the property for a dumping ground.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-windsor-locks-train-station-20382825.php

In June 2024, the town of Wallingford unanimously approved a special permit and site plan for a privately developed facility that would be devoted exclusively to charging electric vehicles (EVs). The plan submitted by Gem Property Group LLC intended to develop a 2.04-acre vacant lot just off Exit 15 of Interstate 91 at 1 Miles Dr. The proposed facility was approved for up to 38 EV charging stations, 36 of which would be beneath a canopy. There would be no gas pumps, just EV charging stations. Following the election of President Donald Trump and his administration’s subsequent decision to freeze more than $3 billion in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding, as well as the state legislature’s decision to reduce similar EV support, the Wallingford project is not the only significant charging station development in the state to be canceled or scaled back. Elizabeth Verna, a principal with Verna Builders & Developers, said her family runs Gem Property Group and has owned the Wallingford property on Miles Drive for more than a decade.

With $3B in federal funding frozen, charging station projects across CT mothballed, scaled back

The town will need $7.5 million more than expected to install sewers at Sound View Beach, which it owns, however the Board of Selectmen wants more information before sending the question to voters. Steve Cinami, chairman of the Water Pollution Control Authority, said voters will now be asked to approve $17.1 million, up from the $9.5 million voters approved in 2019. State funding will cover half of the $17.1 million. Sound View Beach property owners will have to pay back $8.5 million to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at a cost of $1,932 a year per dwelling unit. There are 270 dwelling units. He also spoke to unexpected costs, which could drive the project beyond the state’s affordability cap. Cinami, who owns a construction company, said that unlike other projects he has managed, there’s no existing sewer system beneath Sound View that would need to be removed at an extra cost.

https://theday.com/news/755970/old-lyme-needs-75m-more-for-controversial-sewer-project/

Thirteen years after the HealthBridge nursing home in Wethersfield shut down, a developer is proposing to demolish the vacant building and put up 160 apartments. Calafiore’s 341 Jordan Lane Development LLC will seek a zone change from the Planning and Zoning Commission; if it succeeds, it will later put forward a more detailed site plan application. The zone change hearing is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at town hall. In an analysis, Town Planner David Elder noted the project reuses property that’s already been cleared for dense multi-family development, and that it is near transit routes. But he wrote that the company should provide more details about how it concluded the project would be a net financial gain for Wethersfield. Elder also emphasized that a 5% set aside for affordable housing is short of what Connecticut wants each community to achieve townwide.

Long-vacant CT nursing home site planned for 160 apartments. It’s been deteriorating for years.

After almost 10 years of planning, setbacks and surprises, the Town of Stonington has secured the funding needed to start construction of the Mystic River Boathouse Park on Route 27. The $5.3 million project, located next to the new Delamar hotel and across the street from the former Rossie Mill, will feature a boathouse, a rowing center and a park. The boathouse will feature two bays to store rowing shells, oars, coach boats and equipment, while the second floor will house a 4,500-square-foot training center with rowing machines and strength training equipment. Construction is set to begin next month and be completed by May of 2026. The town had $4.9 million for the project, including $2.7 million in federal and state grants, when the Board of Finance approved the final $400,000 on June 4. Residents initially approved $2.2 million in bonding for the project in 2016. The project was then delayed by the need to identify and address contamination on the site, preserve a home on the property that is part of a historic district and redesign the boathouse after residents criticized its initial appearance.

https://theday.com/news/754166/construction-to-begin-this-summer-on-mystic-river-boathouse-park/

The town has finalized the sale of the former Showcase Cinemas site on Silver Lane, paving the way for a $115 million development project that will feature more than 300 new apartments and various amenities. Following the agreed purchase in 2019, the Town Council unanimously approved the sale of the 25.6-acre parcel to developers Jasko Zelman 1 LLC, which aims to transform the property into a destination dubbed Concourse Park. The town will be sending out a bid for construction, and is expecting groundbreaking next year, Martin said. Since then, the town and Capital Region Development Authority worked to finalize the use of $10 million in public infrastructure funding. East Hartford Director of Development Eileen Buckheit praised the town’s legislative delegation, Martin, former mayors, the CRDA, the developers, and local leaders for the bringing the next step in redevelopment to fruition.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-east-hartford-showcase-cinemas-housing-20379103.php

According to data from the Bureau of Transportation, around 2,100 miles of Connecticut’s roads are classified as poor. Connecticut’s road quality assessment is based on the 2023 dataset of the Highway Performance Monitoring System. A spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said that the Highway Performance Monitoring System data “is not ideal for comparison, especially when just a one subset of one factor is used, due to differences in collection methods, network composition and size of network.” Regardless of where Connecticut’s true ranking actually lies, poor road quality on any level doesn’t come without a price. Poor road conditions are costing Americans an average of $1,400 annually in operating costs and lost time, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. “Driving on deteriorated roads costs Connecticut motorists $2.2 billion a year – $841 per driver – in the form of additional repairs, accelerated vehicle depreciation, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear,” according to a May report by TRIP, a nonprofit national transportation research group.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-road-quality-worst-states-rankings-data-20371991.php

Construction is beginning on a $15 million, 100,000-square-foot-plus indoor pickleball facility, the largest by far in Connecticut and beyond, according to Pickleball Park President and General Manager Rob Keefrider. The business, at 100 Centerpoint Drive, will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days year, he said. It is expected to open in July 2026. The facility will be outfitted with 21 courts: 18 indoor pickleball, and two indoor padel courts, both of which will be climate-controlled; and one outdoor, illuminated court on a patio, he said. A stadium court mezzanine and bleacher viewing area are also planned. The company will pay taxes on the land while the facility is under construction, he said. A deferred assessment was approved for two years, then taxes will increase in years three to six. Pickleball Park will make an incremental investment of about $11.4 million in real and personal property, he added.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/middletown-ct-pickleball-restaurant-fitness-20372199.php

The state Department of Transportation is proposing to build $12.5 million of roundabouts at the Exit 89 interchange of Interstate 95 which it says will make for a smoother traffic flow at the Allyn Street exit, decrease backups, reduce speed and help prevent wrong-way driving. The DOT is proposing single-lane roundabouts at three intersections: the I-95 southbound on and off ramps; the I-95 northbound on and off ramps; and the Allyn Street and Sandy Hollow Road intersection. Scott Bushee, principal engineer of the state highway design unit and chairman of the DOT’s roundabout committee, said the traffic circles have fewer “conflict points” in which vehicles could collide. A conventional intersection has 32 conflict points, compared to eight with a roundabout. The roundabout project would cost $12.5 million, while an alternative for signalized intersections would cost $6.4 million, according to the DOT. The project is slated to be paid for with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.

https://theday.com/news/753396/roundabouts-proposed-for-exit-89-interchange-of-i-95-in-groton/

Electric utility United Illuminating said Wednesday that the cost of designing and building a proposed underground transmission system from Bridgeport to Fairfield would be about $838 million. That’s about a half-billion dollars more than the estimated cost of rebuilding the overhead transmission system at $306 million. UI says the aging transmission infrastructure, which runs along Metro-North railroad, needs to be upgraded to maintain current levels of railroad service. If the Siting Council approved the overhead solution proposed by UI, the roughly $300 million cost would be spread across those 14 million customers. However, if the Siting Council approved the underground option, Connecticut ratepayers would be responsible for the additional $500 million, according to UI.

Underground transmission line project could cost CT residents $500M