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CT won’t fund Long Island Sound bridge or tunnel, Lamont says, citing high cost: ‘Keep talking’
In a recent interview, Lamont made clear he won’t be chipping in a dime for the pie-in-the-sky project that never seems to die. “I can tell you that they’ve been talking about that ever since I was a kid in Long Island,” said Lamont, 71, who grew up in Laurel Hollow on the island’s North Shore. “So keep talking.” The latest push comes from Stephen Shapiro, a Connecticut housing developer who said he dreams of building a bridge from Bridgeport to the Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Suffolk County, N.Y. Lamont was noncommittal on the idea of a Sound crossing. He called it an “incredibly complicated and supremely expensive” and quickly answered ‘no’ when asked if the state would help finance it. The state Department of Transportation said in a statement that neither it nor any of the state’s regional planning agencies have included the project in their long-range plans. The statements reflect the prevailing view of the project: while it’s fun to imagine and could offer some benefits, it remains farfetched and unlikely to become a reality anytime soon.
East Haven prepares for speed humps, Main Street paving with capital and state funds
Towns officials are preparing to implement a number of traffic and pedestrian safety upgrades, with the first expected to begin next week. East Haven announced Monday it received $4.8 million in competitive Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program funds from the state Department of Transportation, which will be applied to paving Main Street from Town Hall to the New Haven line and paving Messina Drive from Hemingway Avenue to Main Street, plus the addition of a new traffic signal light on Messina Drive, new sidewalks and improved street lighting. The town is currently completing an environmental review and traffic study for the LOTCIP project, which will lead to the final design phase before construction. In a Monday statement, Carfora said the Main Street and Messina Drive project “represents a major investment in our community’s infrastructure and safety.”
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/east-haven-prepares-start-multiple-paving-21090460.php
Stamford OKs King School’s plan for new campus center, additional classroom and lab space
King School was granted approvals to construct a 24,514-square-foot addition to its existing upper school building by the Stamford Zoning Board of Appeals this week. The school administration is also planning to renovate 2,156 square feet of the existing upper-school building and add new landscaping. A Zoning Board of Appeals member, Ernest Matarasso, said he liked the efforts the school had made in reaching out to the neighborhood, calling it “conscientious.” ZBA chair Lauren Jacobson said the application was “well done.” The vote was unanimous. The school operates under a special permit in a residential zone, and new additions require approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/king-school-stamford-expansion-21091246.php
Bullard-Havens alumni bid farewell to old school as new $199M home nears completion in Bridgeport
By 2027, the current school will be demolished and in its place, there will be new athletic fields, said Leigh Appleby, director of communications for the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services. The new Bullard-Havens building will be large enough to serve about 900 ninth through 12th graders and will offer the school’s 13 trades, including culinary arts, health technology, carpentry, electrical, graphic design and more. The over 200,000-square-foot facility will include traditional classrooms, a gymnasium that can seat the entire student population, a field house, a fitness center and more, according to a 2023 announcement. The $199 million project is completely state funded, Appleby said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility is scheduled for November.
Groton Scrambles to Cover $6.7M Seawall Cost Overrun After Missing Out on State Funding
City officials are scrambling to find a way to reimburse millions of taxpayer dollars after dipping into the capital fund balance to pay for a more than $6.7 million overrun of seawall construction. Groton City’s plan to cover the multimillion dollar cost for what Mayor Keith Hedrick called a “re-engineering” of the replacement Shore Avenue seawall through a state grant, collapsed on Sept. 30 when it was not chosen for a state Community Investment Fund grant. Hedrick said what initially started out as a $4.1 million project to replace a “failing” seawall has ballooned to project that will cost at least $10.7 million. BL Companies, a Hartford-based engineering firm, originally bid to reconstruct the seawall for $2.7 million. But after construction on the project began in March 2024, the planned work required a significant overhaul. Since the re-engineering of the seawall started, Hedrick said the added work has added $6.6 million to the project costs — but records show the city has asked for $9.8 million to complete the project, a $3.2 million discrepancy.
Fairfield, Bridgeport residents lead rally against UI monopole project
A landmark South End church was the rallying point Sunday afternoon for Fairfield and Bridgeport residents who want a proposed $300 million United Illuminating Co. power line project to be buried underground instead of strung across 7.3 miles through residential backyards as well as religious and commercial properties. About 180 people filled the sanctuary of the Shiloh Baptist Church in a sometimes rowdy secular revival meeting, concerned that if the Connecticut Siting Council approves the plan later this month and its 102 towers – called monopoles – UI could force the take over of more than 19 acres of property from historic Southport east into Bridgeport’s South End and downtown. While residents and advocates have spoke about fears of buildings being demolished, UI has previously stated it does not have plans to take people’s homes nor demolishing them. Instead, it is looking for easements. Ganim described UI officials as less-than polite during an attempt by the city and town to persuade UI to bury the 115 kV line. “The city’s not going to get stepped on, rolled over, pushed aside,” said Ganim, pointing to recent burying of similar high-voltage lines in Stamford and Greenwich.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/monopoles-fairfield-bridgeport-ui-21085717.php
Drainage worries resurface with Norwalk’s plan for $125M rebuild of West Rocks Middle School
Dunn, who represents the district where the school sits, said residents of the abutting Sunrise Hill condominium complex are likely to bring up the drainage issues. Many of them, she said, still have “very hard feelings” about the previous flooding. The tentative plan is to build the new West Rocks on the location of the athletic fields and construct new fields on the spot where the school currently sits. That means that the new three-story school would be closer to the condos. Committee Chair Barbara Smyth said there are real concerns from residents about water runoff from the site. However, she said building a school at the location would be a good opportunity to address those issues. The new West Rocks Middle School, projected to cost about $125 million, would open in the fall of 2030, with work scheduled to begin in the spring of 2028. The state would pay for 60% of the work. The project will be part of the the 2026-27 capital budget request, meaning it still needs approval from local boards.
Aetna Bridge Co. Works On Conn.’s Gold Star Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation
Aetna Bridge Co. of Warwick, R.I., the lead contractor on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project, has completed work on the northbound span and is currently working on the southbound span, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The Gold Star Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in Connecticut, with separate northbound and southbound structures connecting New London and Groton over the Thames River. Carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily, the bridge is a critical transportation link for both commercial and recreational traffic, playing a key role in the movement of people and goods throughout the region. The total cost for the rehabilitation work on both the northbound and southbound bridges is approximately $80 million. A portion of the funding is provided through a grant from the federal Bridge Investment Program, with the remainder covered by 90 percent federal funds and 10 percent state funds. Construction began in February 2025 and is expected to be complete by February 2026. Bridge strengthening began in March 2025 and is scheduled for completion by November 2025.
Bridge work to bring extended lane closures on part of busy CT highway. See where and when.
Drivers can expect lane closures beginning today, Monday Oct. 6 on a very busy Connecticut bridge. The land closures are due to road work that includes repairs to the Commodore Hull Bridge, which carries Route 8 over the Housatonic River and connects Route 110 in Shelton and Route 34 in Derby, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. There will be lane closures on Route 8 northbound and southbound between Exit 12A and Exit 12B from Monday, Oct. 6 to Nov. 21. Two lanes will be maintained during daytime hours, and one lane of traffic will be open at night, according to the DOT. The bridge remains safe to use, according to DOT. The project will be performed by Mohawk Northeast Inc.
Bushnell Park pond restoration nears completion, reopens ahead of Hartford Marathon
A six-month, $3 million restoration of the pond at Bushnell Park has wrapped up just in time for one of downtown Hartford’s biggest annual events. The Bushnell Park Conservancy announced this week that fencing around the pond has been removed and the restoration work is nearly complete, with the area now accessible to the public ahead of Saturday’s Eversource Hartford Marathon. The project, which began in May, addressed decades of sediment accumulation that had compromised the pond’s depth and water quality. Torrington-based Yield Industries completed the work under a $2.94 million contract with the city of Hartford. The reopening comes as Bushnell Park prepares for a series of major events that draw thousands of visitors to downtown Hartford. The marathon on Saturday will showcase the restored pond to participants and spectators from across the region. The park also recently hosted a wedding and the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Sunday.
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