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West Hartford to begin paving LaSalle Road as part of $10M town center overhaul
Motorists might face slow going on LaSalle Road, as one side will be closed for resurfacing starting next Monday. The road improvement is part of the town’s $10 million plans to overhaul West Hartford Center. Other pieces of the project have included replacing the aging sidewalk in the area, which is ongoing. Starting Monday, traffic on LaSalle Road will travel in one direction only — southbound — as crews work on the eastern side of the street. When that work is finished, and crews switch to the western side of LaSalle Road, the street will be open to traffic one way in the northbound direction. The rehabilitation of LaSalle Road, which also includes the removal and replanting of trees, is part one of West Hartford’s plans to overhaul its main shopping and dining district. Next year, the town will complete the project by doing the same thing on Farmington Avenue.
U.S. Naval Submarine Base granted $7.7M for improvements as part of promise to secure future in CT
Gov. Ned Lamont delivered a modest $7.7 million grant to the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton on Thursday for dock and waterfront improvements as part of the state’s continuing effort to keep the base open and operating in southeastern Connecticut. The grant is part of a commitment the state made two decades ago to keep the sub base, a powerful driver of the regional economy, off the U.S. Navy’s list of installations subject to possible closure. The $7 million, the latest installment on about $23 million the state has turned over the the U.S. Navy since 2009, is a symbolic contribution to the cost of operating the base, home to 6,000 sailors and Department of Defense civilian employees, the location off the U.S. Navy’s submarine school and home port to 22 submarines.
DEEP ‘Threatened’ Pull Back of Funds in Old Lyme After Referendum Delays
tate officials warned First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker that delays in calling a referendum to raise the sewer project budget could cost the town a forgivable loan to help cover the work. On Aug. 15, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Emma Cimino emailed Shoemaker a timeline of milestones the town should meet and stressed the consequences of a delay. Tuesday’s meeting was a step toward, potentially, calling a second referendum to increase the project budget from the $9.5 million approved in 2019 to $17.1 million. The original borrowing fell well short of bids received earlier this year. The call for a referendum was delayed in early August while the Board of Selectmen sought additional information on costs and waited for the Miami Beach Association to receive bids for work on its portion of the project. Miami Beach bids came in above the anticipated cost, and a decision by the chartered beach community on whether to proceed is pending.
Waterbury Mixmaster replacement narrowed to two options costing $3B to $5B
The state Department of Transportation is evaluating two options for replacing the so-called Mixmaster interchange of highway bridges in Waterbury following a $223.7 million rehabilitation of the crossroads of Interstate 84 and Route 8. The DOT on Tuesday announced the selection of these two options after reviewing and analyzing potential designs for the permanent replacement of the interchanges that carry I-84 and Route 8 over downtown Waterbury streets and the Naugatuck River. The two selected alternatives are projected to cost $3 billion to $5 billion in 2022 dollars. The DOT said the two replacement options announced Monday aim to improve safety and mobility on I-84 and Route 8, as well as improve multimodal connections within the surrounding roadway network. In both alternatives, the I-84 and Route 8 structures would be unstacked and reconstructed with an expected life span of more than 75 years.
Two CT airports will share in $7M in federal grants. Here’s how the funding will be used.
Two Connecticut airports will receive $7 million in federal aviation grants, including $3.1 million that is helping lay the groundwork for a major expansion at Tweed New Haven Airport that could break ground late next year. The grants from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, also are providing $3.9 million to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks for upgrades, some of which are connected to new additions to the east and west ends of the terminal, which include space for future gates. The new terminal project has been controversial. It has drawn opposition from the town of East Haven, where the expansion would be located; Save the Sound, the environmental advocacy group; and residents in the surrounding neighborhood. New Haven owns the airport, but a portion of the airfield is in East Haven. East Haven has argued that it would get all the headaches — including traffic, parking issues, pollution and noise — while New Haven would reap the benefits.
Two CT airports will share in $7M in federal grants. Here’s how the funding will be used.
CTDOT Announces the Long-Term Vision for the Replacement of the Waterbury Mixmaster
After reviewing and analyzing multiple potential options, the two advancing alternatives are the Modern Crossover Interchange and Naugatuck River Shift. Both alternatives aim to improve safety and mobility on I-84 and Route 8, as well as improve multimodal connections within the surrounding roadway network. In both alternatives, the I-84 and Route 8 structures would be unstacked and reconstructed with an expected lifespan of over 75 years. “The Mixmaster was once a modern engineering marvel but today, it no longer meets the needs of travelers and the greater-Waterbury community. We’re excited to move this plan forward, which was based on what we heard directly from residents and businesses. This transformative initiative will change how people safely and conveniently travel through and around Waterbury,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “Progress takes patience, and while this work will take decades to fully complete, we are committed to improving lives through transportation by implementing, and completing, certain projects within the next five years.” This plan originated through the New Mix Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study.
Connecticut’s DOT Launches Redevelopment, Housing for Stamford’s Train Station
This month the agency issued a request for proposals from developers who would be interested in moving and reconstructing the aging train station, reconfiguring some of the tracks, and building a large housing complex with ground-floor retail and possibly office or hotel space. Transit-oriented development, or TOD, is a planning strategy that calls for high-density housing and business centers within walking distance of public transportation. “By reimagining this property, we can deliver new housing, enhanced transit amenities, and commercial and retail spaces that will serve residents and visitors for decades to come,” DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said on the agency’s website. The agency built a new garage on South State Street, connected it to the train station with a covered walkway over Washington Boulevard, and last year demolished the dilapidated garage on Station Place. Agency spokesman Josh Morgan said Friday that at least 20 percent of however many housing units are built at the train station must be affordable. The percentage is a minimum requirement set by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Morgan said.
Lamont Open to Deal with Trump to Restart Stalled Wind Project
Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday he expects to make a deal with the federal government to revive the Revolution Wind offshore wind project, which was ordered to be halted last week, citing unspecified national security concerns. “I feel very confident that this is such a dumb decision, it’s going to get fixed,” Lamont said at a joint press conference at New London’s State Pier with federal lawmakers, and state and local officials. “You never quite know with this administration, but I think there’s a deal to be had. And I got to see what the ask is.” The conference sought to send a unified political message in Connecticut to the Trump administration’s decision to halt the wind project, which is in an advanced stage and scheduled to begin production next year. The project would supply 700 megawatts, enough to power 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. While Lamont said he was confident the Revolution Wind issue would be settled soon, he did not rule out legal action.
https://ctexaminer.com/2025/08/25/lamont-open-to-deal-with-trump-to-restart-stalled-wind-project/
How CT can save an offshore wind project that could power 350K homes
Days after President Donald Trump halted an offshore wind development designed to help power Connecticut as soon as next year, Gov. Ned Lamont outlined two possible paths toward saving the project. The first, Lamont said, is to speak with Trump administration officials, including some the governor has sought to maintain a friendly relationship with, and impress upon them the importance of Revolution Wind, an ambitious offshore wind farm that is already about 80% complete. If that approach fails, Lamont said, the second option to to sue the Trump administration, as Connecticut has in numerous other instances. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who joined Lamont and other officials in New London on Monday, said he expects a lawsuit to resume the project would be successful. The Trump administration’s stated reason for halting the project was to “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States.” Federal officials have not specified what the national security concerns are.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/revolution-wind-energy-lamont-trump-blumenthal-21014223.php
From Quiet Corner to mega-warehouse hub: How Plainfield became an industrial stronghold
“The proximity on 395 is really what it’s all about for warehousing,” said First Selectman Kevin Cunningham. “You have access to 95. You have access to 295 in Worcester. You have access to Route 6 to get you either going over towards the Hartford area or to Providence. It’s easy access to get on and off.” A 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center for hardware chain Lowe’s has consistently been the top taxpayer in Plainfield since it was built in 2004. That siting was seen as unusual enough at the time that it warranted coverage in the New York Times. It also came at a fairly steep upfront cost to the town, which was on the hook for putting in an access road, water and sewer. An Amazon warehouse, located at 137 Lathrop Road — formerly a greyhound racing track — and first announced in 2021, is finally due to open this October ahead of the busy holiday season. It will be Amazon’s 17th distribution location in Connecticut.
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