Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based Unistress Corp. and its subsidiary, Berkshire Concrete Corp., are laying off 233 workers, according to a Massachusetts Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification notice filed for the week ending June 27. CEO Perri Petricca said the layoffs stem from the delay of two major contracts following volatility in steel prices tied to the latest round of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to The Berkshire Eagle. Unistress, a precast manufacturer whose portfolio includes Boston’s Big Dig megaproject and Yankee Stadium in New York City, is cutting nearly half its workforce as it adjusts operations in response to material costs and uncertain project timelines. Petricca told The Berkshire Eagle the move is temporary, but with the firm usually netting about a dozen contracts a year, the two delays caused significant financial pressure. Construction material prices inched up 0.2% in May, with aluminum and steel among the top gainers, and are up 6% on an annualized basis, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. Those figures also don’t yet reflect the June tariff hike, which economists say will push prices even higher.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/tariffs-layoffs-unistress-massachusetts-concrete-firm/752518/

In April, New London Housing Authority Executive Director Norbert Deslauriers learned that his application for more than $1 million in federal housing tax credits wasn’t approved. Deslauriers had hoped to auction those credits, awarded annually by Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA), to investors in exchange for millions of more dollars in equity financing. That money would have kick-started a massive $30 million demolition and rebuilding project at the Gordon Court elderly and disabled housing neighborhood run by the housing authority. Undeterred by the rejection, Deslauriers within a week filed another application. The new submission, this time for roughly $1.7 million in credits, was made through a less competitive CHFA funding program — one that also offers fewer equity options — whose awards are expected to be announced soon.

https://theday.com/news/763640/new-london-housing-authority-continues-effort-to-fund-30m-gordon-court-replacement/

The city has hired a firm to do work along the 53 streets scheduled to be rebuilt this summer. The work is part of $2.8 million in infrastructure improvements and road repairs the city is doing this year along the 237 miles of roads it maintains. Residents and those visiting or working in New Haven just need to be a little patient, because sometimes the milling, which strips the old layers off your street and leaves it even bumpier than it was before, and the paving don’t happen all at once, Elicker said Wednesday. That’s especially true for those who live along one of the bigger, busier streets also scheduled to be rebuilt in major ways under separate projects, including Whitney Avenue, State Street, Quinnipiac Avenue, Howard Avenue and Valley Street. The Whitney Avenue project includes new curbs and sidewalks, said Elicker. He pointed out that at $2.8 million, the Whitney Avenue project will cost as much as the entire seasonal milling and paving project.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-begins-summer-road-milling-paving-2025-20762884.php

The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s online map of roadway projects shows a total of 604 active road improvement and maintenance projects across the state. Despite the 90-degree heat, DOT spokesman Josh Morgan said, “It’s a super busy time of year given we only are able to work April-October (maybe a smidge later) because of weather.” Though all work halted for the Independence Day holiday, according to DOT, it restarted again on July 7. A high-friction surface treatment project in Preston, Hampton, Montville, Mansfield, Pomfret and Salem was scheduled to begin July 7. The project was awarded to WJ Surface Treatments at a cost of $1.5 million. Route 8 bridges over Laurel Hill Road in Torrington will be metalized between July 10 and Sept. 8. The project involves a total of 19 bridges along Route 8 between Torrington and Colebrook. Allied Painting Inc. was awarded the project at a cost of $15.7 million. Laurel Hill Road will be closed to traffic for the duration of the project, eastbound traffic detoured onto Harwinton Avenue.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-road-projects-95-merritt-construction-delays-20761364.php

As hinted during recent weeks, Gov.Ned Lamont on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have allowed local votes in towns with populations under 16,000 to possibly overturn decisions made by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “However, it’s important to note that today’s permitting process offers extensive opportunity for public engagement. I am concerned that the mechanism proposed in this bill-allowing a local referendum to reverse certain permit approvals or denials issued by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection could have unintended consequences that weaken critical protections for environmental justice communities and create harmful uncertainty for our business community that could hamper investment in Connecticut,” Lamont wrote. Lamont, in his veto message, said that there are plenty of opportunities for residents to voice their opinions on DEEP-related issues, but he would agree to increase opportunities for public engagement. To override a veto, the House and Senate would need to muster two-thirds votes in each chamber. With that kind of Democratic opposition, it’s unlikely to get called in an upcoming veto session. Democrats have a 102-49 majority in the House and a 25-11 margin in the Senate. Lamont has vetoed three bills from the recent legislative session and signed 198 into law.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gov-ned-lamont-vetoes-bill-that-would-give-ct-towns-the-right-to-overturn-environmental-rulings/ar-AA1IdwLA?ocid=BingNewsVerp&cvid=541e82e6d5e448b983f3391e19d26e6f&ei=19

At a July 1 Board of Directors meeting, town staff discussed a proposal to add an additional 8.5 acres onto the facility with a horizontal expansion intended to help the landfill remain open until 2045. Construction costs would be up to $12 million, but would net the town’s sanitation fund around $200 million over the remaining life of the facility. Under the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, the town anticipates nearly $10 million in revenue from the Sanitation Department, primarily from $8.3 million in commercial tipping fees and $1 million in sludge disposal. Roughly $5 million of that revenue will be allocated for curbside trash and recycling collection, and $2.1 million will cover landfill operations. No action was taken on the landfill on July 1, but the plan would require approvals from the Board of Directors and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to move forward. Atkin said the landfill has enough space to remain open until early 2028 in its current state, and the town could extend the life to early 2032 with previously permitted changes to the configuration. Depending on how the town regulates the landfill’s usage, the expansion could bring the facility’s life closer to 2050, he said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-manchester-landfill-expansion-waste-20420585.php

The town has received a $1.24 million grant from the state Department of Transportation to replace of abutments of the Notch Road Bridge over the Ten Mile River. Cheshire Assistant Town Manager Andrew Martelli said Tuesday the schedule for replacing the bridge abutment will start with public meetings next summer, with the project going out to bid in January 2027. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027 and completed in late fall 2027. The estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million, including the design. Cheshire’s bridge project was one of 15 chosen by the state, with a total of $17.3 million in grants announced Monday. Other towns receiving grants include New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Sharon, Southbury, Stafford, Stamford, and Waterbury. According to the DOT, the cost-matching grant program provides 50% of project costs for locally owned bridges.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/cheshire-ct-bridge-replacement-dot-grant-20759640.php

In Connecticut, construction workers in the Local 478 union who complete addiction treatment are connected with a recovery coach who checks in daily, attends recovery meetings with them, and helps them navigate the return to work for a year. The workplace is the new ground zero for addressing mental health. That means companies — employees and supervisors alike — must confront crises, from addiction to suicide. They grew out of the work of a little known federal agency called the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It’s one of the key federal agencies leading workplace mental health efforts, from decreasing alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers to addressing burnout and depression among health care workers. But after gaining considerable traction during the covid-19 pandemic, that work is now imperiled. The Trump administration has fired a majority of NIOSH staffers and is proposing severe reductions to its budget. Over 5,000 construction workers die by suicide annually — five times the number who die from work-related injuries. Miners suffer high rates too. And nearly a fifth of workers in both industries have a substance use disorder, double the rate among all U.S. workers. Kyle Zimmer recognized these issues as early as 2010. That’s when he started a members’ assistance program for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 in Connecticut. He hired a licensed clinician on retainer and developed partnerships with local treatment facilities.

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts

A busy summer of repairs took a brief hiatus for the 4th of July weekend, but multiple road and bridge projects in Connecticut will pick back up after the holiday weekend. There were no maintenance or construction activities on limited-access highways from 6 a.m. on Thursday to Monday at 6 a.m., according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Only emergency roadwork was performed. In Ellington, there will be roadwork starting on July 14 at Pinnacle Road, the CT DOT said. The project was awarded to awarded to Baltazar Contractors, Inc. in February for $8,295,210.25 and the projected completion date is Nov. 30, 2027. There will be milling and resurfacing work on Route 146 in Branford and Guilford from July 7 to July 18. There is also milling and resurfacing on Route 113 in Stratford from July 7 to July 22. In Suffield, there will be milling and resurfacing work on Route 168 starting on July 7 and that should be completed on Aug. 1. In Danbury, there will be metal chain link fence upgrades on Route 6 starting next month.

Repairs to CT roads and bridges will restart after the holiday hiatus. Here are some areas to avoid.

The state Department of Transportation will hold a public informational meeting on July 31 to discuss its $48 million plan to replace the viaduct into the borough. The meeting will be held at Stonington High School at 6:30 p.m. and will include a DOT presentation of the plan and residents will have a chance to ask questions. The changes will help bring the bridge up to state standards, according to a presentation on the town website. The clearances under the bridge at Mathews and Main streets and Cutler Street are also currently below the minimum standard of 14 feet, 6 inches. During construction, one lane of traffic will be open in each direction over the bridge and pedestrian use will still be available either on the bridge or on the Elm Street pedestrian bridge crossing.

https://theday.com/news/758398/dot-unveils-preliminary-design-for-replacing-borough-viaduct/