CT Construction Digest Wednesday December 10, 2025

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport expansion project gets construction manager with CT office

Mark Zaretsky

NEW HAVEN —  The company that operates Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, Avports LLC, has chosen STV Inc. to manage Tweed's $250 million expansion project, Avports announced.

STV, a multinational professional services company with an office in Hartford, is based in New York City and owned by The Pritzker Organization — which also owns Hyatt Hotels. It specializes in architecture, engineering, program and construction management, among other activities. 

STV plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects across North America.

The Tweed expansion project, currently in the permitting phase, includes a new, 84,000-square-foot "East Terminal" on the East Haven side of the airport, a runway extension that would lengthen Tweed's runway from 5,600 feet to 6,575 feet and parking for up to 4,000 vehicles, as well as a new access road from Proto Drive in East Haven. 

The East Terminal design has reached 70 percent completion and Tweed currently has applications pending with both the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The project also includes restoring 28.5 acres of tidal wetlands and creating more than three acres of new tidal salt marsh as mitigation measures to compensate for the nine acres of wetlands that would be affected by the project.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion anticipated by 2028, Avports said in a release. 
“Tweed New Haven Airport is a gateway for growth, and we’re proud to help unlock its potential,” said Mark DuPre, STV's vice president and project executive of its program management and construction management operating group. 

“By modernizing this vital transportation hub, we’re improving mobility, boosting economic opportunity and advancing infrastructure that truly reflects the needs of the fastest-growing city in Connecticut.” DuPre said in the release. 

“This partnership with STV demonstrates our commitment to bringing home a newer, better airport for Southern Connecticut,” said Michael Jones, CEO of The New HVN, the subsidiary of Goldman Sachs-owned Avports that manages Tweed.

 “STV understands that we are ready to turn this vision into reality. Their Connecticut team was recently recognized as Construction Management Firm of the Year, a reflection of their long track record delivering technically complex, community-focused projects across the state," Jones said.

"With the right team now in place, we’re positioned to move as soon as our municipal partners finalize the path forward," he said. "This ensures the project reflects the region’s growth and delivers a passenger experience that matches the energy of the communities we serve.” 

Robert Reed, chairman of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, called the hiring of STV as construction manager "an exciting step forward for The New HVN."

The selection of STV "marks real, tangible progress toward delivering an airport that meets the growing demand for convenient air travel," Reed said. "We are encouraged by the momentum behind this project and believe now is the time for local and regional stakeholders to align with this progress," he said in the release.

"We look forward to watching this next chapter take shape with the support and collaboration of our neighbors,” Reed said.

DEEP, which must approve the project, found a number of deficiencies in the application submitted by Avports. The DEEP outlined them in comments that it recently sent to the airport and other interested parties.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a "finding of no significant impact," or FONSI, approving the plan in December 2023. Both East Haven and Save the Sound appealed it in February 2024.

The expansion proposal, which Tweed initially announced in 2021 at a cost then estimated at $100 million, comes at a time of growth for both Tweed and New Haven.

 Since the arrival of low-fare start-up Avelo Airlines in 2021, followed by the arrival of low-fare Breeze Airways a year ago, passenger traffic at Tweed has grown from fewer than 30,000 passenger to more than 700,000 in the past year, Tweed said earlier this week in a release.

New Haven, meanwhile, is expected to grow to 150,000 residents by 2034, which would make it the largest city in Connecticut.

STV has worked on aviation infrastructure programs at some of the nation’s busiest airports, including program management for Delta Air Lines' Terminal C and construction management for Terminal B redevelopment at LaGuardia Airport, as well as engineering and design for the new Terminal A at Neward Liberty International Airport.

It has advised a number of other airport and airline clients, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and the Delta Sky Way modernization at Los Angeles International Airport.

STV has been active in Connecticut for 70 years. 

Projects have included rehabilitation of the Arrigoni Bridge between Middletown and Portland, reconstruction of Interstate 95 Exit 33 in Stratford and replacement of the Amtrak bridge over the Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme.

It also has done project management for the new Sandy Hook School, Rhode Island's Eleanor Slater Health System and the Connecticut Institute for Communities Greater Danbury Community Health Center.

Waterbury's main streets makeover moves city closer to 'more modern, accessible, and business friendly'

Steven Goode

WATERBURY—It's been a long time coming, but city officials say that a fair portion of the much-needed work to improve and modernize South and North Main streets has been, or is close to being, accomplished.

Officials shared some of that progress and what's still to come last week with a presentation at city hall. The area of improvements being made includes South Main Street to Scovill Street and North Main Street to Phoenix Avenue.

The work, according to James Nardozzi, executive director of the Waterbury Development Corporation, has been in the planning stages since 2019.

The conditions when work started on South Main Street, included: cracked and missing curbing; sediment deposits along the roadside; non-compliant signage, no handicapped warning surfaces at sidewalk ramps; and out-of-date and damaged drainage inlets.

On North Main the problems were different, but still significant according to the presentation, including: sidewalks that were nearly flush with the roadway; minimal pavement markings and signage; and a lack of defined on street parking and crossing locations.

The objectives for the the project include; replacing and repairing  aging surfaces and utility infrastructure and planning for future technology and expansion and development; improving visual cues for motorists through new signage and paving materials; improving  pedestrian safety and reducing possible conflicts with motor vehicles while improving pedestrian connectivity, mobility and comfort; addressing drainage issues especially at curbside; and maintaining access during construction.

Above ground, the planned work also includes putting Main Street on a so-called road diet, enhanced bus stops, new bus shelters and better defined parking spaces -including on-street parking on both sides of the street, new granite curbing and concrete sidewalks and loading areas for local businesses.

Below the surface there have been utilities and storm sewer improvements on a system that is more than 100 years old. That work would reduce work time below ground from months to weeks, along with improved water flow and quality, according to the presentation. 

Waterbury Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski said Tuesday that progress on the North and South Main Street improvements represents an important advancement in the city's ongoing effort to strengthen downtown.

"Each phase of this work brings us closer to a more modern, accessible, and business friendly streetscape that supports economic growth and enhances the experience for everyone who lives, works, or visits here," Pernerewski said. "As we continue forward, these investments will help create a more vibrant and connected center city that reflects the future we are building for Waterbury.”

Nardozzi said that so far the cost of the improvements has been about $3.1 million for all above ground site improvement work, plus $1.2 million for all subsurface site utilities.

But there is still more to do, Nardozzi said.

"The North Main Street water line portion is already completed," he said. "The South Main Street water line portion of the project is projected to start Summer 2026 and has a goal of the end of 2026 for completion."

Next up on the schedule is West Main Street from North Main Street to the Naugatuck River, Nardozzi said.

Norwalk's new West Cedar Bridge opens after months-long closure and detours

Shaniece Holmes-Brown

NORWALK — Norwalk residents no longer have to detour around West Cedar Street after officials announced it reopened and the new bridge is completed.

Mayor Harry Rilling celebrated the completion of the bridge on Dec. 5 on the city's Facebook page. Officials said the bridge was demolished in April and construction began shortly after.

"This project will enhance resiliency and improve safety for all modes of transportation to improve the quality of life for residents for decades to come," he said in an email on Dec. 6. "It's a beautiful site to see and will allow cars to pass more safely."

Director of Communications Michelle Woods Matthews said the original bridge, located above the Five Mile River, was built in 1912. She said the Connecticut Department of Transportation determined the bridge was in poor condition after a routine inspection in 2022.

Woods Matthews said the city secured $5,354,088 in both state and federal funding, which was administered through the Federal Local Bridge Program, for the full bridge replacement. Alfred Benesch & Company, a Glastonbury-based engineering firm, was hired in 2019 as the design consultant for the project.

Officials said the bridge is approximately 36 feet and 10 inches wide, and will accommodate two 10-foot travel lanes, 4-foot shoulders, and a 5-foot sidewalk.

"In addition to meeting modern transportation standards, the bridge has been engineered to satisfy 100-year storm hydraulic requirements, ensuring improved safety and resilience for decades to come," the Facebook post said.

Seeking Developers: Accepting submissions on Centre Square site

Brian M Johnson

BRISTOL — The City of Bristol is accepting submissions from developers and associated parties toward the sale and development of an approximately 1.35 acre development site located at Centre Square in Downtown Bristol.

Dawn Nielsen, marketing and public relations specialist for the City of Bristol, said the city is targeting multifamily and/or mixed-use projects for the site. The property is zoned “BD – Downtown” and is appraised at $650,000. All submissions are due by 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29.

The property in question spans approximately 1.35 acres and is bordered on the north by Wheeler Health’s 45,000 square foot headquarters and medical facility. It is bordered to the south by the future Centre Square “pocket park.” It is also bordered to the east by Hope Street and the Bristol Health Medical Complex and to the West by North Main Street.

“The site is located on Centre Square, a roughly 15-acre redevelopment area that formerly hosted a shopping mall,” Nielsen said. “After taking ownership and demolishing the shopping mall, the city is coordinating the sale and redevelopment of Centre Square.”

In 2018, Bristol Health completed construction of a 60,000 square-foot medical complex that encompasses four acres of the site.

In Aug. 2024, Wheeler Health, the region’s leading behavioral health provider, opened a 45,000 square foot headquarters and treatment center.

In 2025, Carrier Construction completed construction of a mixed-use building that includes 52 market-rate apartments and 8,000 square feet of first floor retail space. Carrier is nearing completion of a second mixed-use building that also will feature 52 market-rate living units and ground level retail space.

Additionally, a 0.5-acre Centre Square site on Main Street was recently acquired by the Carriers for the construction of roughly 30 additional apartments.

The site contains a 196-space parking garage available for both public and private use to support development, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, local and CTfastrak bus stops and a future city pocket park.

“The site is just steps from City Hall, the Bristol Police Department complex and similar government resources along with major employers including Express Kitchens headquarters, Eagle Environmental, Highstreet Insurance, D’Amato Construction and more,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen said proposals will be evaluated and one or more qualified proposals will be selected. Representatives will be invited for an interview with city officials. Should the first selection be unable to complete an agreement for any reason, she said, the city reserves the right to pursue other developers.

Submissions will be accepted between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a due date of 11 a.m. on Jan. 29.

East Hartford seeks $15M state grant to spur Founders Plaza tower conversion

Michael Puffer

East Hartford is seeking a $15 million state grant to help developers convert an obsolete 19-story office tower overlooking the Connecticut River into apartments.

In a Dec. 4 special meeting, the Town Council approved an application to the state’s Community Investment Fund, a program funded by state bonding.

According to a memo from East Hartford’s Deputy Development Director Steve Hnatuk, the money would help replace the exterior envelope of the 270,106-square-foot tower at 111 Founders Plaza, built in 1971. Developers plan to transform the building into about 240 apartments.

The tower is part of a 30-acre cluster of aging office properties recently acquired by a development group pursuing a large-scale redevelopment known as Port Eastside.

The development team includes several high-profile regional players: brothers Harris and Bruce Simons of West Hartford-based Figure 8 Properties; Hartford developer Lexington Partners; investor and businessman Alan Lazowski; Hoffman Auto Group Co-Chairman Jeffrey S. Hoffman; Manafort Brothers Inc. President Jim Manafort; and Peter S. Roisman, head of Houston-based multifamily investor REV.

Together, they’ve sketched out a long-term plan to remake the aging Founders Plaza office park into a mixed-use district featuring roughly 1,000 multifamily units — primarily apartments, with a possible small number of condominiums — alongside about 400,000 square feet of entertainment, restaurant and retail space.

East Hartford has already committed $6.5 million to help demolish a 182,890-square-foot former Bank of America office building at 99 Founders Plaza (also known as 20 Hartland St.), as well as a 126,000-square-foot parking garage attached to 111 Founders Plaza.

The town, with the authorization of the state legislature, is also negotiating a Tax Increment Financing District encompassing the development area. This would allow a portion of aPort Eastsideny new tax revenue generated by the development to be fed back into paying down construction costs.

Separately, the town — with authorization from the state legislature — is negotiating a Tax Increment Financing District for the redevelopment area. The structure would allow a portion of future tax revenue generated by the project to be redirected toward covering construction costs.

“So, we’ll have demo and development happening concurrently,” Martin said. “That development phase is so important because it lays the groundwork for generation of new tax revenue and tees up supporting the potential TIF district that we continue to explore.”
Port Eastside Partner Bruce Simons, in a statement released Tuesday, called the redevelopment of the “distressed” 111 Founders Plaza tower into 240 apartments the “cornerstone” of the broader project.

He said the undertaking is “profoundly expensive,” citing the extensive work needed to overhaul the building’s plumbing, electrical systems and exterior façade, as well as elevated borrowing and construction-material costs.

“This dynamic new living community is the catalyst for revitalizing a dormant commercial district into a vibrant, mixed-use riverfront residential, business and entertainment community for East Hartford and the region, and this is the type of capital improvement that the Community Investment Fund was created to spark,” Simons said. “We thank Mayor Martin and the Town Council for recognizing these benefits and applying for the grant to help make it happen.”

Simons described the effort as “upcycling at a meaningful scale,” giving new life to a building that might otherwise face demolition.

“Adaptive reuse is one of the smartest environmental choices a community can make: it avoids massive demolition waste, protects the embodied carbon already in place, and sharply reduces the footprint of development when compared with starting from scratch,” Simons said.

The Port Eastside team acquired the tower in late summer 2024 by purchasing its delinquent mortgage and moving through an uncontested foreclosure process.
The grant application included a supporting memo from Hartford-based Tecton Architects, which said the tower is “well-suited for conversion.”

In a letter, Tecton President and CEO Ted Cutler said the building’s upper floors — levels five through 19 — offer unobstructed views of the Hartford skyline and the Connecticut River Valley.

“A significant opportunity exists for a high-quality amenities package, including a fitness center, clubroom, game rooms, community kitchen, and possibly a rooftop lounge – further enhancing the residential living experience,” Cutler wrote.

CT Construction Digest Tuesday December 9, 2025

Borrowing for transportation on Lamont chopping block

Keith M. Phaneuf

An ongoing surge in state borrowing to rebuild Connecticut’s aging transportation infrastructure must be rolled back, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration projects, because of stagnant fuel and sales tax revenues.

But business leaders and a key legislator insist Connecticut has other options to maintain expanded financing for highway, bridge and rail upgrades, including scaling back one of the governor’s favorite programs: an aggressive effort to pay down pension debt.

And while Lamont downplayed the revenue challenges last week, saying the impact wouldn’t be felt for several more years, his budget staff projected borrowing levels to be reduced starting in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Just 12 months after the Lamont administration reported that Connecticut was ready to increase a key element of its transportation construction budget by 40%, from $1 billion to $1.4 billion, by 2028, a new forecast held that three-quarters of that planned growth is unaffordable under the current system.

That $400 million in new borrowing anticipated for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years should be stalled, according to recommendations in the Fiscal Accountability Report issued Nov. 20 by the Office of Policy and Management, Lamont’s chief budget and planning agency.

Reversing plans to invest hundreds of millions in infrastructure work will have a chilling effect on industry hiring plans, said Donald Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industry Association.

“The minute they see any kind of uncertainty, or the minute they get any clue things are slowing down, they pull back,” Shubert told the Connecticut Mirror. “We pull back and that slows the economic activity or the economic benefits — immediately.”

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s vice president for public policy, Chris Davis, said that “any business that’s on the fence” about hiring or otherwise expanding, “they need that [state funding] stability to make those types of investments.”

Twelve months ago, in the 2024-25 fiscal year, while Connecticut was borrowing $1 billion for its transportation rebuild, Lamont’s budget staff said that should grow to $1.3 billion in 2025-26, $1.4 billion in 2026-27, and then remain at that level through at least 2029 – a prediction that excited industry and construction trade leaders.

Now the administration wants to stick with $1.3 billion in borrowing for 2025-26, but drop to $1.2 billion in 2026-27, $1.1 billion in 2027-28, and remain there through 2030. And given inflation in the construction industry, $1.1 billion in the late 2020s would reflect little increase, if any, beyond the $1 billion Connecticut borrowed last fiscal year.

Borrowing through bond sales, coupled with matching federal grants, are the two ways Connecticut pays for the overwhelming bulk of its transportation construction projects.

Slowing revenue growth is a solvable problem

So why does Lamont now expect to forego most of that funding growth he envisioned just one year ago?

The administration points to the $2.3 billion Special Transportation Fund, which represents 8% of the overall state budget, and covers the principal and interest payments on infrastructure projects, as well as operating expenses for the Transportation and Motor Vehicles departments.

Twelve months ago, Lamont’s budget office expected annual tax revenues supporting the fund to grow almost 4.5%, or $84 million, by 2028. Now they say those sources — two fuel levies, a portion of sales tax receipts, and a highway mileage fee on most large trucks — will effectively remain flat, growing by less than $6 million over the next three years.

The administration projects this sluggish revenue growth, coupled with rising costs, will push the STF into insolvency by 2029. But this is common outcome when projecting a state program’s finances out four or five years into the future, at which point inflation normally outpaces revenue growth.

Still, learning $84 million in expected extra tax receipts by 2028 largely won’t happen is problematic.

Tens of millions of extra dollars for annual debt service payments would allow for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional yearly borrowing for construction work. That’s because the state pays off various projects across 15 or 20 years.

But compensating for losing roughly $80 million in expected revenue growth also is far from unsolvable.

And some of the first solutions that might come to mind are untenable or unnecessary.

Lamont would not need the electronic highway tolls he sought in 2019 and 2020, nor the $600 million they would generate annually, far more than needed to fill an $80 million gap.

And given that both the governor’s office and all legislators are up for reelection next November, any hike in fuel or sales taxes — which would raise far less than tolls but still enough to cover the gap — also is likely off the table.

But there are still more options.

Will Lamont ease budget controls to grow construction work?

The overall state budget’s General Fund, which covers about 90% of all operating expenses, has been sharing some of its resources with the transportation fund since the late 1990s. The last major change occurred in 2015 when legislators and then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy assigned about 1/13th of annual sales tax receipts, which currently exceed $5.2 billion — to the STF.

And the General Fund has generated unprecedented surpluses, averaging more than $1.8 billion or 8% to 9% of the fund, since 2017, thanks to aggressive budget caps installed at that time that force big savings.

Most of those unspent dollars, about $10 billion in total since 2020, have been used to reduce the massive pension debt Connecticut amassed across seven decades prior to 2011. And that’s in addition to the more than $3 billion in mandatory pension contributions Connecticut makes annually.

Lamont, a fiscal moderate, has been reluctant to scale back that savings effort, though, given Connecticut still owes more than $33 billion in this area. His critics, including many of his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly, say this effort is too aggressive and is draining funds from education, health care, municipal aid and other core programs.

They also note the governor has proposed saving less, himself, on a few occasions.

He signed big state tax cuts, which take hundreds of millions annually away from surpluses, in 2022 and 2023, just before and after he successfully ran for a second four-year term. He also proposed and won legislative approval last year for a new endowment to bolster affordable child care. That last initiative took $300 million from last year’s General Fund surplus and is expected to collect tens or hundreds of millions from future surpluses indefinitely.

Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, co-chairwoman of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, said Connecticut should not abandon what amounts to a huge planned investment in new construction jobs and in the state’s economy.

“If we really do something like that, we’re not looking at the big picture,” she said, adding that by rebuilding the state’s aging highways, bridges and rail lines, “we create a vibrant economic picture for our state.”

Cohen also praised Connecticut’s savings habits in recent years and said the state should continue to whittle down its pension debt.

But “I also recognize times change,” she added, “and sometimes minor adjustments are needed.”

Shubert’s association has asserted for years that Connecticut should be borrowing more than $1.5 billion annually to rebuild a transportation network that is one of the nation’s oldest.

According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Connecticut ranks 35th in the nation, 1st being the worst, in terms of the share of its highway bridges considered “structurally deficient.” But when it comes to the percentage of bridge area that falls into this category, Connecticut ranks in the worst 15 states, according to the association.

Being “structurally deficient” doesn’t mean the bridge is functionally obsolete but at least one key component, such as a deck or culverts, is rated in “poor” or worse condition. And though not necessarily unsafe, the bridge requires significant repair or monitoring.

Lamont’s budget spokesman, Chris Collibee, declined to say what changes the governor might recommend when he proposes his next budget to the General Assembly on Feb. 4 but added “We expect considerable discussion around this [transportation] question in the coming months.”

Lamont has pressed lawmakers in recent years to consider cutbacks to public transit programs, including higher rail and bus fares to reduce the need for state subsidies. This also could help offset sluggish revenue growth and make more borrowing for transportation construction possible.

But Cohen was skeptical the Democratic-controlled General Assembly would look to tighten belts further in this area.

“I certainly hope not,” she said. “I want to see more people on public transportation and that means putting investments there.”

Governor downplays transportation funding challenges

The governor downplayed the transportation funding challenges when discussing them with reporters last week.

Federal transportation funding has been on the rise since 2021, when President Joe Biden and Congress enacted an aggressive $1.2 trillion transportation infrastructure program, Lamont said, adding that “2030 is a long way away. A lot can change.”

But President Donald Trump already rolled back some of that infrastructure funding in July when he signed an omnibus federal spending and tax measure.

Trump also has told states he intends to link future federal transportation funding, “to the maximum extent permitted by law,”  to local compliance with federal policies on vaccines and immigration enforcement — issues on which many Connecticut officials and the president disagree.

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said the transportation fund revenues and changes at the federal level do present challenges to Connecticut’s construction program.

But the department also has adjusted its capital program to ease demand for more state investments “without compromising the long-term health of our transportation system. [The department] will also continue seeking competitive federal grant opportunities.”

The DOT has more than 650 active infrastructure projects, Eucalitto said, adding “We will continue to invest strategically in aging infrastructure … directing funds where they deliver the greatest benefit to Connecticut residents, communities and businesses.”

Keith R. Brothers, president of the Connecticut Building Trades Council, said that since Lamont took office in 2019, a robust 90% of his organization’s members in transportation construction-related trades have been employed.

“I have all the confidence in the world,” Brothers added, “that Gov. Lamont is going to keep us working.”

In the Bridgeport schools’ building boom, here's what’s done and what’s coming next

Jessica Simms

BRIDGEPORT — From replacing roofs to creating a new special education center, more building improvements are planned in the city’s school district, officials from the Bridgeport Public Schools say. 

These renovation and new building projects are taking place after the district launched its first-ever Facilities Master Plan in March, which officials say is helping them make strategic decisions.

“The progress we’ve made this year shows what is possible when our entire community stands together,” Interim Superintendent Royce Avery said in a statement.

Bridgeport Public Schools is currently under state intervention after city school officials faced an over $30 million budget deficit during last year’s budget creation process. This froze spending and eliminated 20 teaching positions, all librarians and several administrators. But the district confirmed it will not pause its upcoming facilities projects due to the state intervention. 

“We are building better schools, expanding opportunities and doing what is right for our students and families,” Avery said. “This is the power of working as one.”

One of the larger projects is the new special education center, which is eligible to receive over $70 million from the state of Connecticut for construction costs, according to the Office of Legislative Research Public Act Summary. It will replace the Bridgeport Learning Center, which has served some of the district’s special education students.  

While the timeline of the new center has not been released, the Bridgeport Public Schools' 2025 Building Operations report says it will serve up to 260 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Officials previously said it will be located on the site of the current Skane School. 

The center will include specialized classrooms, therapy and sensory spaces, and adaptive technology, according to the report. 

Since the Skane School’s site will soon be the home of the new Special Education Center, what does that mean for the future of the early childhood school?

Officials say the plan is to merge the Skane School into John Winthrop Elementary School, which serves kindergarten through eighth grade. As a result, the Skane School would have its own wing in the building, along with its own entrance, parking lot and playscapes, officials said. John Winthrop and Skane students would share common areas such as the lunchroom and media center. 

While construction is slated to begin at the end of this school year, it will take 18 to 24 months to complete, so John Winthrop students will be relocated to the South End, likely at the Bridgeport Military Academy, officials said. In total, the project is expected to cost $75 million. District officials say the state is contributing $53 million. 

Another merger is planned to take place at the old Harding High School building on Central Avenue. This “East End School” project will be made up of students who would have attended Beardsley, Edison and Hall schools. The 10,000-square-foot facility will be fore 750 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Officials have also not released a timeline for this project. 

It will also include Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible playgrounds, outdoor learning spaces and accessible drop-off and parking areas, according to the report.

What work has recently been done?

Bridgeport Public Schools began the school year with a fresh, state-of-the-art Bassick High School and a new Central Enrollment Center.

The new Bassick building, located on the University of Bridgeport campus, is four stories tall and includes a weight room, kitchen, gymnasium, classrooms for electives such as automotive and aeronautics and more. The new building cost $129 million and construction began in 2023. 

The Central Enrollment Center is located at Connecticut State Community College Housatonic campus’s Beacon Hall. It acts as a one-stop shop where a family can register their students, verify their residency and more. 

The Rotary Club of Bridgeport and the Walter Luckett Foundation have supported this project.

Other recent facility work includes upgrading the JFK Campus' heating systems and pool and adding a new playground; modernizing the Read School, Dunbar School and the JFK Campus' administrative building by adding elevators; paving at Beardsley School; and upgrading Curiale School by replacing the roof and resurfacing the gym floor. 

“The progress across our schools is the result of steady leadership and strong teamwork,” said Jorge Garcie, chief operating officer, in a statement. “Dr. Royce Avery set the direction, and together we delivered improvements that move Bridgeport forward.”

I-95 overhaul? How one failing bridge could lead to much bigger changes in this CT city

Jordan Nathaniel Fenster

A plan to replace a failing bridge on a stretch of highway in Stamford that may include some of the most congested miles in the United States will likely ripple out into many projects, all intended to relieve that traffic congestion. 

It has been more than 60 years since Interstate 95 opened in the area, which has been increasing in population and traffic ever since. Sections of the road see more than 160,000 vehicles every day, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Now, the state is beginning a comprehensive study, the first stage of which promises to be not one major project but many projects, large and small, to rethink one of the region’s busiest stretch of highway.

The condition of the I-95 bridge over the Metro-North tracks at Myrtle Street, called “bridge 32,” between Exits 7 and 8, is an example of the wear and tear those decades of commuters have wrought. The bridge was recently “rehabbed,” a $26.7 million project that extended its life, but it’s not enough. 

“That bought us another, maybe, 10 to 15 years. But the bridge does have to be replaced,” said Neil Patel, a principal engineer with the DOT’s major highways unit. “The curvature of where that bridge is, the complexities of the bridge at the Metro-North railroad line, it's not a simple structure. Replacement of that bridge is going to be a pretty large and complex undertaking.”

At the same time, traffic in the area is notorious for its backups. Washington state-based location and traffic data analyst Inrix recently released an annual study showing that Stamford is the 63rd most congested city in the world, the 17th most congested in the U.S. and the single most congested in Connecticut.

According to the report, Stamford drivers lost an average of 53 hours each in 2025 sitting in traffic, at an economic cost of $976 per driver — and it’s only getting worse. The report shows a 13% increase in traffic congestion in Stamford compared to 2024 and a 33% increase from 2023. 

Jonathan Dean, a project manager who works with Patel in the major highways unit, said part of the problem is how the roadway was designed.

"Traffic volumes have increased since the ’50s and ’60s,” he said. “We've got so many conflict points, we call them, where vehicles are merging onto and off of the highway. Folks are weaving in and out, trying to jockey for position, trying to get onto the highway or off.”

The Stamford train station, an express stop on Metro-North’s New Haven Line, is directly adjacent to the highway, with four exits, both southbound and northbound, converging within a few miles of road. There are major employers blocks away, bringing thousands of employees every workday. 

The first step is called a Planning and Environmental Linkages study, a federally structured process that is necessary for the National Environmental Policy Act review process. It is required for major roadway construction projects.

As part of that study, the DOT is holding two public hearings this week, one in-person and one virtual, to hear from local residents and others on both problems and potential solutions. 

“We're not just focusing on, how do cars get in and out of Stamford,” Dean said. “It's a more holistic approach to look at what we're calling these adjacent roadways.”

A few ideas are already under consideration. One involves creating an express lane, perhaps a separate elevated road, for drivers who don’t need to get on or off the highway. Dean called it an "auxiliary lane” that could “help the traffic flow without being an expansion of the highway.” There is also a concept that would include widening the highway.

Another idea is to merge two ramps, Exits 7 and 8, to weave traffic “between those two ramps, and then give that one entry point onto the highway, rather than the two streams entering sequentially,” Dean said. 

Farther north, at Exit 9, there’s a long circular ramp that leads to a multiroad intersection, which has been the site of several pedestrian fatalities and is often snarled with traffic. 

“We've got other alternatives that look at ‘collector distributor’ roads, which are parallel roadways, usually slightly slower speed than the main line, but paralleling the highway,” Dean said. “Those would be the points where traffic merges on to the collector distributor so you'd have essentially one point farther upstream, up by the service plaza, going south, where you get off the collector distributor, and that takes you to Exit 8.”

And, whatever happens, that bridge at Myrtle Avenue will be at the center of it, in fact guiding the project timeline, to some extent. The rehab project extended the bridge’s life by 15 years, no more. 

“Of course, every alternative takes into account that bridge over Metro-North, bridge 32,” Dean said. “The goal is to have a project in place in that time frame. There could be a phased approach, where there could be some pieces, you know, there could be pieces that are done sooner.”

Hartford puts six school renovation projects on hold amid long-term planning over district's future

Crystal Elescano

HARTFORD — Six school renovation projects are on hold as Mayor Arunan Arulampalam works with state and local officials on the future of the Hartford school district. 

“We had made a decision to pause our school construction while we are coming up with a plan,” Arulampalam told CT Insider. “We’ve got six projects that are approved that we haven’t begun yet.” 

The projects on hold in Hartford involve Moylan Elementary, Parkville Community, McDonough Middle, SAND, Maria C. Colón Sánchez Elementary and Batchelder schools. 

The school projects are still in the design phase, Arulampalam said, but they chose to pause work until a long-term plan is in place to avoid potential repayments to the the state if the buildings are not used in the plan. 

“If we were to start construction, we’d have to be 100% sure that the six schools are going to be used down the road,” he said. 

Board of Education President Shontá Browdy did not respond to requests for comment. 

The pause comes as the Hartford Public Schools continue to face declining enrollment, staffing shortages and financial strains. A new partnership with the state aims to confront these issues, make difficult decisions and start a course toward stability and improved student outcomes. 

The district must consider how many schools it now needs and whether some should be consolidated, Arulampalam said.  

The city and state are working on a five-year strategic plan, building on work already done by the State Department of Education and recommendations from the district’s Blue Ribbon Commission, which was formed last year to address long-term challenges, according to Arulampalam. 

The state began working closely with the district in May 2024 after proposed budget cuts raised concerns about staffing reductions. A month later, the State Board of Education authorized the commissioner to take necessary action to ensure the district’s fiscal stability. 

The education department became involved in several areas, including improving the district’s financial systems to prevent loss of federal or state funds; assessing placements and support for students with disabilities; and reviewing the district’s magnet schools. An accountability team will oversee the implementation of state recommendations and provide technical assistance as the strategic plan is developed. 

During a Nov. 17 Hartford School Building Committee meeting, board members questioned when construction would resume, but officials didn't have an answer yet. 

Olusegun Ajayi, the city’s chief operating officer, pointed to the mayor’s recent press conference on the new partnership with the state and the district, stating that enrollment trends and choices about building use will dictate when and which construction projects move forward.

“That directly affects when we move forward with construction and certainly depends on what this plan looks like and the results of that,” he said.

Federal judge throws out Trump order blocking development of wind energy

Matthew Daly and Jennifer McDermott

Washington — A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.

Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states, including Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that challenged Trump’s Day One order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell hailed the ruling as a victory for green jobs and renewable energy.

“Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind, and today, we successfully protected those important investments from the Trump administration’s unlawful order,” Campbell said in a statement.

James said she was grateful the court stepped in “to block the administration’s reckless and unlawful crusade against clean energy.”

“As New Yorkers face rising energy costs, we need more energy sources, not fewer," James said. “Wind energy is good for our environment, our economy, and our communities."

The coalition that opposed Trump's order argued that Trump doesn’t have the authority to halt project permitting, and that doing so jeopardizes the states’ economies, energy mix, public health and climate goals.

The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Washington, D.C. They say they’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars collectively to develop wind energy and even more on upgrading transmission lines to bring wind energy to the electrical grid.

The government argued that the states’ claims amount to nothing more than a policy disagreement over preferences for wind versus fossil fuel energy development that is outside the federal court’s jurisdiction. Justice Department lawyer Michael Robertson said in court that the wind order paused permitting, but didn’t halt it, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reviews the environmental impact of wind projects.

The executive order said there were “alleged legal deficiencies underlying the federal government’s leasing and permitting” of wind projects under the Biden administration.

A previous judge in the case allowed it to proceed against Burgum, but dismissed an action against Trump and other Cabinet secretaries. Judge William Young allowed the states to proceed with claims that blocking permits for wind energy projects violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines a detailed process for enacting regulations, but not the Constitution.

Wind is the United States' largest source of renewable energy, providing about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation, according to the American Clean Power Association.

The Interior Department and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, but the White House previously accused the Democratic attorneys general of using lawfare to stop the president’s energy agenda.

Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, said wind energy is a key component of powering the nation's electric grid.

Wind “is currently one of the most cost-effective ways to generate power and is being used successfully not only in the United States, but across the world,'' she said. “With this ruling behind us, projects can now be judged on their merits. We thank the attorneys general who helped us get this case over the finish line.”

Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the decision a win for consumers, union workers, U.S. businesses, clean air and the climate.

“From the beginning of its time in office, the Trump administration put a halt to the wind energy projects that are needed to keep utility bills in check and the grid reliable,'' Kennedy said.

The wind order “has been a devastating blow to workers, electricity customers, and the reliability of the power grid,'' she said, adding that the Trump administration "should use this (ruling) as a wake-up call, stop its illegal actions and get out of the way of the expansion of renewable energy.''

CT Construction Digest Monday December 8, 2025

CT DOT considering widening a major state highway. Why it’s bringing heated debate.

John Moritz 

As part of an effort to alleviate traffic on one of the nation’s most congested stretches of interstate highway, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is weighing a fix that has roused local opposition: adding more highway.

In October, the agency delivered a presentation to a committee made up of Stamford residents, business leaders and other local groups unveiling several concepts for a planned overhaul of Interstate 95 through the city’s downtown. One option called for widening the interstate by a single lane in each direction. Another suggests putting up a “collector-distributor” road running parallel to the highway.

A third option presented by the DOT would avoid adding any new travel lanes, and focus instead on reconfiguring the highway’s exits and entrances, as well as adding wider shoulders.

Those proposals were pitched as part of DOT’s long-term study of ways to improve traffic and safety on I-95 between exits 6 and 9, a bottleneck that is well known to Connecticut drivers for producing chronic delays. In addition, the DOT is looking to replace a bridge carrying the highway over local roads and the Metro-North railroad tracks, which is outdated and in need of replacement.

But some local advocates who had been following the DOT’s work said they were caught off guard by the proposal to widen the highway, which they described as an outdated — and thoroughly debunked — solution to the city’s traffic woes.

“I basically told them that this was pretty bonkers to me,” said Angelo Bochanis, a resident of downtown Stamford who is a member of the local advisory committee that heard the DOT’s proposals in October.

“It felt very out of step with everything we were talking about and the direction I thought this project had been headed,” Bochanis said. “There’s been a national conversation around reconnecting communities that have been adversely impacted by highway construction. I thought CTDOT was really cognizant of that.”

In an interview Friday, DOT officials involved with the study cautioned that the concepts presented at the October meeting were only preliminary and that the agency has yet to settle on a specific plan for the highway.

“We’re early in the planning process for what is the future of I-95,” said Jonathan Dean, the project manager for the DOT’s study. The ideas under consideration at this point, he said, are “all being compared against each other, they’re being compared against, ‘What is the no-build alternative? What if we didn’t do anything other than what’s required just to maintain the highway as it is?'”

The agency has not conducted cost estimates for any of the proposals for I-95 in Stamford, Dean added, nor have detailed designs been produced showing which properties adjacent to the highway may need to be cleared for construction.

A DOT spokesman said that some additional information regarding costs and property impacts could come about as part of the next and final phase of the screening process, before the agency issues its final recommendations late next year. More details, however, won’t be known until those recommendations go through subsequent environmental reviews and design.

“Some will be long-term projects that may not begin for several years,” the spokesman, Josh Morgan, said in an email. “At the same time, we’re working to identify smaller, independent projects that can be done in the next five years.”

The agency will hold a pair of public meetings next week regarding the future of I-95, including an in-person forum on Dec. 10 at Stamford’s Ferguson Library.

The idea of widening the highway has attracted support from some drivers and businesses, including thousands of commercial truckers that traverse I-95 on a daily basis.

John Blair, the president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, a group representing the trucking industry, pointed out that I-95 in Stamford is one of several locations in the state that perennially rank among the nation’s worst bottlenecks for truckers. (MTAC is also a part of the project advisory council for the I-95 study.)

In addition to the economic costs of having trucks stuck in traffic, Blair said that jams also make highways less safe for drivers.

“There’s a lot of breaking and swerving and traffic and congestion down there,” Blair said. “I think anything they can do to widen it and widen the other spots in Connecticut will help not only the trucking community, but certainly cars and automobiles and passenger vehicles.”

In its current configuration, I-95 has three travel lanes in each direction through Stamford. The DOT is currently constructing a pair of auxiliary lanes between exits 6 and 7 in order to allow drivers more time to merge onto the highway.

Traffic along I-95 is expected to worsen significantly over the next few decades, according to DOT. By 2050, peak travel times through the 3.2 mile stretch of downtown Stamford are expected to grow by nine minutes in each direction, assuming no major renovations to the highway are made.

Critics of highway widening, including multiple researchers who have studied the topic, argue that it does little to reduce congestion in the long term. The culprit, they say, is a phenomenon known as induced demand. Additional lanes may produce some temporary relief from traffic jams, the theory goes, but other drivers alter their routines to take advantage of the new space — and soon traffic becomes as bad, or worse, than it ever was.

“There are very few examples in this country, if any, where just one more lane solves that problem,” said Peter Harrison, the director of Connecticut programs at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on the tri-state area. “I think DOT is smart enough to know that.”

Harrison said that while the RPA has yet to take a position on the state’s proposals, the group generally favors other methods — such as public transit or congestion pricing — to reduce congestion. New York City rolled out the nation’s first congestion pricing program earlier this year, charging drivers a variable toll to enter the busiest sections of Manhattan.

Bochanis pointed out that it can take him more than 45 minutes to travel from his home in Stamford to Norwalk by bus, a distance of less than 10 miles. Bochanis said he does not own a car, which makes him more reliant on transit.

“Unless we start talking about creating viable alternatives to driving along the 95 corridor, there’s always going to be traffic along 95,” he said. “There’s no amount of expansion, no amount of homes you can demolish that will fix that.”

Zach Oberholtzer, another member of the project’s advisory committee, echoed those critiques of the DOT’s planning. Oberholtzer is also an organizer with People Friendly Stamford, an advocacy group that supports mass transit and efforts to reduce car dependency.

“The problem with I-95 traffic is that the trains run too slow,” Oberholtzer said. “If you want to move people efficiently, if you want to move stuff efficiently, you want to put people and stuff on rail… They have no new, insightful, creative solutions here. It’s just the same, ‘Well, what if we added another lane?’ and we know that doesn’t fix it.”

Mass transit options are not a part of the study looking at an overhaul of I-95 in downtown Stamford. But Dean, the project engineer, said DOT as a whole is considering all modes of transportation in its long-term planning for the area. In addition, he said the study will look at the design of local streets next to the interstate for ways to improve bike and pedestrian access.

“It’s a very built up area,” Dean said. “There are a lot of access points to and from the interstate, but that’s something that we’re looking at: How does it all work together, and what can we improve?”‘

Gov. Ned Lamont has pledged billions of dollars as part of an effort to speed up train service along Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line, though much of that work is unfinished and the results have only shaved a few minutes off commutes so far. Earlier this year, DOT had to raise rail fares in order to plug a budget shortfall and continue operating at existing levels. (Bus fares remained flat this year, at $1.75.)

Some lawmakers have also raised concerns that the state’s Special Transportation Fund — which covers some of the costs of highway and transit infrastructure projects — could run out of money by 2030, while the Lamont administration is arguing that the state needs to curtail its borrowing for transportation projects.

Morgan, the DOT spokesman, said that no funding has been dedicated to any projects that might arise from the ongoing study of I-95 in Stamford.

CT roadway and ramp projects begin this week. One will bring temporary highway closures.

Sean Krofssik 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation remains busy with projects throughout the state even as the cold weather has settled in.

Overnight work is planned to start on Route 9 Southbound in Middletown on Friday, Dec. 12 and it will run through next Thursday, Dec. 16. During the work over the five nights, Route 9 southbound between Exit 23B, or DeKoven Drive, and the Route 17 northbound on-ramp to Route 9 southbound will be closed to all traffic.

The road work is a part of the Route 17 on-ramp to Route 9 northbound project in Middletown. The work also is part of the Department of Transportation’s “safety improvement initiative to mitigate front-to-rear end crashes at the ramp entrance to Route 9 Northbound.”

“The existing on-ramp from Route 17 onto Route 9 is controlled by a stop sign and has significantly higher crash rates than similar adjacent on-ramps,” according to DOT.

Signs will be posted throughout detour route. The schedule may be modified or extended based on weather delays or unforeseen conditions.

The project was awarded to Middlesex Corporation at a cost of $50,426,231 on Feb. 10, 2023, and is scheduled to be completed June 16, 2027, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Other scheduled work in Connecticut

In New Britain, work will begin on guard rail upgrades Monday, Dec. 15 from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Interstate 84 East from Exit 35 to 39.

The work is scheduled to be completed on Jan. 30. No work will be performed around major holidays. Traffic control signing patterns, trailer mounted attenuators and Connecticut State Police will guide motorists through the work zone.

This project is being performed by Eagle Fence and Guardrail.

In New London, bridge rehabilitation on Interstate 95 North, U.S. Route 1 and South Frontage Road will begin later this month. Drivers will encounter nighttime lane closures, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., on Interstate 95 at the Exit 83 ramp and of South Frontage Road. The work will begin on Monday, Dec. 15 and is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.

According to the Department of Transportation, the project consists of full replacement of the bridge superstructure and substructure, drainage improvements, roadway realignment and upgrades to traffic signals.

The project was awarded to ROTHA Contracting Company, Inc. at a cost of $13,994,598 on March 26, 2025. It’s scheduled to be completed next November 30.

In Plainville, drivers can expect lane and shoulder closures on Town Line Road and Red Stone Hill Road beginning on Thursday, Dec. 18 and it will continue through May 14, 2027, for work on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Work will be performed between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. as traffic control signing patterns, flaggers and police will guide motorists through the work zone.

According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the project consists of constructing 0.76 miles of multi-use trail between Town Line Road and Norton Park.

“The multi-use trail will consist of a 12-foot-wide paved surface and include other amenities such as signage for information and safety, benches and picnic tables, and a parking facility,” according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The project was awarded to Genovesi Construction LLC at a cost of $3,669,439 last month.