CTDOT Delivers Major Infrastructure Upgrades, Safety Innovations Across State in 2025
Connecticut Department of Transportation
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is
highlighting the progress made in 2025 to improve safety, accessibility and
reliability across the state's transportation networks for drivers, transit
riders, cyclists and pedestrians.
From upgraded bridges and repaved roadways to new bus
shelter installations and advanced safety systems, CTDOT's 2025 projects
strengthened infrastructure, expanded mobility options and made travel safer
and more dependable for millions of residents and visitors.
"2025 was a transformative year for Connecticut's
transportation systems," said Garrett Eucalitto, Connecticut Department of
Transportation commissioner. "We completed key bridge rehabilitations,
accelerated transit-oriented development and expanded the nation's largest
wrong-way driving detection program. Supported by our federal, state, and local
partners, these projects are helping make travel across Connecticut safer and
more reliable for everyone."
Here's a look back at 2025.
CTDOT continued to improve state roads and bridges through
planned projects, emergency response situations and routine maintenance.
• CTDOT won three 2025 America's Transportation Awards,
including the grand prize for the rapid demolition and reconstruction of
Norwalk's Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95, completed in just seven months
following a fiery crash.
• Completed emergency repairs on Route 113 in Stratford,
reopening the roadway on an accelerated timeline after a sinkhole collapse,
replacing failed drainage infrastructure, restoring tidal flow and fully
rebuilding the roadway to ensure long-term safety and resilience.
• During winter storms, CTDOT crews kept Connecticut moving
by clearing more than 10,000 lane-mi. of roadway.
• CTDOT improved driving conditions statewide by paving over
227 two-lane mi. of roadway, upgrading 35 mi. of roadside safety barriers and
installing 5,400 mi. of new pavement markings.
• Through strategic planning, CTDOT has more than 200
projects under construction, and 400 projects in design.
CTDOT broke ground, cut ribbons and continued making
progress on major infrastructure projects throughout Connecticut.
• In January, CTDOT supported Torrington's redesign of the
Municipal Riverview Parking Lot and extension of the Sue Grossman Still River
Greenway through a $375,000 Community Connectivity Grant, helping deliver new
crosswalks, lighting, landscaping and improved trail connections to enhance
safety and access.
• In February, CTDOT launched public outreach for the I‑95
Fairfield/Bridgeport PEL Study, hosting community meetings to gather input from
residents, businesses and stakeholders on future traffic, mobility and safety
improvements along the corridor.
• In March, CTDOT broke ground on the $91.85 million
rehabilitation of the Dutch Point Viaduct on I‑91 in Hartford. The work
includes deck replacement, drainage upgrades, new barrier walls and lighting.
• In April, CTDOT and Metro-North kicked off a $136.5
million project to replace two aging I‑95 bridges over First Avenue and the
Metro‑North Railroad in West Haven, while also reconfiguring the interchange to
improve traffic flow and safety.
• In May, CTDOT and the city of New Haven celebrated the
ribbon‑cutting of phase four of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in New
Haven, opening a 1.6‑mi. downtown stretch with a below‑grade tunnel under
Whitney Avenue and a new cycle‑track connection into the city.
• In June, CTDOT reopened the historic Route 82 East Haddam
Swing Bridge after a multi-year rehabilitation, completing major structural,
mechanical and electrical upgrades and adding a new sidewalk to improve safety
and pedestrian access.
• In July, CTDOT and Metro-North broke ground on a $33.2
million train station on the Waterbury Branch Line in Naugatuck. The new
station, relocated closer to downtown, will include a high-level heated
platform, electric vehicle charging, LED lighting and ADA-compliant
infrastructure.
• In August, CTDOT completed the first phase of its
statewide truck parking expansion plan, opening new spaces at the Middletown
rest area on I‑91 northbound as part of the $31 million project.
• In October, CTDOT and Metro-North broke ground on a $35.2
million renovation of Waterbury Union Station, which will include a new 350‑ft.
ADA-compliant high-level platform, modern waiting area, real‑time arrival
displays, ticket kiosks and upgraded safety features.
• In November, CTDOT began a $533,335 upgrade of the
historic Rocky Hill–Glastonbury Ferry landings, enhancing accessibility,
security and visitor amenities while preserving the site's historic character,
with work scheduled to avoid disruption of ferry operations.
• In December, CTDOT and DEEP cut the ribbon on a major East
Coast Greenway trail improvement, transforming a dark, curved tunnel into a
safe, accessible and welcoming passage that benefits more than 86,000 annual
users.
In addition to major roadway projects, CTDOT continued
investments in public transportation and planning for the future of
transportation.
• In March, CTDOT celebrated the 10th anniversary of
CTfastrak, which has carried approximately 30 million passengers and spurred
over $550 million in transit-oriented development. The system, recognized as
the nation's top bus rapid transit network, also is transitioning to 100
percent battery-electric buses by 2027.
• In June, CTDOT announced the selection of Gilbane
Development Company and Mural Real Estate Partners to lead a privately
developed, transit-oriented mixed-use project at New Haven Union Station,
transforming underused state-owned land into a vibrant community with new
housing, retail and jobs.
• In October, CTDOT launched the statewide Bus Stop
Enhancement Program, starting in Hamden, installing modern shelters, benches,
lighting and real-time displays at high-use stops. The upgrades meet ADA
standards, improve safety and comfort, and aim to boost ridership and overall
transit experience.
• In November, CTDOT unveiled a prototype of the new CTrail
rail car, part of a $315 million investment in 60 coaches featuring modern
amenities, faster service and improved accessibility, set to enter passenger
service in 2027.
• In December, CTDOT began evaluating redevelopment
proposals for the Stewart B. McKinney Stamford Transportation Center, moving
forward with plans to transform it into a modern, multi-modal transit hub.
The safety of all roadway users and roadway workers remained
a top priority for CTDOT.
• CTDOT approved new automated traffic‑enforcement
technology plans for multiple municipalities, enabling the installation of
speed and red‑light cameras to enhance roadway safety.
• CTDOT resumed the automated work zone speed control
program by testing and calibrating equipment in several work zones ahead of its
full enforcement launch in early 2026.
• CTDOT reached a major safety milestone by installing more
than 200 wrong-way detection systems at high-risk highway ramps, creating the
largest program of its kind in the nation.
• CTDOT expanded traffic incident management (TIM) training
in 2025 to boost responder safety and efficiency, offering more than 350
sessions since 2022 and training more than 8,000 crash responders statewide.
These efforts account for 10 percent of all TIM trainings nationwide.
Federal and state funds helped improve safety, accessibility
and mobility throughout the state.
• In January, CTDOT received $11.6 million from the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) Restoration & Enhancement Grant Program for
the CTrail Hartford Line, adding a weekday New Haven–Hartford round trip,
extending select trains to Springfield and Windsor Locks and expanding customer
service at Hartford Union Station.
• Also in January, CTDOT was awarded $400,000 through the
FRA Railroad Crossing Elimination Program to study closing the at-grade Toelles
Road crossing and constructing a new bridge over the Hartford Line and U.S.
Route 5.
• In January, CTDOT received $2.4 million from the FRA
Railroad Crossing Elimination Program for the Danbury Branch Grade Crossing
Consolidation Program, advancing planning, preliminary engineering and
environmental review for crossings in Norwalk and Danbury.
• In January, CTDOT was awarded $2 million through the USDOT
Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to support the City Link — Reconnecting
North Hartford planning study, advancing feasibility, stakeholder engagement
and long-term redevelopment planning.
• In February, CTDOT announced more than $56 million in
federal Transportation Alternatives Program funding to 14 municipalities for
bicycle, pedestrian and vulnerable road user safety projects, enhancing
connectivity and accessibility across the state.
• In June, CTDOT awarded $10 million through the
Transportation Rural Improvement Program (TRIP) to eight rural communities,
funding safety and infrastructure projects that might otherwise be ineligible
for federal programs.
• In July, CTDOT awarded $57.3 million through the LOTCIP
(Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program) to 17 municipalities for
local road, sidewalk, trail, bridge and streetscape projects.
• In September, CTDOT announced a 33 percent increase in
Town Aid Road (TAR) funding, which raises the grant from $60 million to $80
million for FY 2026–2027, to help all 169 towns and 4 boroughs improve local
paving and maintenance operations.
• In September, CTDOT received Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) approval for its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
plan, unlocking $52.5 million to expand Connecticut's electric vehicle charging
network and ensure reliable, statewide access.
• In October, CTDOT received $25 million in federal
emergency relief funding from the FHWA to reimburse costs for road and bridge
repairs following the August 2024 floods, bringing total federal support for
the event to $28 million.
• In November, CTDOT announced a $35.7 million federal grant
to modernize and expand the Windham Region Transit District bus facility in
Mansfield, doubling its size to support up to 50 low- and zero-emission buses
and adding new chargers, indoor storage and administrative space to improve
regional transit service.
• In November, CTDOT awarded $12 million through the
Community Connectivity Grant Program (CCGP) to 17 municipalities, bringing
total program investments to more than $74 million.
For more information, visit ct.gov/dot.
Developer sells massive CT apartment building, promises separate mega-project on track
Prolific apartment developer
Avner Krohn has sold his freshly completed 107-unit apartment
building in downtown New Britain and is negotiating to sell its twin
next door, saying he’s focusing more attention on the planned Concourse
Park mega-project
in East Hartford.
“We are all in on East Hartford, we’re fully ramped up and
ready to make it happen,” Krohn said Monday. “We feel very strongly that East
Hartford will do very well.”
Krohn confirmed that his Jasko Development recently sold The
Brit, a six-story, modernistic glass-faced building in the heart of downtown,
to a partnership of Reliant Partners LLC and Investment 360. Krohn did not
disclose the purchase price, and Solomon Katz, listed as a key official in
Reliant and Investment 360, could not be reached Monday.
When it was proposed in 2021, The Brit was revolutionary for
the city’s ailing downtown, and represented the first large-scale infusion of
market-rate housing in decades. Then-Mayor Erin Stewart’s administration
granted a 26-year tax incentive worth more than $300,000 a year to get Jasko to
demolish the abandoned Burritt Bank headquarters at Main and Bank streets and
replace it with an amenity-rich apartment complex.
The Brit became the first in a series of upscale, midrise
residential complexes that Jasko built or is building in New Britain, and its
features — outdoor fire pits, a rooftop balcony, a sprawling deck with grilling
stations, a fitness center and a pet spa — would have been unimaginable in that
location just a few years earlier.
When it opened last year, its rents were also something
entirely new for downtown New Britain: $1,650 for a 500-square-foot studio,
climbing to $2,750 for a two-bed, two-bath unit of about 1,000 square feet.
Results have been mixed: Longtime city residents who warned
there would be no market for such apartments in downtown were proven wrong,
with dozens of tenants signing up before the building opened. Still, occupancy
stands at 75%, management is now offering six weeks of free rent for new
tenants signing a year-long lease, and the 5,000-square-foot space envisioned
for an upscale restaurant remains without an occupant.
Next door, Jasko’s Highrailer a 114-unit apartment that’s
largely identical to The Brit, is scheduled to open in the spring. Krohn
confirmed he’s negotiating with a buyer for that building, too, but isn’t
confirming whether it’s the same companies that took The Brit.
Krohn acknowledged that the nationwide pullback in
bricks-and-mortar commercial and retail markets has affected his projects. He
said he’s confident that solid, attractive restaurants can be brought in for
The Brit as well as The Highrailer, which has about 6,000 square feet of
commercial space.
“It’s been a challenge. We’ve had interest, but we’ve turned
down a lot of retailers. We’re looking for restaurants that are going to bring
flair and draw crowds from within the city and its neighborhoods and from
outside the city,” he said. “We put in hundreds of thousands of dollars of
infrastructure for restaurants in both buildings: ventilation systems that go
to the roof, underground commercial grease traps, utilities service that can
support restaurants.
“We’re very restaurant-centric and beauty care-centric. It’s
the chicken and and egg: retail loves to see people, and building occupants
want to see a lot of retail. We’ve gotten close (to signing a restaurant) a
couple of times, but we haven’t had the right one so far.”
The construction and rental markets have changed since Krohn
proposed The Brit in late 2021. At the time, he anticipated a cost of $14
million and an opening in 2023; the final figure was in the mid-$20 millions
and construction continued through 2024.
Jasko has built the elevator shaft for a third mid-rise
apartment building downtown, the 100-unit The Strand. Krohn hasn’t said whether
he’ll sell that one, or what he plans with The Byline, a 44-unit boutique
apartment building on the edge of West Hartford’s town center.
Jasko and business partner Brian Zelman are also
constructing a 40-unit addition to their Bloomfield apartment complex, the
Residences at Wash Brook. By far the biggest project they’re working on is in
East Hartford, where they’re looking to build 402 apartments on the site of a
demolished multiplex theater.
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The Capitol Region Development Authority is scheduled to put
out bid requests this month for site preparation at the former Showcase Cinemas
property, and Krohn expects that work will begin within 90 days of a contractor
being selected. After that, Krohn and Zelman plan to start constructing the
first phase of Concourse Park: 309 apartments in three-story buildings. A
second phase of 93 apartments in a four-story building is expected to follow
that.
CT town balks at proposal for 10-acre battery energy storage farm
In a situation similar to what Granby
faced this summer, New Milford residents are balking at a proposed
140 megawatt battery energy storage farm less than 2 miles from the
center of their town.
Homeowners have created New Milford Guardians
Against Flatiron to organize opposition, with many warning that a fire
at the lithium battery facility could be a serious hazard to firefighters and
neighbors as well as environmentally dangerous for the town.
With two important public meetings on the topic coming in
January, local environmentalists two weeks ago launched
an online petition drive to stop the project.
“This project plans to bulldoze roughly 10 acres of our
precious land to make room for what they call progress — a term that, in this
context, seems to equate to environmental degradation,” the petition on
change.org states.
But Colorado-based
Flatiron Energy LLC says it has carefully located the project on a
relatively small part of a 102-acre site to avoid environmentally sensitive
areas, and — along with the rest of the Battery Energy Storage Systems industry
— maintains the technology is safe.
The company also contends that the New Milford facility
would go a long way to protecting Connecticut’s energy supply against periods
when solar or wind generators are not productive.
The facility would help “Connecticut in achieving its goals
of energy conservation and sustainability. Pending approvals, the project will
commence financing, detailed engineering, procurement, and construction efforts
in 2026, with commercial operation planned for the entire project in 2028,” the
company wrote in a draft of a permit application.
In its simplest form, a battery energy storage farm is
designed to take excess energy off the grid during periods of high production
and low usage, store it in a massive array of industrial batteries, then return
it to the grid at peak usage periods or when extended cloud coverage makes
solar farms temporarily unproductive.
The company wants to put in on acreage off Timothy Lane near
the West Aspetuck River and about a half mile from the Housatonic.
But a large contingent of residents insists the operation
doesn’t belong there.
“This is a lithium-ion battery farm. You’ve all seen a Tesla
Model Y on fire? Imagine that x 1000 worse,” one person posted on a New
Milford-oriented Facebook page. “We don’t have the water supply nor the fire
fighting equipment. That’s not to mention the toxic deadly fumes from burning
batteries of this chemistry. It would kill everything downwind of the smoke
source.”
Homeowners in Granby raised similar concerns when Key
Capture Energy LLC put forward plans for a battery energy storage system on
Salmon Brook Road. The company went on to successfully secure state permits;
Granby lost a court case to block the project, but First Selectman Mark
Fiorentino and Town Manager Mike Walsh led the town in filing a court appeal.
That appeal was pending in November when Key Capture
surprised everyone by telling the Connecticut Siting Council it was not moving
ahead, Instead, the company surrendered its permit.
Mayor Pete Bass last week posted a notice that Flatiron will
host two public information meetings at the Sarah Noble School, one on Jan. 8
and the other on Jan. 21. Both begin at 7 p.m.
The town council is inviting residents to send questions for
the company before the council meeting on Jan. 12, when the company will make a
presentation.