CT Construction Digest Tuesday October 7, 2025

Drainage worries resurface with Norwalk's plan for $125M rebuild of West Rocks Middle School

Ignacio Laguarda

NORWALK — When a new athletic field was installed at West Rocks Middle School in Norwalk in 2020, heavy rain caused a mudslide into the yards of neighborhood residents, which is why some are raising alarm bells at the plan to build a new school at the site.

"I think you're going to have a lot of pushback on where you're trying to site it and where the staging will be," Common Council member Heather Dunn said during a meeting of the council's Land Use & Building Management Committee on Oct. 1.

Dunn, who represents the district where the school sits, said residents of the abutting Sunrise Hill condominium complex are likely to bring up the drainage issues. Many of them, she said, still have "very hard feelings" about the previous flooding.

The tentative plan is to build the new West Rocks on the location of the athletic fields and construct new fields on the spot where the school currently sits. That means that the new three-story school would be closer to the condos.

"I do not understand why we're pushing a building up against a very densely populated area without the buffer, the fields," said Dunn, who added that she opposes the current configuration of the planned new school.

Committee Chair Barbara Smyth said there are real concerns from residents about water runoff from the site. However, she said building a school at the location would be a good opportunity to address those issues.

"This is the opportunity to truly address the drainage problem there and make things better for the people who live there," Smyth said.

Michael LoSasso, principal with the Bridgeport-based architectural firm Antinozzi Associates, said there are statutory requirements to mitigate runoff from the property with the new school building.

A public meeting on the school project is scheduled for Oct. 7 at the school from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The new West Rocks Middle School, projected to cost about $125 million, would open in the fall of 2030, with work scheduled to begin in the spring of 2028. The state would pay for 60% of the work.

The project will be part of the the 2026-27 capital budget request, meaning it still needs approval from local boards.

The Norwalk Board of Education commissioned a districtwide feasibility study of all the city's school buildings in 2021. West Rocks, which serves grades 6 through 8, was determined to be the most in need of improvements as the nearly 70-year-old structure was nearing the end of its anticipated lifespan. 

The current school has a floor area of 100,508 square feet, and the new structure is expected to be 121,838 square feet. The new West Rocks is expected to serve a student population of 720, and would offer five classrooms at each grade level, with a 24-student capacity for each space. The current West Rocks has an enrollment of 635 students.

Fairfield, Bridgeport residents lead rally against UI monopole project

Ken Dixon

BRIDGEPORT — A landmark South End church was the rallying point Sunday afternoon for Fairfield and Bridgeport residents who want a proposed $300 million United Illuminating Co. power line project to be buried underground instead of strung across 7.3 miles through residential backyards as well as religious and commercial properties.

About 180 people filled the sanctuary of the Shiloh Baptist Church in a sometimes rowdy secular revival meeting, concerned that if the Connecticut Siting Council approves the plan later this month and its 102 towers - called monopoles - UI could force the take over of more than 19 acres of property from historic Southport east into Bridgeport's South End and downtown.

The Rev. Carl McCluster, pastor of the 85-year-old church, pointed out a red-and-yellow line of tape that runs from the Broad Street sidewalk, on to the church property and up along the building, illustrating his fear that current UI plans to obtain property rights, called easements, might eventually result in tearing down the section of the church that contains his office as well as the furnace and air conditioning equipment.

"That would be unusable, under the easement," he said. "We bought it, we paid for it, we own it, it's ours and you can't have it. If anybody thinks they're going to walk over the sacrifice that these people made to have this building and this spot, you're going to have to pry my cold dead hands off the front of this building before you can have it. We're not going to let them land grab out of our hands."

UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos said in a statement that it is "becoming increasingly clear that the intervenors are not interested in good faith efforts to find a viable, cost-effective solution.”

“The escalating rhetoric from the intervenors is concerning but not surprising, as skepticism of the intervenors’ preference to add half a billion dollars to Connecticut electric bills with an underground alternative continues to grow," she said. "In line with Governor Lamont’s repeated calls for negotiation on this plan, we stand ready to work with other parties to discuss possible solutions that balance the interests of the local community with all state residents who will bear the costs of a more expensive solution, as evidenced by our repeated outreach to the intervenors and their attorneys."

While residents and advocates have spoke about fears of buildings being demolished, UI has previously stated it does not have plans to take people's homes nor demolishing them. Instead, it is looking for easements.

McCluster spoke of how the South End has been the home of a "diaspora" of new U.S. citizens, from Black people moving from the South during the Great Migration, to Italians and Portuguese, to now, South Americans.

"You are here now and we are here now and we are here to stay," said McCluster, pointing out fellow local church leaders who make up the South End Pastors Collaborative. "People have suffered to build this community into what it is and the full right and privilege to participate in what is to be. No one can determine for us what our community is going to be."

McCluster pointed out the potential strength of unified action in opposition to UI. "Has anyone ever figured out that if we work together, Fairfield and Bridgeport, we can get a while lot more done? We form the largest metropolitan area in the state of Connecticut, together." His son Matthew McCluster led a song he wrote for the occasion with a chorus of "Bury the poles," a group chant that filled the church sanctuary.

"Fairfield and Bridgeport together, we are going to fight this," said Fairfield Selectman Christine Vitale, sharing the podium with Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. "It's a fight that we are not giving up and we will take any action we need to take in order to make sure that these lines are buried, ideally, but we're willing to come to the table looking for alternatives," she said. "If there's an alternative out there that protects our communities, we are willing to listen and work for solutions."  

 Ganim described UI officials as less-than polite during an attempt by the city and town to persuade UI to bury the 115 kV line. "The city's not going to get stepped on, rolled over, pushed aside," said Ganim, pointing to recent burying of similar high-voltage lines in Stamford and Greenwich. 

Ganim recalled the recent meeting with UI executives in Fairfield's Independence Hall Town that ended badly. Ganim said UI met the elected officials with attitude of "disdain" and "arrogance" that was insulting at a moment when the town and city leaders were trying to solicit compromise. "We're not going to let this go away," Ganim said, predicting that Bridgeport may eventually seek legal action if the project wins approval from the Siting Council on October 16.

Steve Ozyck, a Southport resident and co-founder of the Sasco Creek Neighbors Environmental Trust, Inc., said four church properties would be impacted: two in Bridgeport and two in Fairfield. He stressed that power lines are needed, but questioned whether they have to be removed from the catenary equipment above the tracks.

Groton Scrambles to Cover $6.7M Seawall Cost Overrun After Missing Out on State Funding

Amy Wu, , Ally LeMaster, 

GROTON — City officials are scrambling to find a way to reimburse millions of taxpayer dollars after dipping into the capital fund balance to pay for a more than $6.7 million overrun of seawall construction. 

Groton City’s plan to cover the multimillion dollar cost for what Mayor Keith Hedrick called a “re-engineering” of the replacement Shore Avenue seawall through a state grant, collapsed on Sept. 30 when it was not chosen for a state Community Investment Fund grant. 

Hedrick said what initially started out as a $4.1 million project to replace a “failing” seawall has ballooned to project that will cost at least $10.7 million. 

BL Companies, a Hartford-based engineering firm, originally bid to reconstruct the seawall for $2.7 million. But after construction on the project began in March 2024, the planned work required a significant overhaul.

A closer look at BL Companies’ original proposal for the seawall showed that one of the three soil samples for the project did not show bedrock — crucial for the seawall as it provides stability and anchoring. 

Despite this, the project moved forward until the city hired Trumbull-based GZA GeoEnvironmental to undertake a complete re-engineering of the project, according to Hedrick. 

Since the re-engineering of the seawall started, Hedrick said the added work has added $6.6 million to the project costs — but records show the city has asked for $9.8 million to complete the project, a $3.2 million discrepancy.

Hedrick said there is no deadline to reimburse the town’s capital fund, but that paying back the money would be critical to preventing other projects in the pipeline from being placed on hold.

“That means other projects may not get funded in the future that we were setting money aside for,” Hedrick said, but he declined to name projects other than a plan to purchase a new firetruck.

Financing upfront 

For about a decade, the city has discussed replacing the more than 350-foot-long seawall, which town of Groton historian Jim Streeter estimates was built around 1880. 

Pictures provided to CT Examiner before the replacement of the seawall show large and deep cracks in the wall. 

Although the city did not conduct a study to test the seawall’s viability before replacing it, Hedrick anecdotally noted the wall’s decay. 

“When you go down there, and you lay on the ground, and you stick your arm up there, you can’t touch anything, that means there’s a gap between the sand and the bottom of the roadway and the seawall, and at some point, with the erosion from the tide, it’s going to take enough soil away that there’s nothing to support the roadway, and the roadway would collapse,” he said. 

The state initially gave the town a $2.7 million grant to replace the seawall. Hendrick said the town also used $1.4 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the project. 

Construction on the seawall began in March 2024. 

In January 2025, State Sen. Heather Somers and State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner proposed legislation that would have authorized $9.7 million in state bonding to pay for seawall repairs — a measure that died last legislative session. 

Then in April 2025, the City Council approved roughly $3.3 million from the city capital fund balance to pay a construction company for work on the seawall. That July, the council also authorized $3.4 million to be taken from the same fund for the wall. 

 “The project is currently being paid for by the city and we’re looking for monies to reimburse the city for expenditures,” Hedrick said. 

Earlier this year, Groton applied for a $9.8 million grant from the Community Investment Fund — a $875 million pot of money given to underserved communities — but the project was not chosen for funding. 

In a statement to CT Examiner, Town Manager John Burt said there are no plans to reapply for the grant. But while Groton has not yet learned why the project was not chosen for funding, Burt surmised that it was the high cost.

Hedrick said he was exploring ways for taxpayers to secure reimbursement, including by state bonding.

But even as the project has gone over budget by millions of dollars, Hedrick underscored the importance of replacing the seawall. 

“The ultimate downside risk in postponing construction on this retaining wall was that it would fail, and the utilities that are in, then, and therefore the roadway would fail, and then, therefore, the utilities that are in the roadway would collapse, and we would introduce raw sewage into the Long Island Sound. And that’s not on anybody’s bucket list. Nobody wants to do that,” he said.

Hedrick noted that the seawall “was never intended to restrict flooding.” The priority was to protect Shore Avenue and the utilities within the vicinity.

Contacted on Thursday, the city’s finance department still had not responded to questions regarding the amount of money left in the city’s capital fund balance in time for publication on Monday evening.

Before drawing down $6.7 million for the seawall, the capital fund balance sat at $8.5 million in 2024, according to the last available audit released by the city. 

In addition to reimbursing taxpayers, Hendrick said the city may need to pay back an undisclosed amount of money to Groton Utilities. 

“We are borrowing money for the seawall itself. If there’s extra money available, then we may reimburse Groton Utilities for some of the expenses that they’ve incurred. My focus is on reimbursing the capital fund from the City of Groton,” Hedrick said.

What’s next?

Deputy Mayor Gwen Depot said her plan was to pursue a project postmortem and analyze the root causes of any problems that occurred. 

“It’s our responsibility to the residents, especially since they are asking for it,” Depot said. 

While she awaits more documentation on the project, Depot said if there is project overspending, “the city should provide an explanation to residents on how we can prevent it from happening again.” 

“We will do an investigation later,” Hedrick said. 

Kosta Diamantis trial starts with prosecutors outlining alleged bribes

Andrew Brown and Dave Altimari

The bribes to Konstantinos Diamantis, the former head of Connecticut’s school construction office, were delivered to him in a variety of locations, according to prosecutors.

The cash payments were dropped off at Diamantis’ house in Farmington, exchanged in a bathroom at the Capitol Grille in Hartford and were passed along to him in a Dunkin’ Donuts across from the government office building where he worked, prosecutors said.

During opening arguments of his criminal trial in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport on Monday, federal prosecutors painted Diamantis, a former state deputy budget director, as someone who was eager to profit from his public position and “begged, pleaded and threatened” school contractors to pay him bribes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis spent nearly half an hour during the opening day of the high-profile criminal trial laying out the case against Diamantis and previewing some of the evidence and testimony that jurors will see during the trial.

Bottom of Form

Diamantis was charged last year with more than 22 federal counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and lying to federal investigators following a multiyear investigation.

The prosecutors told the jurors that they would prove that Diamantis solicited bribes from construction firms in return for his exerting control over the state’s multibillion-dollar school building program, which he oversaw for more than six years.

They quickly followed those arguments by providing a preview of several text messages, emails and voicemails in which Diamantis and the school construction contractors discussed how much was expected to be paid.

“Just so you both (know). I’m very good at what I do and always do what I say,” Diamantis wrote in one of those text exchanges. “And I always usually work at 5 percent of total. Just FYI.”

“I shouldn’t have to beg. He owed me 77 2 months ago,” he added in another.

Diamantis, who was fired from his job as state deputy budget director in 2021, sat silently at the defense table taking notes as prosecutors laid out the case against him.

Meanwhile, Diamantis’ defense attorney, Norm Pattis, declined to deliver any opening statement to the jury.

The first witness

The first witness that prosecutors called to the stand quickly put the criminal allegations into full focus for the jurors.

Over and over, John Duffy, the former vice president of Acranom Masonry, stated in front of the jury that he and his boss, Sal Monarca, paid bribes to Diamantis. And in return, Duffy explained, Diamantis secured work for Acranom on the state-funded school projects.

Prosecutors walked Duffy, who is Diamantis’ former brother-in-law, through a set of text messages and emails that allegedly showed Diamantis using his influence to ensure Acranom won a $3 million contract for the masonry work on the Weaver High School project in Hartford.

“Please make sure vote tonight goes for us. Talk to your guy,” Duffy wrote to Diamantis in one exchange.

In response Diamantis wrote: “I already did.”

“Thanks bro,” Duffy replied. “U should be president.”

The jurors also got to hear Diamantis’ voice in a recorded voicemail, in which he allegedly pressured Duffy for another bribe after Acranom won a contract for the Birch Grove Elementary project in Tolland.

In the voicemail, Diamantis argued that Monarca broke the deal by delaying the alleged bribery payment. And Diamantis said that he needed the money from Acranom immediately in order to pay for his younger daughter’s tuition and daughter’s wedding.

“You can tell your boy he f***ed me big though cuz now I don’t know which way I’m gonna turn,” Diamantis said on the voicemail message.

Diamantis told Duffy in a later text message that he owed a bunch of creditors and added, “(Monarca) has singlehandedly ruin my life and my daughter’s wedding because I trusted him.”

Duffy’s text messages also showed how Diamantis continued to hound the executives from Acranom for more money in return for his continued assistance on Connecticut school projects.

“He’s all about full time consultation and annual fee,” Duffy texted Monarca at one point, referring to Diamantis.

“We paid him 35k,” Monarca, the owner of Acranom masonry, replied.

In another message, Duffy referred to Diamantis as a “vulture” and complained that he wouldn’t stop contacting him to ask for more money.

“(He) wants something tomorrow. He has to pay bills. All this BS every other day for two weeks,” Duffy wrote.

In the messages, Diamantis often came off as someone who was desperate for money and he frequently cried poverty to try to convince the contractors to pay up.

“Johnny, I’m drowning,” Diamantis wrote to Duffy during the Tolland school project. “I need you to make (Monarca) keep his word ASAP.”

Duffy, who already pleaded guilty to bribery last year, calmly testified about his dealings with Diamantis during the trial Monday.

But prosecutors also forced Duffy to admit that he initially lied when he was first questioned by federal investigators about the alleged bribery.

Duffy told the jurors that he only acknowledged the alleged bribery after being confronted with the mountain of text messages that were obtained by prosecutors.

“I saw a number of texts that proved what really happened,” Duffy told the jury.

Prosecutors claim that Duffy was not the only person who sought to cover up their actions.

During the opening arguments, Francis also told the jury that they would get to listen to several recorded interviews in which Diamantis allegedly lied to investigators about accepting money from Acranom and another contractor, Construction Advocacy Professionals.

They also highlighted a text message in which Diamantis instructed Duffy to delete their written conversations.

“Erase this shit,” he wrote.

CT Construction Digest Monday October 6, 2025

Coast Guard museum bridge bid comes in 'significantly higher' than expected

John Penney

New London — The lone bid package for construction of a pedestrian bridge envisioned to connect a city garage to the incoming National Coast Guard Museum came in “significantly higher” than previously estimated and with a longer-than-anticipated building timeline, project officials said Friday.

Plainville-based Manafort Brothers Inc. was the only firm last month to submit a bid for construction of a 400-foot, glass-enclosed walking bridge proposed to run from the Water Street garage to the museum with several entrance and exit towers along its length.

Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association — which along with the state Department of Economic Community Development is overseeing the bridge project — said his engineers will meet with Manafort representatives this month to discuss possible cost-saving options and schedule adjustments.

“That’s when we’ll talk specific (cost) numbers and what efficiencies can be found,” Pulver said. “Manafort did provide us with three or four areas that could be looked at to drive down the timeline and the costs.”

The State Bond Commission in 2018 earmarked $19.5 million for construction of the bridge, with $500,000 in state funds being previously approved for planning and design work. The work was initially estimated to take about 16 months.

Pulver said Friday he did not have exact cost estimates from Manafort, only that they included a “range above what was planned.” That finding came after a recently completed scope review of Manafort bid documents.

“What was designed was a nice bridge and we’ll take a hard look at our options,” he said. “We’ll then present recommendations to the state sometime in October.”

Initial plans called for the glass-enclosed span to run from an existing Water Street Garage circulation tower and curve over Water Street. The elevated walkway, which will be attached to the museum’s second floor, includes three towers to allow users to enter and exit near the front of Union Station; between the north- and south-running railroad tracks; and on the waterfront near the ferry terminals.

Pulver said one of the bigger construction challenges, and one extending the initial construction timeline, revolves around the entrance/exit tower planned to terminate between the Amtrak tracks. Safety regulations require the tracks to be de-energized between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., the only time contractors will be allowed complete necessary bedrock drilling in the narrow area.

The bridge will be turned over to the city once it is complete.

It’s unclear where any extra funding would come from if the bridge’s cost can’t be reduced.

The cost of the bridge is not part of the main museum project’s $150 million price tag, which is to be paid with a combination of state and private funding, though association officials are still trying to close a shortfall of up to $48 million. Work on the 89,000-square-foot, six-story building, which continues to rise on the city’s downtown waterfront, is slated to be complete next year.

“I do think there’s a potential positive outcome here,” Pulver said. “While the pedestrian bridge is separate from the museum and funded independently, we also continue to keep Coast Guard leadership informed through regular briefings. We will be working with the state and Manafort to develop a path forward.”

$11M Connecticut Port Authority settlement will close out State Pier project

John Penney

The Connecticut Port Authority agreed Friday to pay a construction management firm $11.3 million to both close out the $311 million State Pier reconstruction project and settle additional cost disputes at the New London-based heavy-lift port facility.

The settlement agreement and mutual release documents were approved at a special Port Authority board of directors meeting after about an hour of closed-door discussions. The amounts were approved without public discussion.

The agreement, which has not been finalized, calls for the authority to release its final payment of $7.3 million to the Kiewit Infrastructure Co., which oversaw the transformation of State Pier into a staging area currently being used to assemble components for offshore wind farms.

Those funds were withheld as the two entities tried to work out who was responsible for paying to fix two outstanding issues at the staging area: deficient soil in a roughly 6,000-square-foot section of the pier’s transportation corridor, and an improperly placed toe wall, used for vessels to dock.

Board Chairman Paul Whitescarver said Friday that Kiewit has since added the proper fill to the corridor area — at a cost much less than originally anticipated — and has spool extensions ready to be added to address the docking issue.

The settlement also calls for the authority to pay Kiewit an additional $4 million to settle the firm’s claims that it was owed $24 million for “additional costs and time” it incurred for a range of unexpected project work related to site obstructions, soil remediation and dredging that arose after construction began in 2022.

The authority argued Kiewit was responsible for the cost of project delays related to retaining-wall alignment, heavy-lift platform installation and work on the pier’s south wall.

The authority and Kiewit each deny the other’s allegations, the settlement states.

The settlement, once finalized, will prevent any further claims from being filed by either party related to the State Pier work. The settlement does not cover or affect an ongoing civil suit filed by Kiewit subcontractor Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman against both the authority and Kiewit alleging breach of contract, unfair trade practices and other claims.

Under Friday’s agreement, Kiewit is set to receive a total of $278.7 million for its State Pier work.

“This is a good outcome,” Whitescarver said, noting the settlement was reached without engaging a third-party mediator, an option discussed earlier this year. “We were able to reach this compromise without having to ask the state for more money.”

Kiewit representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Bushnell Park pond restoration nears completion, reopens ahead of Hartford Marathon

Andrew Larson

A six-month, $3 million restoration of the pond at Bushnell Park has wrapped up just in time for one of downtown Hartford’s biggest annual events.

The Bushnell Park Conservancy announced this week that fencing around the pond has been removed and the restoration work is nearly complete, with the area now accessible to the public ahead of Saturday’s Eversource Hartford Marathon.

The project, which began in May, addressed decades of sediment accumulation that had compromised the pond’s depth and water quality. Torrington-based Yield Industries completed the work under a $2.94 million contract with the city of Hartford.

The restoration included dredging accumulated sediment, installing a new liner system similar to a pool, placing new rocks, upgrading the aeration system and fountains, and installing a system that allows the pond to be drained when necessary. Crews also repaired the historic brownstone walls surrounding the pond and improved drainage systems.

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According to a Sept. 25 Facebook post from the conservancy, contractors recently completed refilling the pond and are finishing electrical work before installing the aerators and fountains. The organization also reinstalled replica benches from the 1939 World’s Fair around the pond’s perimeter and reseeded lawn areas damaged during construction.

The reopening comes as Bushnell Park prepares for a series of major events that draw thousands of visitors to downtown Hartford. The marathon on Saturday will showcase the restored pond to participants and spectators from across the region. The park also recently hosted a wedding and the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Sunday.

The pond at Bushnell Park was originally created in 1943 after the Park River was buried underground following devastating floods in the 1930s, according to the Hartford Courant. The artificial pond was designed with brownstone walls to echo the serpentine path where the river once flowed.

The Bushnell Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the city to preserve and maintain the 37-acre park, has raised $9 million since its founding in 1981 to restore the park’s historic landmarks and structures.

Bridge work to bring extended lane closures on part of busy CT highway. See where and when.

Sean Krofssik 

Drivers can expect lane closures beginning today, Monday Oct. 6 on a very busy Connecticut bridge.

The land closures are due to road work that includes repairs to the Commodore Hull Bridge, which carries Route 8 over the Housatonic River and connects Route 110 in Shelton and Route 34 in Derby, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

There will be lane closures on Route 8 northbound and southbound between Exit 12A and Exit 12B from Monday, Oct. 6 to Nov. 21. Two lanes will be maintained during daytime hours, and one lane of traffic will be open at night, according to the DOT.

Southbound work will be 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Saturday, and 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Sunday, according to the DOT.

On Monday, Oct. 6, the Route 8 Exit 12A southbound off ramp will be closed until further notice. The closure will allow work to be done in the right lane and maintain two lanes of traffic on Route 8 southbound.

In June a posted load restriction of 32 tons was imposed for all vehicles using the span, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The bridge remains safe to use, according to DOT

Motorists are asked to follow the posted detour routes.

Motorists will be guided through the work zone with traffic control signing patterns, crash units, illuminated arrows and traffic control personnel will guide motorists through the work zone, the agency noted.

The project will be performed by Mohawk Northeast Inc.

Every two years the bridge undergoes a hands-on inspection of the  superstructure and substructure and is given a rating, DOT officials said, according to records about the project and a 2022 meeting.

The bridge was constructed in 1951 and widened in 1990, according to DOT.

Aetna Bridge Co. Works On Conn.'s Gold Star Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation

Ken Liebeskind -CEG Correspondent

Aetna Bridge Co. of Warwick, R.I., the lead contractor on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project, has completed work on the northbound span and is currently working on the southbound span, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in Connecticut, with separate northbound and southbound structures connecting New London and Groton over the Thames River. Carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily, the bridge is a critical transportation link for both commercial and recreational traffic, playing a key role in the movement of people and goods throughout the region.

"The Gold Star Memorial Bridge Phase 1A project consists of four phases (A, B, C and D) of steel repairs on the approach truss spans," according to Aetna Bridge Co. "Phases A and B are priority repairs on each side of the truss that must be completed prior to the start of Phases C and D.

In total, there are 373 steel repair locations, including:

• 168 gusset plate repairs (node locations);

• 96 diagonal chord repairs;

• 88 vertical chord repairs; and

• 21 stringer plate repairs.

The scope of work also includes the installation, management and removal of working platforms and erection rigging; containment, blasting, painting and touch-up of steel repair locations; modifications to interfering drainage systems and installation of a temporary system; and traffic management on both the Gold Star Memorial Bridge and adjacent surface roads.

"The southbound structure project includes structure Class S repairs, abrasive blast cleaning and coating of beam ends, steel repairs, localized paint removal, bearing replacements, bolt replacements, weld repairs and joint replacements," according to engineering firm, GM2. "Improvements also included removing and replacing the existing deck membrane and roadway asphalt surfacing."

The total cost for the rehabilitation work on both the northbound and southbound bridges is approximately $80 million. A portion of the funding is provided through a grant from the federal Bridge Investment Program, with the remainder covered by 90 percent federal funds and 10 percent state funds.

Construction began in February 2025 and is expected to be complete by February 2026. Bridge strengthening began in March 2025 and is scheduled for completion by November 2025.

Aetna Bridge Co. is using equipment from its extensive inventory to support the project.

"Our warehouse facility is stocked with bridge repair materials and equipment including structural steel beams and tubing, timber cribbing, shielding materials, traffic control equipment, forklifts, Bid-Well concrete finishing machines, aerial lifts, light towers, generators and compressors," according to the company. CEG

CT Constrution Digest Friday October 3, 2025

Construction of new 'Flex Lane' on I-84 in Danbury – the first in CT – to start in 2028

Brianna Gurciullo

The state Department of Transportation is moving ahead with a proposal to turn the left-hand shoulder on Interstate-84 in Danbury into a lane that opens to cars during traffic jams.

Construction of the “Flex Lane,” which would extend about 4 miles between Exit 3 and Exit 7, is expected to begin in 2028 and finish in two to three years, according to DOT. It would be the first lane of its kind in the state.

DOT spokesman Josh Morgan said the Flex Lane, which is in the design phase, and other roadway upgrades in the corridor will cost roughly $250 million, according to preliminary estimates.

The project is a spinoff of a broader, longer term and more costly effort to overhaul the highway from the New York state line to about Exit 8.

“If you’re tired of getting stuck in traffic on I-84 in Danbury, we’ve got some good news for you,” says a voiceover for a video DOT posted to YouTube on Thursday. The video depicts a woman sitting in traffic and throwing her head back in frustration. 

The video explains the concept of a Flex Lane, describing it as an “innovative traffic solution” already in use in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. 

“The Flex Lane would allow vehicles to use the median shoulder as a temporary travel lane during times of congestion by providing an extra lane when traffic is heaviest,” the voiceover says. “The Flex Lane would reduce the potential for bottlenecks and sudden slowdowns that can lead to crashes.”

Once traffic dies down, the lane would convert back to a shoulder, according to the video. 

Signs on the highway would notify drivers when the Flex Lane is open to passenger vehicles. Trucks and buses wouldn’t be allowed in the lane.

If a sign shows a green arrow, car drivers can use the lane. If it shows a red “X,” the lane is closed, and if it shows a yellow “X,” the lane is closing soon, so drivers should merge with the rest of traffic.

Because the Flex Lane doesn’t involve the construction of a new roadway, “everyone can enjoy a better commute sooner,” the video says.

In a release, DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said drivers will see that improvement “within the next five years.”

Most days, the lane would be open during rush hour in the morning and afternoon, in whichever direction traffic is busiest, according to a website for the I-84 project. 

The Flex Lane also is supposed to benefit drivers, pedestrians and bikers on local roads because with traffic flowing on I-84, drivers won’t get off the highway and take detours through town.

The right shoulder would remain available to first responders, and the Flex Lane could return to being a shoulder during emergencies, according to the I-84 website.

A fact sheet on the website also notes that “additional wider emergency breakdown areas will be constructed in the right shoulder at various locations.”

Federal trial of former Connecticut school construction chief Kosta Diamantis set for Monday

Ken Dixon

Four years after a federal subpoena led to alleged irregularities in the oversight of several Connecticut school construction projects, a former seven-term member of the state House of Representatives will fight the charges in Bridgeport federal court starting Monday, facing up to a potential 20 years in prison for bribery, extortion and lying to investigators.

Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis, 69, was a veteran lawmaker from Bristol who jumped from the General Assembly to Gov. Dannel Malloy's budget office. There, he ran statewide school building projects until his October 2021 resignation from the Lamont administration, and was arrested in May 2024 on 22 criminal charges. The allegations include 14 counts of making false statements to law enforcement officials.

Charges include taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks Diamantis coerced and accepted from Acranom Masonry Inc. of Middlefield and the owner of a consultant firm that hired his daughter, according to authorities.

Jury selection was scheduled to be completed Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Stefan R. Underhill, with well-known defense lawyer Norman Pattis representing Diamantis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Francis and David Novick have a list of dozens of potential witnesses, including three contractors – Salvatore Monarca, John Duffy and Antonietta Roy – who already have pleaded guilty in connection with the case.

Pattis on Thursday asked for a delay in the case because the federal budget shutdown "creates a risk that jurors will regard this trial as so important that it must proceed while those otherwise dependent on the government for salaries and benefits are required to go without. ... Finally, the government shutdown reflects a passionate disagreement about how federalism should function in the United States, a theme likely to emerge in this case, which involves a federal prosecution of state officials performing state jobs."

At about 5 p.m. Thursday, the court posted that Underhill, after a 14-minute telephone conference and hearing with the lawyers, denied the delay. Generally, government shutdowns do not affect federal courts.

Pattis on Thursday also added Gov. Ned Lamont to Diamantis' list of potential witnesses.

Pattis did not return requests for comment Thursday. In late August, he filed a motion in attempt to prohibit the three guilty pleas from reaching jurors in the case.

"Permitting the jury to learn of these pleas would unfairly prejudice the defendant," Pattis wrote. "Mr. Diamantis challenges what he regards as a gap in the law and raises the following question: Can a principal of a closely held corporation be guilty of the crime of trying to harm himself? It simply defies logic to say that a person extorts himself."

Monarca and Duffy, executives at Acranom Masonry, were involved with multimillion-dollar subcontracts at Weaver High School in Hartford and Birch Grover Primary School in Tolland. The criminal case against Diamantis includes charges that he threatened to end or reduce Acranom's role in the projects if he wasn't paid promptly.

"... And I always usually work at 5% of total, just FYI," the federal prosecutors quoted Diamantis in a pretrial summary of the case. "I'm asking for reasonable numbering on the team," Diamantis wrote when a $44,000 kickback was late, prosecutors claim. "Being on the team had value and it's not zero. 50 (thousand dollars) is fair. Zero is an insult to my character."

The prosecutors claim Diamantis "pressured" Tolland to hire D'Amato Construction Co. of Bristol as the project manager for the Birch Grove project. Diamantis became the head of school construction in May 2018. Prosecutors' evidence includes text messages, emails, bank deposit records, municipal records, contracts, receipts and testimony from witnesses and alleged co-conspirators, prosecutors said. Roy was the owner of Construction Advocacy Professionals (CAP) of Preston.

Witnesses could include Josh Geballe, the former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services; Stavros Mellekas, the former head of the Connecticut State Police; Thea Montanez, a former Hartford chief operating officer, now an adviser to Gov. Ned Lamont; Luke Bronin, the former Hartford mayor; Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the former Hartford school superintendent; as well as state employees who worked with Diamantis, and owners and employees of several construction and architectural firms in Connecticut.

"As with Acranom, Diamantis induced Roy to make payments from CAP both under color of official right (namely, in exchange for helping CAP get work on projects in Tolland, New Britain and Hartford) and through fear of economic loss (namely, by threatening to blackball CAP in the school construction industry)," the prosecution's pretrial summation says.

Authorities claim Diamantis pressured Roy into hiring his daughter, Anastasia, for an administrative job at $45 per hour. 

"In exchange for Roy’s agreement to help his daughter, in April 2019, Diamantis suggested that the town of Tolland hire CAP as a construction administrator for the ongoing Birch Grove project," prosecutors said. "Understanding that her business’ success depended on keeping Diamantis happy, on July 8, 2019, Roy wrote a $1,000 check to Diamantis on behalf of CAP, which he cashed two days later."

The firm entered into a $460,000 contract with Tolland. By October 2019, CAP had a $115-per-hour contract with the city of New Britain. By the end of April 2020, CAP had a $1.7 million contract to administer work at Bulkeley High School.

The government's list of potential witnesses includes Anastasia Diamantis and Michelle Dixon, a state grant manager.

During interviews with FBI agents, Diamantis denied recommending CAP for the Tolland project; denied recommending D'Amato Construction for work in Tolland; and denied helping any businesses obtain school construction work, among other alleged false statements.

Region 15 panel recommends building new schools over renovating old ones in Southbury

Michael Gagne

SOUTHBURY — A group charged with assessing the future of Region 15’s two oldest school buildings has recommended constructing new schools rather than renovating the existing ones. 

The Feasibility Study Committee’s preferred options for updating Gainfield and Pomperaug elementary schools in Southbury include: combining the two schools on a new campus; constructing new buildings on the existing school sites; or building a new Pomperaug Elementary School at a new location, while Gainfield would get a new building at its existing Old Field Road site, according to Jeffrey Wyszynski, a principal at Tecton Architects, the firm hired to oversee the study. 

All three of the preferred options reflect an emphasis on new construction and the school district’s larger needs, Wyszynski said at the board's Sept. 29 meeting. 

The committee discussed a variety of issues related to the possible projects, including disruptions to students and staff, quality of the educational facilities, long-term planning and what’s best for students. 

Officials emphasized that the Board of Education for the school district that includes Southbury and Middlebury has not decided which option to pursue. 

When assessing the value of renovating as new versus new construction, several factors should be considered, Wyszynski said. For example, a renovation project would include spending more time looking at the condition of the building as well as costs of installing temporary education facilities.

Hence, the committee’s preferred options included a combined school, with a total cost projected to be $147 million. After state reimbursements, the anticipated cost to Region 15 would be around $78 million, Wyszynski said. 

Meanwhile, building two new separate buildings at the existing sites would come at a total cost of $166 million. The projected cost to the school district would be $87 million.

The third option of relocating Pomperaug and building a new Gainfield at its existing home would come with an expected total cost of $163 million, with an expected $86 million cost for the district.  

Meanwhile, an option to renovate the two existing buildings carries a projected $159 million price tag. The total cost to the district would be $83 million, Wyszynski said. 

John Michaels, the Southbury Board of Finance chair who sat on the feasibility committee, said there wasn't a significant cost difference between renovation and new construction.  

For a few dollars more a month to the average taxpayer, it was “a no-brainer,” Michaels said.

“It’s more about education than money,” he said. 

When the school district submits its school construction grant application for the project it chooses, it will need to show projected enrollment over an eight-year period, Wyszynski said. 

Enrollment at both schools is projected to slowly grow over that time, Wyszynski said. Current projections show at Pomperaug, enrollment may increase from 395 students in 2024 to 452 by 2032, he said. Meanwhile, Gainfield is expected to grow from 319 students to 375 over the same time frame. 

“What you can see without a doubt is that there's still a slow and steady increase across the board,” Wyszynski said. 

Meanwhile, a new school construction project could allow the district the ability to relocate students from its Middlebury schools, which Superintendent Joshua Smith previously said are overcrowded. 

Mew facilities might allow the possibility of “pulling 80 students out” of a school such as Long Meadow Elementary School, “to give them some more capacity to function the way that they would like to,” Wyszynski said. 

Work begins on $95M LEARN magnet school in Waterford

Sofis Acosta Silva

Waterford — Work at the former Southwest School, which shut down in 2011, has started as crews begin environmental remediation, part of a $95 million project to build a new regional magnet school campus for children from pre-K to second grade.

The abatement process, which involves removing any asbestos-covered materials and any other contamination in the building, is the first step in the site’s transformation.

LEARN, the regional education service center, purchased the closed school from the town for $770,000 and is undertaking the project. Executive Director Kate Ericson said the center was looking to own its own building as a way to take control of its long-term future in town.

The state has approved $90 million in bonding for the project. Ericson credited former state Rep. Kathleen McCarty with helping LEARN secure the funding. LEARN will fund the remainder.

After the abatement, construction will begin in January, and the new campus is expected to open in August 2027.

Ericson said LEARN, which already runs four magnet schools across southeastern Connecticut, is using the opportunity to bring back a middle school and reenvision what is possible for one of its magnet schools.

The centerpiece for the multifaceted campus will be the Early Learning Magnet School, serving children from pre-K through second grade. That program will connect directly to New London’s Regional Multicultural Magnet School, which will expand to Grades 3-8.

“That way, parents have a full pathway from pre-K to Grade 8 if they choose to stay with a LEARN school,” Ericson said.

In addition, the campus will include two specialized regional classrooms for students with individualized education plans.

Ericson said she understood special education was a “pain point” in the region and wanted to expand beyond the Ocean Avenue LEARNing Academy in New London to create a more flexible program.

“It is truly an example of how we’re trying to support the region by creating enough space for students who aren’t being successful and need something a little more restrictive than their public schools can offer,” she said.

Recognizing southeastern Connecticut as a “child care desert,” the campus will also feature a new program called Creating Connections, which will provide 58 seats for children under the age of 3. The program will be tuition-based, with some state-supported scholarships available.

“You know, the magnet school serves students and families in a unique way,” Ericson said. “But it really is to help the workforce. We know when people don’t have high-quality day care options, they can’t work.”

Magnet schools, Ericson said, are structured around themes to create a diverse and engaging learning environment that draws students from multiple districts. LEARN already operates schools with marine science and early childhood themes. The new museum-themed campus will join that network while expanding opportunities for families.

Ericson noted that community input also shaped the project. Families from the current Friendship School, which will move into the new facility once complete, were invited to share feedback on the building design, naming and vision.

Through that process came the building’s formal name: Early Learning Magnet School.

“There’s just a lot of small parts that are coming together, but we’ve been very fortunate,” Ericson said. “We just feel really fortunate to be able to do this and to be able to have a showcase of a school that allows parents to have a high-quality program.”

CT Construction Digest Thursday October 2, 2025

Under construction: Tens of millions being invested in downtown Waterbury revival

Paul Hughes

WATERBURY — A transfusion of tens of millions in public and private dollars is being pumped into the historic heart of Waterbury to revitalize the city center as a thriving, desirable place to live, do business and visit for arts, culture and entertainment.

The returns on these investments, like the urban decline that precipitated the ongoing revitalization efforts, are going to take years, and perhaps decades in some cases, to realize, and, like any venture, there are no guaranteed payoffs.

The major focus is the Central Business District that encompasses historic downtown Waterbury and the new Freight Street District. It is bounded by the Metro-North Railroad station on Meadow Street and the Freight Street corridor to the west, Interstate 84 to the south, Saint Mary's Hospital to the east, and to the buildings north of Waterbury Green.

Under Construction

Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. believes the investments in the redevelopment projects in the downtown and elsewhere around the city are going to start to pay dividends within the next five years.

“I think we’re still a couple of years out because it is going to take a while to finish some of these larger projects,” Pernerewski said. “I would say within three to five years you’re going to start to see a big difference as these things move along.”

He acknowledges there is no reviving the booming post-World War II downtown of the 1950s and 1960s, but he is confident the redevelopment efforts can restore some of the luster, vibrancy and centrality of the Brass City of those yesteryears.

West Main Street

The Board of Aldermen approved a $18 million bond issue to support a $28.9 million project to redevelop West Main Street between Route 8 and Riverside Street along the Naugatuck River and the Waterbury Green in the center of downtown.

This city funding will be used to upgrade or replace approximately 4,440 linear feet water, sanitary, sewer, and storm drainage lines that date back to the 1800s in some cases.

This infrastructure work below West Main Street will lay the foundation for a revitalized corridor that connects downtown Waterbury with parts of the city that are on the west side of the Naugatuck River.

Once the underground utility work is completed, then work can start on a streetscaping project using $9.8 million in federal funding to complete the makeover of West Main Street from Route 8 and Riverside Drive to Waterbury Green, including enhancements to sidewalks, lighting, and roadways. 

The complete streetscape project is under design and construction is expected to begin in November 2026 and conclude the following year.

The work involves reducing the number of travel lanes on West Main Street to one through lane of traffic in each direction and making the road a uniform width, creating a bus stop pull-off, adding a bicycle shared lane from Riverside Street to the railroad bridge and a green strip on the south side of West Main Street between Thomaston Avenue and the railroad bridge.

Exchange Place

Then, there is the Exchange Place streetscape project on the other end of the Waterbury Green that is expected to be completed in November 2026. Exchange Place is where East Main, South Main, North Main and Bank streets converge downtown.

The city, Waterbury Development Corp., and the state Department of Transportation have been collaborating on revitalizing the section of the city's downtown from Exchange Place to North Elm Street near the Waterbury Police Department.

The first phase to rebuild and beautify a quarter-mile stretch of East Main Street was completed in 2021. Like the West Main Street project, underground water and sewer utilities were replaced ahead of the streetscape work. The city received $4 million in state grant funds for this phase.

That section of East Main Street had been a bumpy hodgepodge of rough patches and dingy roadway and sidewalks that included some of the city's most prominent downtown assets, such as a branch campus of the University of Connecticut and the Palace Theater.

The $13.6 million second phase of the street revitalization project is under way. The DOT is providing $12 million, and the city is contributing $1.6 million. The work includes roadway reconstruction and new sidewalks, crosswalks, streetlights, granite curbing, trees, bus shelters, street benches, bicycle racks and blue emergency phones.

The construction zones encompass North Main Street from East Main Street to West Main Street, South Main Street from East Main Street south to Scovill Street, and East Main Street to the intersection of North Main Street, Bank Street, Grand Street and the Travel Center Plaza.

The Exchange Place streetscape project is expected to be completed in November 2026.

The city used a $7 million state grant to purchase the One Exchange Place building and the Board of Aldermen in May approved a $6 million city bond issue to complete renovations to the six-story former office condominium. City officials plan to resell the downtown building.

“Hopefully, it will be back in private hands in a couple of years,” Pernerewski said.

One Exchange Place has been described as a signature downtown asset and a linchpin in the city's plans for revitalizing the downtown and central business district.

The six-story building was built as an office condominium in 1988 and fell into disrepair over the next couple of decades in no small part due to its fractured ownership structure. Seven sets of owners separately owned each floor, and the building was inadequately maintained. Several owners were significantly delinquent on property taxes, owing more than $811,000 to the city at the time of its 2023 purchase.

The city purchased Exchange Place and the adjacent Exchange Courtyard building nearly using $4.5 million out of a $7 million state grant to save the two declining buildings. The city spent the other $2.5 million on renovations.

The Board of Aldermen approved the sale of Exchange Courtyard to the M4 Investment Group for $585,000 in January. M4 Investment Group plans to transform the two-story, U-shaped commercial building into a mixed-use development of residential apartments and commercial spaces.

Once the sale of Exchange Courtyard is closed, city officials plan to spend the $585,000 proceeds on the One Exchange Place renovations, lowering the city's bonding costs.

The $6 million in city bonding that was approved in May will be spent to complete the rehabilitation, renovation and fit out of One Exchange Place and prepare the office building for resale. City officials have estimated this final phase will take two to three years.

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Pernerewski said city officials could use the proceeds from the eventual sale of One Exchange Place to pay off the city bond issue at that time.

The Board of Aldermen in May approved a 10-year, $974,875 lease to rent 8,165 square feet of space on the sixth floor to the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments to relocate the regional organization's offices there from its current Leavenworth Street location. An existing medical practice is renting space on the third floor via a month-to-month lease, and the city plans to relocate the Waterbury Probate Court from a rented building on Leavenworth Street to the fourth floor.

City workers displaced by the upcoming Chase Municipal Building renovations will temporarily occupy the remaining floors. In 2023, the Board of Aldermen authorized a $30 million bond issue to rehabilitate the former corporate headquarters of Chase Brass & Copper Co. located across Grand Street from City Hall. Earlier this year, the Board of Aldermen approved a $2.5 million contract with Friar Architecture Inc. to design the rehabilitation project.

The city plans to put One Exchange Place on the market after the Chase Municipal Building project is completed and city workers return there.

Other downtown projects

The Board of Aldermen more recently approved the $1.6 million sale of the former St. Mary Catholic Grammar School complex to a New York-based developer proposing to convert the downtown property located across the street from Saint Mary's Hospital into apartment housing focused on people working in the health care industry. The city purchased the property in 2023 using $1 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Kaybar Development Corp. is proposing to construct a four-building complex of 80 one- to three-bedroom apartments on the 2.2-acre property at 55 Cole St. and 320 East Main St. at an estimated cost $18 million to $20 million. 

Kaybar is headed by Joe Gramando, a New York-based developer behind some of Waterbury's largest downtown redevelopment projects in recent years, including including the Brown Building, the former Howland-Hughes department store and, most recently, the former Odd Fellows Hall.

Green Hub Development Corp. converted vacant office space in the upper floors of the Brown Building on East Main Street into a privately run dormitory for up to 92 college students attending the Waterbury branch campus of the University of Connecticut. Gramando is managing partner of Green Hub Development.

Green Hub purchased the the former Howland-Hughes department store on Bank Street for $2.5 million in April 2018. At city urging, the state invested $7.7 million into renovating the five-story, Renaissance Revival-style building as an online education hub and executive offices for Post University.

Most recently, Green Hub completed the restoration of the former Odd Fellows Hall, a six-story, 130-year-old Venetian Gothic building overlooking the Waterbury Green. The city acquired the downtown property through a tax foreclosure in 2013 under then-Mayor Neil M. O'Leary. Five years later, the State Bond Commission approved approved a $10 million grant for its renovation.  Green Hub bought the Odd Fellows Hall from the city for $900,000 in September 2023 and invested $5 million its renovation.

The UConn Board of Trustees approved a long-term lease agreement in June 2023 for the first five floors for housing humanities, social sciences, and neuroscience programs of its adjacent Waterbury branch campus. Green Hub maintains offices on the sixth floor.

At that time, the former Miller & Peck department store, the oldest commercial structure in Waterbury, was demolished to make room for a new five-story structure anticipated to include four stories of apartments and ground-floor retail space.  Fairfield developer Joseph Iannelli bought the property last year for $125,000, and he plans to invest $18 million in the new building.

Apartments are now becoming available in the former Eugene L. DeFronzo law office downtown on Field Street. New York real estate attorney John Mariolis recently completed a conversion of the three-story structure that was built in 1918 into 22 market-rate one-bed and studio apartments, and there are plans to add six more by the end of the year.

Mariolis is member of a Long Island-based family realty investment business that has purchased eight properties in downtown Waterbury. Brother Kirk Mariolis is leading the planned redevelopment of the former Broadcast Center at 115 South Main St. into 18 market-rate apartments and five commercial spaces. The property, which was once home to WATR Radio, was purchased in 2021 for $615,000.

Local developer Mike Batista is planning to convert a 125-year-old derelict building on South Main Street that also fronts on Bank Street into 23 new apartments and four commercial spaces. He purchased the four-story building for $171,000 in 2021. He previously converted the former Russell Building at 77 Bank St. and the former Farrington Building at 133 West Main St. into apartments.

"I think developers just see a lot of opportunities here," Pernerewski said. "There is a big push to do transit-oriented development, which works well in a city like Waterbury. The buildings are great to rehabilitate.  The architecture is good. The structures are sound to do that kind of work."

Freight Street

The envisioned Freight Street District will be anchored by transit-oriented development of residential, retail and commercial on the site of the former Anaconda American Brass factory complex that helped crown Waterbury as the Brass Capital of the World.

The city used $7.3 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and $10 million in state bonding to finance land purchases, demolition work and and environmental remediation for the Freight Street Corridor Redevelopment Project. Earlier this year, the city joined the newly established Connecticut Municipal Development Authority to support efforts to transform this one-time thriving hub of manufacturing into a vibrant mix-used neighborhood.

The razing of the third and final building of the former Anaconda factory complex was finished last year. The approximately 70 acres is adjacent to the region’s most critical transportation infrastructure, including Interstate 84, Route 8, and the Waterbury branch of the Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line. It is also near the Naugatuck River.

The owners of the iconic Union Station building at the intersection of Freight and Meadow streets are proposing to redevelop the 70,000-square-foot, three-story landmark property with its soaring clock as a mix of apartment housing and retail and entertainment space. The proposal includes the development of 38 market-rate apartments, including studios and one-bedroom and two-bedroom luxury suites.

The State Bond Commission in August approved $3.5 million for the construction of a new indoor waiting room for the Metro-North Railroad station in the former Republican-American building. The funding is a part of a larger $20 million renovation of Waterbury Union Station that also will involve replacement of the existing platform and installation of a new ticket kiosk, upgraded security systems and an elevator.

CT DOT pushes Middletown Route 9 signal project to 2032 amid permit delays

Mary Ellen Godin

MIDDLETOWN — The state Department of Transportation has pushed back the completion date of the Route 9 traffic signal project because of a delay in getting work permits for a roundabout on River Road.

Mayor Gene Nocera told the Common Council last month the signal project, originally set to be done in 2027-28, now won't be completed until 2032. 

Nocera said he had heard rumors of a delay but his fears were realized when DOT officials confirmed it at a meeting with city and business leaders in August.

"Everybody was optimistic," Nocera said. "Now we're looking at 2032, at the earliest."

A state Department of Transportation spokesperson said that while the department is aware of the delays in permitting for the roundabout, the design phase for the signal project is on track.

"The next steps for the Route 9 signal removal project includes obtaining design approval from the Federal Highway Administration," said DOT spokesperson Eva Zymaris. "The anticipated date for bid opening is summer 2027, with construction slated to begin in spring 2028. There has been no delay in the design of the project, but the timeline was pushed out due to a very thorough permit review process." 

The Route 9 signal project is being designed to eliminate dangerous interruptions and confusing entrances and exits onto the highway, DOT officials have said. The plans call for improved access to the city's waterfront and work to reduce traffic jams from Route 17 to the city's north end up to the Arrigoni Bridge. 

"In their current state, they are dangerous," Nocera said about the signal lights.

Phase I of the project, which involves taking out a ramp from Route 17, should be completed by next summer. But then there is a several-year gap before more work begins, Nocera said. He and others have requested the DOT explain why there isn't other work that can be done in the interim, but they have not received a response.

"That concerns us," he said. "Why can't you do some of the work while you wait for the permits? Is there any other work you can do?"

Details include removing two traffic signals on Route 9, between Exit 22 near Silver Street and Exit 25 at Route 99 in Cromwell to improve safety and reduce congestion.

Department of Transportation Project Manager Stephen Hall delivered a presentation April 30 on the draft proposal to reconfigure exits. The redesign is estimated to cost $143 million with 80% funded by the federal government and 20% by the state. 

The state has been working on the effort to remove the signals since the early 2000s, Hall has said.

DOT: Crash every other day

Route 9 is a north/south running freeway except for a short section of non-freeway in downtown Middletown where it overlaps with Route 17. This 0.36-mile stretch through the downtown features two signalized intersections that have been linked to frequent crashes and delays, Hall said. 

Over the past three years, in that short stretch of highway at Exits 23C southbound and 23 northbound, 500 crashes have resulted in 161 injuries, Hall said this spring. "It's a crash every other day, an injury once a week," caused by wrong-way entrances, driver distractions and other factors.

The traffic signals are the only ones on a state highway in Connecticut, according to the DOT. 

The DOT has eight cameras in Middletown near Routes 9 and 66 streaming footage 24 hours a day, which staff observe at the Newington operations center. "If there is an incident, then we know about it and alert drivers with message signs,” the project manager said. 

Several downtown CT DOT projects have been completed or are underway, such as the pedestrian bump-outs on Main Street, reconfiguration of St. John Square, work on the Route 17 on-ramp to Route 9 North, and closing access to Route 9 at Miller Street, Hall said.

A new, right-hand off-ramp will be built south of the Route 17 interchange and north of Walnut Street at the intersection with River Road, with the proposed roundabout to reduce traffic flow and prevent accidents, according to Hall.

A pedestrian bridge over Route 9 will reconnect the downtown to the riverfront, an area undergoing long-term redevelopment as part of the Return to the Riverbend project.

Middletown officials said they hope to get another update from CT DOT representatives. 

Trump administration puts on hold $18 billion in funding for New York City infrastructure projects

JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump 's administration, citing the government shutdown, said Wednesday it was putting a hold on roughly $18 billion to fund a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey and an extension of the city's Second Avenue subway.

The White House budget director, Russ Vought, said on X that the step was taken due to the Republican administration’s belief the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles.

In a statement, Trump's Transportation Department said it had been reviewing whether any “unconstitutional practices” were occurring in the two massive infrastructure projects but that the shutdown, which began Wednesday, had forced it to furlough the staffers conducting the review.

The suspension of funds is likely meant to target Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, whom the White House is blaming for the impasse. He said the funding freeze would harm commuters.

“Obstructing these projects is stupid and counterproductive because they create tens of thousands of great jobs and are essential for a strong regional and national economy,” he said on X.

The spending hold was a preview of how the messy the politics of the shutdown could get, with Vought later posting on X that $8 billion in funding for green energy projects in Democratic-led states would be canceled. The administration has shown a willingness to use its control of federal dollars to apply pressure on Democrats to reopen the government, with commuters and thousands of jobs hanging in the balance.

The agency working on the subway line said it was blindsided by the announcement. “For now, it looks like they’re just inventing excuses to delay one of the most important infrastructure projects in America,” read a statement from John McCarthy, policy chief and spokesperson for the New York state-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

At a news conference in New York City about the federal government shutdown, Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., told reporters, “The bad news just keeps coming."

“That’s what a partnership with Washington looks like as we’re standing here. We’ve done our part. We’re ready to build. It’s underway,” she said. “And now we realize that they’ve decided to put their own interpretation of proper culture ahead of our needs, the needs of a nation.”

The Hudson River rail tunnel is a long-delayed project whose path toward construction has been full of political and funding switchbacks. It’s intended to ease the strain on a more than 110-year-old tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey. Hundreds of Amtrak and commuter trains carry hundreds of thousands of passengers per day through the tunnel, and delays can ripple up and down the East Coast between Boston and Washington.

In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Schumer said he and then-President Joe Biden were both “giddy” over the project.

Amtrak and the NJ Transit commuter rail system referred questions about the White House's announcement to the Gateway Development Commission, which is overseeing the tunnel project. Commission CEO Thomas Prendergast said the agency remains “focused on keeping the project on scope, schedule and budget.”

The commission did not address questions about the specifics of the funding suspension or what it means for the project.

The Trump administration specifically targeted New York City in putting a hold on the funding, but the move could also influence this year's election for governor in New Jersey.

Government shutdown threatens to stall federal construction projects

Sebastian Obando

Contractors across the country are measuring the potential impact of a government shutdown. A meeting Monday between President Donald Trump and congressional leaders didn’t result in an agreement between the parties.

The federal government will shut down Wednesday, Oct. 1, if Congress fails to reach a funding deal. Such a stoppage will freeze construction activity immediately on certain sites, both temporarily and in some cases permanently.

The first pain point will be on projects that rely entirely on federal dollars, said Marsia Geldert-Murphey, a former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers and current senior associate at GBA, a Lenexa, Kansas-based AEC firm. Though money could be technically in place, a shutdown could still sideline contracting officers and other oversight staff.

That could leave projects stuck in neutral, Geldert-Murphey told Construction Dive.

“The real problem is going to be the federal employees,” said Geldert-Murphey. “Are they going to be furloughed? In many cases, we can’t move forward with the project if the federal oversight is not there.”

While projects in progress are typically allowed to move forward, any activities that require input or approval from government employees simply cannot proceed, said Erik Wright, principal at Precision Construction Services, a San Luis Obispo, California-based contractor. He added that delays are more likely than cancellations in these instances.

“When the government shut down in late 2018, early 2019 for around 20 working days, projects in the final stages of contracting or early stages of construction were delayed three to four months,” Wright told Construction Dive. “We had contracts in process late in 2018 that didn’t end up coming through until April and May of 2019, which presented significant cash flow and staffing challenges for us.”

Being in a state of limbo would have immediate effects on contracts and supply chains. Prices are locked for only so long, and prolonged delays force suppliers to reprice bids and contractors to remobilize crews at added cost, said Geldert-Murphy.

Fixed-price contracts

On the other hand, existing fixed-price contracts with appropriated funds should be allowed to continue, according to Associated General Contractors of America.

Most federal construction contracts are within this category, as “they were already awarded on a fixed-price basis and funding was appropriated at the time of the award,” according to an emailed AGC statement shared with Construction Dive. That includes projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as the Highway Trust Fund, according to AGC.

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For example, all projects sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration shouldn’t be impacted, since they’re not subject to annual appropriations; they should continue to operate as normal, according to AGC. In other words, these agencies should continue to make timely payments to contractors on work performed, regardless of a government shutdown.

But cost-type contracts and awards still in the pipeline are far more exposed to the fallout of a shutdown, should one happen. State and local private construction tied to federal projects would also likely face obstacles, added Geldert-Murphey.

“If the federal project is delayed and you’re assuming that you’re going to be building connecting to something that’s already built, the cascading effect can be devastating,” Geldert-Murphey told Construction Dive. “If they [contractors] don’t have that communication on the federal side, you’re at a standstill, which is again, a domino effect of pushing back decisions that are being made.”

Many state, municipal and nonprofit projects rely on federal grants, said Wright, meaning that a public shutdown could discourage private clients from moving ahead with capital projects as well.

“The construction supply chain is tightly interconnected, so if federal infrastructure or defense work slows, demand volatility for materials and subcontractors will spread beyond federal jobs,” Wright told Construction Dive. “Repeated shutdowns erode confidence in the government as a reliable contracting partner, which can influence how firms price future bids and whether they pursue certain opportunities at all.”

At Messer Construction, a Cincinnati-based contractor, Paul Richter echoed these concerns.

 “A prolonged shutdown lasting several months could potentially stunt progress for planning and development of future projects, leading to a disruption to the flow of work on a longer-term horizon,” Richter, the operations vice president, told Construction Dive.

The firm’s military projects are largely insulated in the short-term, Richter said, because funding through the Military Construction program or Operations and Maintenance accounts is typically locked in well in advance. The risk stems from facility staff who may be sent home, which would prevent renovation projects from moving forward. Richter added that a lengthy shutdown would hinder future work as well.

That uncertainty, ultimately, will hamstring construction activity once again.

“Any government shutdown creates uncertainty … including potential delays in federal infrastructure projects,” Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs, told Construction Dive. “ABC urges Congress and the president to find a better way forward.”

The Democratic nominee, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, said on X that if elected, she would "fight this tooth-and-nail and sue the Trump administration to finish this critical, job-creating infrastructure project to reduce congestion and improve quality of life in New Jersey.”

Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli's campaign said Sherrill owns the consequences of the shutdown.

“If Mikie Sherrill did her job as a congresswoman, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Ciattarelli campaign consultant Chris Russell said by email.

Sherrill countered in a statement that “Washington Republicans must come to the table immediately to find a bipartisan consensus on a plan that reopens the government.”

The Second Avenue subway was first envisioned in the 1920s. The subway line along Manhattan’s Second Avenue was an on-again, off-again grail until the first section opened on Jan. 1, 2017. The MTA is working toward building the line's second phase, which is to extend into East Harlem.

Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, Jennifer Peltz in New York and Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report.