CT Construction Digest Thursday May 29, 2025

Governor Lamont Releases $30 Million for Infrastructure Improvements in 46 Small Towns

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is releasing $30 million in state grants to 46 small towns in Connecticut that will be used to complete a wide variety of infrastructure improvements, such as road safety reconstruction projects, emergency management upgrades, sidewalk and pedestrian safety enhancements, educational and recreational facility upgrades, and other kinds of capital improvement projects.

The grants are being provided through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), a state program managed by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) that delivers grants to small towns for economic development, community conservation, and quality-of-life capital projects. In addition to the grants from the state, each municipality is also contributing funds, bringing the total spent on the 48 projects to $43.4 million in a combination of state, local, and other funding sources.

“Our small towns are an important part of what makes Connecticut such a special place to live and work,” Governor Lamont said. “By partnering with each town, we can help get these infrastructure projects completed so these towns can continue to thrive, remain competitive, attract businesses, and improve the quality of life for our residents.”

Towns seeking funding under this current round of STEAP grants were required to submit applications to the state by February 20, 2025. Towns selected to receive grants will soon be contacted by OPM with an official award notification and further instructions. Funding to support these grants was recently approved by the State Bond Commission, a group that Governor Lamont leads as chairperson.

The STEAP grants awarded in this round include:

Ashford: $400,000 in state funding is approved for the repaving of the Ashford Public Works Facility. This will be matched by $104,701 from the town.

Beacon Falls: $1 million in state funding is approved for Maple, Century, and Division Roadway rehabilitation and complete streets improvements. This will be matched by $927,150 from the town.

Berlin: $1 million in state funding is approved for the Berlin Peck Library reroofing and mechanical replacement project. This will be matched by $240,000 by the town.

Bolton: $427,863 in state funding is approved for Notch Road community event space. This will be matched by $89,250 from the town.

Branford: $1 million in state funding is approved for Town Center sidewalk improvements. This will be matched by $200,000 from the town.

Brookfield: $545,000 in state funding is approved for Phase 1 of the Brookfield High School athletic fields renovations. This will be matched by $230,000 from the town.

Burlington: $255,664 in state funding is approved for the Town Hall Emergency Standby/Station 1 EMS Command Center. This will be matched by $63,916 from the town.

Canaan: $620,051 in state funding is approved for critical municipal infrastructure. This will be matched by $155,014 from the town.

Cheshire: $1 million in state funding is approved Phase II of Mixville Park improvements. This will be matched by $281,800 from the town.

Chester: $796,000 in state funding is approved for the infrastructure and repair of Three Local Bridges. This will be matched by $199,000 from the town.

Clinton: $543,600 in state funding is approved for the Clinton Public Works and Emergency Management Building. This will be matched by $135,900 from the town.

Colchester: $900,000 in state funding is approved for Lebanon Avenue Airline Trail Head and Mill Street streetscape improvements. This will be matched by $220,000 from the town.

Colebrook: $412,739.02 in state funding is approved for municipal roads and parking lot renovations. This will be matched by $103,184.76 from the town.

Durham: $1 million in state funding is approved for the Shady Lane reconstruction. This will be matched by $270,000 from the town.

Essex: $1 million in state funding is approved for Phase II of the Essex Public Works Campus Improvements. This will be matched by $1 million from the town.

Fairfield: $601,170 in state funding is approved for the repaving of Phase 2 of the Reef Road pedestrian improvements. This will be matched by $150,292 from the town.

Farmington: $1 million in state funding is approved for the Tunxis Mead Improvement Plan. This will be matched by $502,000 from the town.

Franklin: $100,000 in state funding is approved for the Franklin Elementary School/Emergency Shelter Generator Engineering and Acquisition. This will be matched by $20,000 from the town.

Granby: $579,825 in state funding is approved for the Salmon Brook Park Connector and Auxiliary Parking. This will be matched by $117,000 from the town.

Hampton: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Windham Road. This will be matched by $220,000 from the town.

Ledyard: $892,888.10 in state funding is approved for the Town Playground Improvement Project. This will be matched by $179,000 from the town.

Litchfield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Wigwam Road. This will be matched by $873,190 from the town.

New Canaan: $300,000 in state funding is approved for Phase 2 improvements to Waveny Park Playground. This will be matched by $325,000 from the town, and $150,000 from the Friends of Waveny Playground.

Newington: $485,610.60 in state funding is approved for the Candlewyck Park Inclusive Playground. This will be matched by $121,365 from the town.

New Milford: $1 million in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Merryall Road. This will be matched by $316,192 from the town.

Newtown: $600,000 in state funding is approved for the Newtown Community Center Splash Pad and Storage Facility. This will be matched by $573,000 from the town, and $48,000 from community donations.

North Branford: $1 million in state funding is approved Edward Smith Library HVAC Improvements. This will be matched by $850,000 from the town.

North Stonington: $76,800 in state funding is approved for Transfer Station Permanent Pads. This will be matched by $19,200 from the town.

North Stonington: $66,721.39 in state funding is approved for North Stonington Education Center Meeting Space Upgrade. This will be matched by $16,680.35 from the town.

North Stonington: $479,775 in state funding is approved for the improvement of Three Municipal Parking Lots and Culvert Pipe Replacement on Hangman Hill and Reutemann Road. This will be matched by $119,944 from the town.

Old Saybrook: $667,948 in state funding is approved for Ferry Road Soccer Field renovation. This will be matched by $222,649 from the town.

Orange: $600,000 in state funding is approved for parking lot paving and guardrail replacement. This will be matched by $150,000 from the town.

Plainville: $672,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of recreational facilities at Charles H. Norton Park. This will be matched by $168,000 from the town.

Portland: $1 million in state funding is approved for Phase II of High Street Water Main Replacement and Road Reconstruction. This will be matched by $200,000 from the town.

Preston: $450,000 in state funding is approved for Preston Community Park improvements. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.

Putnam: $1 million in state funding is approved for Sports Complex improvements project. This will be matched by $200,000 from the town.

Ridgefield: $280,640 in state funding is approved for concrete endwall replacement on Canterbury Lane. This will be matched by $102,160 from the town.

Roxbury: $1 million in state funding is approved for the Roxbury Volunteer Ambulance Building. This will be matched by $250,000 from the town.

Salem: $168,000 in state funding is approved for Salem Center Community Building upgrades. This will be matched by $34,000 from the town.

Salisbury: $328,000 in state funding is approved for Salisbury Recreational improvements. This will be matched by $82,000 from the town.

Scotland: $248,651 in state funding is approved for Municipal Safety Complex and Community Hall repairs and upgrades. This will be matched by $27,628 from the town.

Sharon: $1 million in state funding is approved for River Road pavement and embankment stabilization. This will be matched by $700,000 from the town.

Shelton: $1 million in state funding is approved for public facility and recreational enhancements. This will be matched by $200,000 from the town.

Sherman: $230,000 in state funding is approved to repair and renovate the Scouthouse. This will be matched by $46,000 from the town.

Somers: $191,224 in state funding is approved for the Connor’s Place Playground resurfacing. This will be matched by $47,806 from the town.

Union: $120,000 in state funding is approved for rehabilitation of Holland Road. This will be matched by $24,000 from the town.

Voluntown: $1 million in state funding is approved for Congdon Road Improvements. This will be matched by $250,000 from the town.

Westport: $1 million in state funding is approved for replacement of the Cross Highway Bridge over Deadman Brook. This will be matched by $1,130,154 from the town, and $619,846 from LoCIP funding.

Norwalk begins to transform Wall Street Corridor with $30M investment: 'Robust economic development'

Sandra Diamond Fox

NORWALK — A historic flood in 1955 devastated downtown Norwalk, which has never reclaimed much of its former glory, according to Jim Travers, the city's director of transportation, parking and mobility.  

But a $30 million project over the next five years is now underway to change that, Travers said. 

“We’re going to create ... a haven for robust economic development,” he said of the Wall Street Corridor Improvements Project, which began in March. “We want to see lots of people on the street.” 

Although Norwalk has conducted many planning studies for the area since the flood, “we’ve never delivered anybody in the community anything,” Travers said. “The time has come and the city is finally going to make an investment in Wall Street.”

On a recent morning, Travers and Garrett Bolella, assistant director of transportation, mobility and parking, walked along the area's busy streets, pointing out ways to improve both the walkability and the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

The plan involves creating safer intersections, widening the sidewalks, providing opportunities for outdoor dining and improving on-street lighting, Travers told CT Insider. The project, which extends from West Avenue to East Avenue and Wall Street, including Burnell Boulevard, and portions Main Avenue and Commerce, River and Isaac streets, is expected to be completed by 2030.

It’s now in the first of four phases, Travers said.

Although it will boost economic development, “the project, at its core, is a traffic project. If we get traffic right, then other things fall into place," he said. “We want to see slow vehicles.” 

Of the project's $30 million price tag, $22.5 million has been secured, Travers said. 

The city has received $5.75 million in federal grants, $12.9 in state grants, $1.6 million in capital investments, $350,000 from its Capital Projects Fund, and $2 million in parking authority improvements for the Yankee Doodle Garage, he said.

The city continues to seek additional funding, Travers added.

Phase 1 in progress

The first portion of Phase 1, which began at the end of March, involves demolishing all of the old sidewalks and putting in a new curb on East Wall Street, Travers said, as he watched construction trucks lining that street, busy at work. 

He said he hopes to complete that section by year's end.

“It’s challenging because we’re working in a really old historic section of town," Bolello said.

"We found underground challenges such as utilities that are unmarked and ... trolley tracks that were covered over time,” he said. 

He said he hopes the city can hire artist "that’s up to the challenge" to find a way to repurpose the tracks as art. 

'Centerpiece for community'

On nearby Burnell Boulevard, cars and buses inched along in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. 

Previously, Burnell Boulevard was a two-way street but was made into a one-way street — and now Travers said he plans to change it back.

“We’re going to relieve some of the burden from Wall Street but also give people access" to the Yankee Doodle parking garage on Burnell, Travers said. 

Once Burnell Boulevard is switched into a two-way street, there will be fewer cars on adjacent River Street, he said, making way for his plans to turn River Street into a "festival street."

“We imagine that we will close the street down at both ends, bring in a mobile stage, have a concert here in the middle of street,” Travers said of his vision.  

Under this plan, River Street will become the “centerpiece for the community,” and can be closed to traffic for events, Bolello said.

'Forgotten' street

Another nearby street, Commerce Street, which is narrow and lined with older buildings of various sizes, has great potential, Travers said.

“We think that Commerce Street is really a cute little street … a diamond in the rough,” he said. “We want to ... polish that stone and make it shine."

It is the last section of downtown that still has above-ground utilities, he said.

“We’re going to bury those utilities, and the street is going to have pedestrian-level lighting that’s going to be 12 feet high,” Travers said. There will also be a street tree and brick sidewalks. 

As Travers walked the length of the Wall Street Corridor, he pointed to sidewalks that will be widened as part of the project.

“Not only does widening sidewalks make them more people-friendly, but it helps restaurants in having more space in setting up (seating) outside," Travers said.

“Coming out of COVID, the one thing that we really learned is that people want to be outside," he said.

He also walked past Taco Guy, one of the only restaurants in the area that offers outdoor dining, with tables and chairs set up outside.

By widening the sidewalks, Travers said, “We’re going to be able to give every restaurant the opportunity" to offer outside dining.

Wallingford Community Pool on track for possible July 2026 opening

Christian Metzger

WALLINGFORD — Nearly a year after the idea to renovate the town's pool was resurrected, the town council has voted to move forward with a plan that could see it reopen in July of next year. 

In a recent 6-2 vote, the council voted to proceed with drafting a bond proposal to Banton Construction. The New Haven-based firm originally bid to take on the renovation of the pool in 2020. It bid again and made the lowest offer of $9.3 million. This was lower than the town’s expected estimate for the project, which was $12 million. 

The new pool would be much smaller at 13,000 square feet than the existing structure at 43,000 square feet.  The current pool is three times larger than an Olympic swimming pool. The pool holds over a million gallons in volume, making it the largest "zero depth entry" pool in the country, only matched by one in Dubai. That type of pool has a gradual slope that allows swimmer to talk into it.

It became increasingly expensive to maintain given its size, leading to its closure during the pandemic. 

“From what I’ve seen of the existing pool, I don’t think you could find another pool on the planet that was designed like that pool,” said Mayor Vincent Cervoni. 

Former Mayor William Dickinson Jr. vetoed the council’s vote to renovate the community pool several years ago due to concerns of economic pressures during the pandemic. Cervoni, who had made the reopening of the pool part of his mayoral campaign, said he would not veto the council’s decision if they wished to move ahead with the pool project. 

“Something's got to be done with this park and if the council is inclined to support it, then the administration is as well,” Cervoni said.

The renovated plan will also include a new bathhouse and picnic pavilion, a splash pad, playground, an expanded parking lot and new landscaping, along with expanded green space and a potential performance stage for events and activities. Much like the existing pool, the new design will also be zero depth entry, with four lap lanes, slide, and water sports areas in the deeper sections.

The splash pad and green spaces would open the pool site up to be used beyond the summer season, with the splash pad able to operate during the spring and fall, while the playground and green space would be usable year-round. 

“This creates a four-season destination where we’re going to have the pavilion that could be available for rentals. You’ll have the playground that can be used year-round, the splash pad can almost be used for three seasons weather depending,” said Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Michaels, who brought the proposal to the board.

Banton Construction was the lowest of the other companies to bid on the project, which included Orlando Annulli & Sons, Montagno Construction, and J.A Rosa Construction. All bid over $10-11 million, closer to the estimated project pricing. 

Several council members were hesitant with the proposal, believing there weren’t enough details about the operating expenses. In light of the recent tax increase, which saw on over 10% increase for residents, Councilor Christopher Regan and Vice Chair Christina Tatta said they didn’t want to put an additional burden on the town – especially without knowing the full price of staffing, chlorine, and maintenance. 

Town staff were wary about delaying the vote, believing that it would be another setback that would cause the project to stall and become more expensive, or not be completed at all.

 “If we don’t do it now I don’t see it happening,” said Michaels.

Council member Jesse Reynolds said waiting would not make financial sense.

“I do want to point out that this has gone up. While not as much as we thought it might have been able to go up, it has gone up quite a bit since we went through this the last time and if we don’t continue to sort of move forward  on something like this it won’t be any less to do any of it, even if it’s just the excavation,” said Reynolds, who said that the Community Pool was an important investment for the town to support, especially to give local families a place to go to relax in the summer who aren’t able to travel, or just to socialize and give their children a place to swim. 

Others like Councilor Vincent Testa Jr. said that the Community Pool should be seen as a broader business investment, that having amenities like that would be more attractive to business owners and encourage them to move into town. Part of the issue in recent years is the slow growth of the grand list, which has been in part, he said, because there hasn’t been major growth in the town’s business sector – putting more of the tax burden on residents. 

“If we talk about this as a smart, fiscally responsible investment in the community to try and promote the development of our grand list, that might be something that generates a little bit more support,” he said.

Other council members like Samuel Carmody said that the indecision over the pool in the first place was a sign of the council often being an impediment to town progress. He noted that with the Community Pool, as well as the state of the town’s parks and aging schools, the town had mounting problems that they were dragging their feet on addressing and trying to fix. 

“This pool has sat locked behind a fence while we debate its future year after year. We say we want to attract families to this town, but what are we giving them to come here? We talk about vision, we talk about planning, but none of that means anything without action,” Carmody said.

“I will say this, because it’s been clear to me over time. The obstacle to progress is not abstract, it is often this council. Too often this council has chosen to delay, to deflect, and do nothing when something needed to be done. I want to believe tonight will be different.”

Chairman Joseph Marrone agreed with the sentiment, supporting the motion to proceed with drafting the bond. 

East Haddam Swing Bridge reopens after three-year construction project

EAST HADDAM — Rehabilitation work on the 112-year-old East Haddam Swing Bridge on Route 82 is finally complete.

Gov. Ned Lamont, DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney were on hand Tuesday morning at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam to herald the project's end. 

The $88.8 million project was funded through $70 million in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money, and 20% in state funds, according to the governor's office. Construction began in September 2022.

The bridge was upgraded with new mechanical and electrical systems, substructure repairs, and a new sidewalk connecting the communities, it continued.

Work on the structure, which connects the towns of Haddam and East Haddam over the Connecticut River,  involved a major rehabilitation of the structural, mechanical, and electrical components of the bridge, the state Department of Transportation said. A cantilevered sidewalk was added to the south side of the structure and approach sidewalks were built.

Originally built in 1913 by the American Bridge Company, the bridge has now been fully rehabilitated by that same company. The structure consists of four spans, including a moveable swing span that required upgrades to address operational issues identified during inspections, according to a press release. 

The Riendeau family, whose ancestors brought oxen to the original ribbon cutting for the East Haddam Swing Bridge in June 1913, took part in Tuesday's event with a new generation of oxen to help mark the reopening, the statement said.

Improvements to the bridge now provide safe crossing of the Connecticut River for vehicles and pedestrians, extend its service life, and improve swing span operation reliability, the DOT said.

The bridge was built in 1913 and rehabilitated in 1988, 1998, 1999 and 2007. Due to significant swing-span operation problems, an emergency repair project was completed in 2016, the state agency said. Inspections by the Bridge Safety and Evaluation unit determined the bridge was in poor condition, primarily due to the deterioration of its superstructure.

CT Construction Digest Tuesday May 27, 2025

With new owner, Norwalk Hospital promises ‘transformation’ with $220M tower project back on track

Rob Ryser

NORWALK — The new owner of Norwalk Hospital will provide expertise and much-needed capital to begin working on a delayed $220 million patient bed tower — an expansion and renovation plan that represents a “transformation” for the medical center.

“The new tower and the renovation of existing space that’s a part of that … is going to modernize the space that we provide care in,” said Michelle Robertson, chief operating officer at Nuvance – the Danbury-based health care system that officially merged with New York health care giant Northwell at the start of the month.

“Northwell … is leading-edge with their construction. We will definitely benefit from their expertise,” Robertson told CT Insider recently as several hundred people gathered outside Danbury Hospital to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the $22 billion Northwell-Nuvance partnership.

“And capital, yes, absolutely. (Northwell’s) investment in Connecticut … is definitely something that is going to be important,” Robertson said. “The partnership absolutely is going to enable us to move quicker.”

Robertson was referring to Northwell’s promise to invest $1 billion in Nuvance hospitals – in Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon in Connecticut, and three more in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The seven hospitals and scores of outpatient sites in western Connecticut formerly run by Nuvance are now part of the largest health care system in New York.

Gov. Ned Lamont was among the VIPs at a ceremony on May 15 at Danbury Hospital to tout the Northwell network, which now boasts 100,000 employees, 1,100 outpatient sites and 28 hospitals in two states.

One of the first signs of new ownership health care customers in western Connecticut will see, beyond the colorful Northwell logo on former Nuvance sites, is progress toward the twice-delayed Norwalk Hospital tower project.

“Everyone refers to it as a tower project, but it is a transformation of that campus,” Robertson told CT Insider. “What the community is going to see is our continued excellence in care, but they are also going to see more space that is dedicated to the family. Bigger rooms allow families to be comfortable … (and) to be part of the care. That’s critical. We are inclusive of our families in our patient care.”

Blueprints call for a 190,000-square-foot tower and 50,000 square feet of renovated space at the bend of Stevens Street. The tower would replace older sections of the hospital that date to 1918.

“For our medical surgical beds and our critical care beds, the care is very advanced, and we need to have the space that really matches that,” Robertson said. “To bring in some of that leading-edge technology we need bigger rooms than we needed in the past.”

Other renovations call for modernizing the hospital’s labor and delivery ward and its neonatal intensive care unit.

“We’re bringing in the latest technology for the care of those babies. And for the labor and delivery area, we’re increasing the room size, so it is more inclusive of the family,” Robertson said. “In terms of competitiveness, I think it is going to be hard (for other maternity wards) to compete with our view of the Long Island Sound.”

When will construction finally begin — and when will the new tower be completed? 

It is too soon to say, except that a previously announced opening date for the addition in the winter of 2025-26 was “ambitious,” Robertson said.

The reason: Norwalk Hospital is moving services out of the proposed building zone to new locations, to assure the medical center is fully functional during demolition and construction.

One example of a service that needs to relocate is the hospital’s behavioral health unit.

“We are in the process of moving that unit into new space,: Robinson said. “It is going to be completely modernized – a new behavioral health space.”

New drinking water treatment building underway in Southington with plan to get the lead out

Ciara Hooks

SOUTHINGTON— The Southington Water Department is moving forward with its new drinking water treatment building along with water main replacements and other upgrades that service all town residents and some Cheshire residents.

The new $3.5 million drinking water treatment building is being built over Well #10, a 120-foot-deep drinking water well that was added in 2022 next to Well #9.

The department was recently awarded a $2 million grant back in August 2024 for the PFAS treatment of Well #9, the town’s most productive well, following the change in regulations. Though high PFAS levels have not been an issue in town the department has been focusing on making the necessary adjustments for the regulation change, which is due for all water departments by 2029, and taking advantage of federal funding opportunities for the other necessary upgrades.

It is now seeking $1.3 million from the Connecticut Department of Public Health Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program (DWSRF) for the new treatment building and about $2.7 million for the lead goosenecks and water main replacement project. These projects are being funded through the DWSRF program at 2% low interest loan. This program provides long-term below market rate loans to community and non-profit, non-community public water systems (PWSs) to finance infrastructure improvement projects.  

The one-level concrete water treatment building will be very similar in appearance and operation to the Well #9 building. It will include an electrical room, water heaters and a big pump that sits on top of the well, which will pump the water through the piping that goes through the building, and back underground, which connects to the piping on site. 

The newer well will pump two million gallons of water a day, almost half of the water needed to meet normal demands, according to Southington Superintendent of Waterworks Douglas Arndt. 

“Having two wells there we hope to extend the life of both 9 and 10, because two wells working together at the same amount of output is going to add life and longevity to both of them,” Arndt added. 

According to Arndt drinking-water wells have a useful life between 30 and 50 years before losing their capacity to provide water and Well #9 is approaching its 30 years of use in 2030. Arndt shared that over time Well #9 has become clogged up with debris and sometime in the future they are hoping to do some minor upgrades including newer instruments and equipment.

The department will also be doing work on the lead gooseneck and FY 2024 water main replacement project. They will replace about 117 lead goosenecks and 100-year-old water mains on Vermont Avenue, Vermont Court, Vermont Terrace, Oak Street and Academy Lane totaling about $1,636,448. As well as different sections of Berlin Street, Celella Drive and Lacey Road totaling about $1,053,950. 

According to Arndt a gooseneck is “a short piece of lead pipe that is used to connect two ridged pipes.” It connects the water service line to a water main or meter.  Arndt said they are replacing the lead goosenecks because it’s part of the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate to get all the lead out of the system.

They are also hoping to install a new section of water main on West Queen Street that will provide improved reliability and fire protection capabilities. 

“While all water mains have this capability as the system expands and grows, we upsize,” Arndt said. “So, if it used to be an eight-inch pipe it becomes a 12-inch pipe, if it’s a six-inch pipe it becomes an eight-inch pipe.”

 The larger diameter improves fire flow and allows the flow of more water underground from a distance.

The department received approval from the Town Council back on April 14 for about $13 million. This covered $3,586,730.10 for costs of the new treatment building, $3.5 million for costs related to design and construction of FY 2024 water main improvements, $3.5 million for costs related to design and construction of lead gooseneck and FY 2024 water main replacement Phase I and $3.5 million for costs related to design and construction of lead gooseneck and FY 2024 water main replacement Phase II.

Phase I includes water main and removal of 105 lead goose necks. Phase II includes water main and removal of 12 Lead goose necks. 

Though the department originally bonded $2,297,000 in 2021, which is going towards the new treatment building, Arndt said, they are required to request the total cost of the project from the Town to ensure the costs can be covered. The paperwork for the water treatment building has been sent over to the state. While the decision will be made in the next 60-90 days for the approval of the remaining $1.2 million Arndt said, they went ahead with beginning the project with the $2.2 million they have and are hoping to completed it in late 2025. The contractor for the project is D’ Amato Construction Co. out of Bristol. The department is looking to send over the paperwork for the lead gooseneck and water main replacement projects early next week and construction is slated to begin this summer and be completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026. 

CT Construction Digest Friday May 23, 2025

Defense Department must resume use of PLAs, judge says

Zachary Phillips

A U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., has granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Defense and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for not following a Biden-era executive order mandating the use of project labor agreements on some federal jobs.

Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled in favor of North America’s Building Trades Unions and the Baltimore-D.C. Metro Building and Construction Trades Council on May 16, ordering the DOD to set aside PLA-avoidant guidance, even for projects not related to the plaintiffs.

Contreras’ order sides with the plaintiffs and says that the DOD must resume the practice of using PLAs. The agency did not respond to requests for comment.

The case is the latest news in a legal back and forth wherein an executive order from former President Joe Biden remains in place, despite opposition from the current administration and numerous contractor groups.

On Feb. 7, the DOD ordered its contracting officers to halt the use of PLAs on “large-scale construction projects,” according to a memo obtained by Construction Dive. That contrasted with a still-on-the-books executive order from Biden’s time in the White House, which mandated use of PLAs on projects receiving $35 million or more in federal funds.

Then, on April 9, NABTU and the Baltimore-D.C. Metro Building and Construction Trades Council filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia., claiming the exclusion “interferes with Plaintiffs’ ongoing practice of negotiating such agreements with contractors bidding on federal large-scale construction projects.”

NABTU President Sean McGarvey praised the ruling.

“PLAs aren’t political gimmicks or special-interest carveouts,” McGarvey said in a statement. “They are proven workforce development tools that undergird strong economic growth in communities across the country.”

Despite the injunction, the landscape around federal PLAs remains unclear.

For one, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Ryan Holte ruled in January in favor of employers on seven contracts that Biden-era order would be anti-competitive and relied on “arbitrary and capricious” presidential policy. Nonetheless, the ruling applied to only those specific bid protests, which would mean any other contractors wishing to receive an exception to a federal contract requiring a PLA would need to file their own protest.

On top of that, President Donald Trump has yet to remove Biden’s executive order, despite signing one of his own guiding rulemaking at agencies away from using PLAs and other collective bargaining agreements.

Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce for Associated General Contractors of America, said that the May 16 ruling demonstrates the need for the Trump administration to revoke what he called President Biden’s “unlawful” executive order.

Kristen Swearingen, vice president of government affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors, also called for the revoking of the Biden-era order.

“ABC respectfully disagrees with the court’s reinstatement of illegal and costly project labor agreement mandates on a wide range of federal construction projects critical to America’s national security,” said Swearingen in the statement. 

She also said the executive order discriminates against non-union workers and discourages competition. Swearingen alleged that PLAs force non-union contractors to sign collective bargaining agreements and coerce workers who don’t wish to be in unions to join.

McGarvey pushed back on that remark.

“The Associated Builders and Contractors’ statement on this matter reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how the construction industry actually works,” McGarvey wrote in his statement. “PLAs aren’t exclusive to union contractors. In fact, countless traditionally non-union contractors work on PLA projects across the country.”

Worker safety is in jeopardy if we don’t protect NIOSH

Sandra J. Domeracki

Sandra J. Domeracki is a clinical professor in the Community Health Systems Department in the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. Opinions are the author’s own.

On April 1, thousands of Health and Human Services workers arrived at work to find their identification badges failed to let them into their jobsite.

They were placed on administrative leave with a letter of termination set for June 2. Employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were among those affected; 85% of that workforce was eliminated. 

As a nurse practitioner working in the field of occupational health for three decades and teaching new NPs in this role for two decades, I have seen and experienced firsthand the power NIOSH has in keeping our nation’s workers healthy and safe. 

Recently, the date of termination was changed to June 30. NIOSH has been annihilated. Worker safety is in danger if we do not speak up now.

Why does this matter?

There are over 160 million workers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is about 48% of the population. Workers spend most of their time on the job doing combinations of activities — such as prolonged sitting, prolonged kneeling, heavy lifting and being exposed to toxins — sometimes with fatal results. In 2023, 5,283 workers died on the job, according to BLS data.

NIOSH is an agency created and funded by Congress. When it started as part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 it had about 1,400 staff across the U.S., according to the American Industrial Hygiene Association. 

The agency’s budget was only $363 million in fiscal year 2024, reported Safety + Health Magazine. This amounts to a little over two dollars per year per U.S. worker. 

NIOSH staff do some of the most important public health and labor safety work in the U.S. For more than 50 years, NIOSH has been an essential resource for workers to help ensure their health and safety at many essential work sites. 

For example, NIOSH inspects and certifies respirators and other personal protective equipment that saves countless construction workers’ lives. NIOSH staff help prevent injuries and illnesses and investigate hazardous situations workers face, such as falls and trench collapses. It studies the effects on workers’ exposure to toxins such as silica. 

The knowledge, expertise and resources it provides empower construction workers to understand how to protect themselves. But with recent cuts, construction workers and employers have a good chance of losing the development, testing and evaluation of future PPE that is upgraded and certified. 

Research and strategies to prevent opioid overdose and suicides and loss of life due to falls will not exist. This all leads to increased financial costs for the industry and workers.

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As a doctoral student, my work focuses on construction workers. Anecdoteally, I can share findings in my studies from experts that indicate productivity is the focus instead of worker safety in the U.S., whereas in Europe and Canada, worker safety is the priority. 

For workers, their quality of life, family life and financial well-being are impacted by the injuries and exposures they sustain at jobsites. This illustrates the continued need for ongoing improvement in PPE, safer work processes and updated tools, which NIOSH and its staff are the only agency that can help us with.

What’s next?

Although it was announced on May 14 that 328 NIOSH employees have returned to work, there are nearly 600 who have not, NPR reported.

We have until June to answer the question “What’s next?” 

Unions, professional organizations, centers doing research funded by NIOSH and more have written letters to President Donald Trump and are taking legal action to save NIOSH.

If we are to Make America Healthy Again, does that not apply to all U.S. workers? We must act now for this vision to come true. I challenge you to take this next step now for workers’ health and safety.

Hartford, Conn.'s 50-Year-Old XL Center Closes for Latest Renovation, Set to Cost $138M

As of May 20, 2025, the XL Center on Trumbull Street in Hartford, Conn., is closed for construction to overhaul the arena — a project more than a decade in the making.

That means Hartford's XL Center will not host any games, concerts or other events this summer.

"This is our troubled child of all the properties we manage," Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), said to NBC Connecticut television affiliate WVIT in nearby New Britain.

First opened in January 1975, the building was initially called the Civic Center. In its heyday, the venue was home to the National Hockey League's Hartford Whalers and played host to big musical acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Elton John.

After the Whalers left Connecticut in 1997, Freimuth said the building failed to keep up with the demands of shows that required more technology and elaborate sets.

Discussions about renovating the arena began in earnest around 2010. That year, the arena got a new sound system and set of Jumbotrons. The state legislature also set aside $35 million in bonding for repairs to begin in 2014.

Freimuth described those actions as a "band-aid."

"We thought it would buy us a window, roughly 10 years. Honestly, we're pretty close to that," he said. "During that time, we explored replacing the property. You wouldn't build this building in today's world. To [do so] today would [cost] north of a billion dollars."

In 2017, Connecticut's then-Gov. Dannel Malloy pitched a $250 million overhaul of the Hartford arena. The plan was eventually scaled back in response to push back from state lawmakers.

Legislators did approve another $40 million in bonding to replace the aging ice system for hockey games and the old arena floor, in addition to building a sportsbook on the Ann Ucello Street side of the building.

The latest investment includes $118 million from the state and $20 million in private funding from Oak View Group, which operates the XL Center for CRDA.

Freimuth said the private investment will offset the building's losses, which are typically $1 million to $2 million a year.

Some critics, however, believe the state should have abandoned the XL Center a decade ago.

"We should not be dumping millions, hundreds of millions of dollars, into a facility that we don't own, we don't manage and loses money every year," said state Rep. Doug Dubitsky.

Connecticut officials put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase of the building in 2018 but said it did not receive any acceptable offers.

Updated XL Center Will Again Meet NHL Standards

NBC Connecticut was able to get a look at the construction under way, which will include creating new locker rooms for the University of Connecticut Huskies when they play at the XL Center.

The facility also will have new commercial kitchens, and five premium "bunker" suites with access to the arena floor.

Freimuth expects the upgrades to extend the building's life another 15 to 20 years.

"We essentially will rebuild the lower bowl ... as well as [the] back of the house," he said.

"If you don't have the right suites, you don't have the right seats, you don't have the right foods, you don't have the right facilities to attract the right artist, [meaning] you don't get the business," Freimuth said.

Renovations are expected to be completed in fall 2025, NBC Connecticut reported.

When the updated XL Center reopens, Freimuth hopes to attract approximately 30 concerts a year — five times more than it currently hosts.

Len Besthoff, NBC Connecticut's chief investigative reporter, asked an expert at the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) if the new Hartford venue must turn a profit in order to be considered a success.

"What you'd really like is for people to say, ‘Oh, there's a great concert at the XL. Let's go down to Connecticut," said CCEA Director Fred Carstensen. "And while we're there, there's some great restaurants, there's some great cultural institutions.'"

He said there are some other considerations too.

"[Do] the things that it contributes, not just financially and not just in terms of tax revenue from these other activities, … impact the quality of life?," he said. "There are things that we want to subsidize because they engage us in community. They give us a better sense of participation, a better sense of ownership."

Freimuth said he is frequently asked about the possibility of bringing the Whalers back to Hartford and told NBC Connecticut that the new Hartford arena will be upgraded to meet NHL standards.

But while Freimuth and the CRDA will not rule it out, they also are not holding their breaths.

Study: Expansion of Tweed New Haven Airport will have $444M economic impact by 2027

Harriet Jones

Anew study commissioned by the Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport Authority projects that the planned expansion of the airport will generate some 2,400 jobs by the end of the decade.

The report, prepared by UConn’s Center for Economic Analysis, also forecasts $100 million in construction impacts by 2030, and $444 million in total economic impact to the state by 2027.

The study considers two potential scenarios. The first assumes continued operation by Avelo and Breeze, the airlines currently flying out of Tweed. The second assumes additional economic activity including an expansion of medical tourism at nearby Yale New Haven Hospital, and the development of an airport hotel.

The expansion, first announced in 2021, includes lengthening the runway from 5,600 to 6,575 feet, constructing a new terminal building and increasing parking capacity.

The release of the economic impact study comes as there continues to be significant opposition to the expansion plan from both environmental campaigners and local residents.

Yale Daily News reports that neighbors in the residential neighborhood that surrounds the airport are concerned about both increased traffic and environmental impact, particularly the extension of the runway and construction of new facilities on wetlands close to Long Island Sound.

In November, Save the Sound appealed the Federal Aviation Administration’s finding that the expansion would have “no significant impact” on the environment.

Last month the airport submitted an environmental permit application to the state, the latest step toward completion of the plan.

The project’s backers say the expansion will play a critical role in the region’s economic future.

“We’re looking at the creation of good jobs, renewed investments in our neighborhoods, and long-term, sustainable growth across the region,” said Robert Reed, chairman of the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority. “These studies make clear that Tweed will help drive the next wave of development in Southern Connecticut.”

West Hartford Center master plan shows potential changes to South Main Street, town green

Michael Walsh

WEST HARTFORD — As work continues on the $10 million reconstruction of West Hartford Center, the town has released a draft of the area's master plan, giving a broader glimpse of the popular dining and shopping destination's future.

Right now, construction crews are tearing up and replacing sidewalk on LaSalle Road, part of the first phase of the reconstruction plan that will widen sidewalks, replace aging trees and make the roadway safer for pedestrians. Next year, that same construction plan will move to Farmington Avenue.

But beyond that, West Hartford town leaders will have to make further decisions that will shape the way visitors interact with the area, including what to do with South Main Street, Unity Green and the busy Farmington Avenue and Main Street intersection. The plan shows several possibilities for that, including various roundabouts and plans that would attach Unity Green to the front doors of businesses on South Main Street.

"There are some great thoughts and ideas and conceptual plans on how we integrate North Main, South Main, Unity Green and the intersection into what's happening with the infrastructure plan," said Town Manager Rick Ledwith at Wednesday's Community Planning and Economic Development meeting.

Planning for that future began in 2022 with consultant Stantec engaging with the public on various ideas for the area, contemplating everything from shutting down LaSalle Road to cars to installing a roundabout at the Farmington Avenue and Main Street intersection. Plans for LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue then went through a few modifications, with some versions turning parking spaces from angled spaces into parallel spaces, which would have given more space for sidewalks. Eventually, the town landed on largely maintaining angled parking spaces in plans released last year.

Jason Schreiber, of Stantec, ran through part of the firm's master plan Wednesday, detailing ways the town could continue to enhance the area beyond the work that is already planned.

Part of that, he said, is linking surrounding neighborhoods to the area, which he said is an important economic development driver.

"The surrounding neighborhoods are really essential and vital to what's happening in the community, but especially in the town center, and how to maintain those linkages and grow over time smartly," Schreiber said. 

Similarly, the plan lays out gateway entrances to both West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square, areas that greet visitors to the area with wayfinding signage and traffic calming.

"This is a very typical public realm opportunity to announce better to people that ‘Hey, you’re here,'" he said. "Even if they are just passing through, their mental map gets them to remember that cool place they just drove through is West Hartford. It's a great source of community cohesion."

The plan also runs through basic improvements like more seating, tree enhancements, implementing public art and how restaurants might set up outdoor dining on sidewalks. The plan also extends upon the mobility hubs that the town announced it would include in West Hartford Center last year, which are designated locations that could offer rideshare pick-up zones, bike parking, bike rentals, seating, electric vehicle charging and more.

Stantec is also recommending that the town experiment with changes to parking fees, including raising prices — even as low as 25 cents more per hour. But they also recommend introducing variable pricing, meaning the more in-demand spaces — like street parking — would cost more than less desirable parking.

"When a town’s most desirable public parking spaces are priced the same as those which are farther away, people naturally hunt for spaces in congested areas first," the plan reads. "By making the most desirable spaces more expensive and those further away slightly less expensive, a varied pricing system creates availability while dispersing parking demand from core locations."

When it comes to transportation, Ledwith said the town is currently working on a grant that would connect its Trout Book Trail to the town center. Previously, town leaders have floated the idea of having a protected bike lane that would take cyclists safely from the trail to the center. Bike West Hartford tested that system last summer during its Center Streets event.

The Town Council will finalize the master plan later this year.

CT Construction Digest Thursday May 22, 2025

As Bridgeport smokestack demolitions loom, Soundside organizer has major concerns for music festival

Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT  —  As the developer and manager of the city-owned concert amphitheater, Howard Saffan looks forward to the just-announced demolition of the decommissioned power plant and its three smokestacks that loom over the live music venue.

"Nobody happier in this world those things are coming down," he said.

But as an organizer behind the fourth annual Soundside music festival, also nearby at Seaside Park, Saffan is not as enthusiastic about the tentative implosion date of Sept. 28, which is also day two of the concert event.

"Our major concern is environmental — pollution and potential airborne material," Saffan said.

Chad Parks, whose Bridgeport Station Development purchased the retired PSEG plant last year and is preparing the site for housing and public waterfront access, said he does not believe there will be an issue. Parks previously said if the demolition goes forward Sept,. 28 it would be around 4 a.m. Gates at Soundside open nearly eight hours later at 11:45 a.m.

Still, Mayor Joe Ganim's administration is hosting a meeting on a possible demolition date change Thursday.

"We look forward to gaining more details," Saffan said.

Thomas Gaudett, Ganim's chief administrative officer, said Tuesday there may be valid logistical reasons to not have the ex-PSEG structure, recognized by its tallest, 500-foot red-and-white striped smokestack, razed on the same weekend as Soundside. 

"It's a very short-lived problem, but there will probably be some kind of dust ball and we may need to block off a certain radius around the building, so we need to get a handle on what those details are," he said. 

Parks is also a part of the Beesley's Point Development Group which is similarly transforming an old power plant property in New Jersey. Video footage taken by the Associated Press from the fall 2023 demolition of that facility shows an initial large plume arising from the toppled structure.

The mayor's office also received two emails Monday from members of the public worried about the potential impact on Soundside. One said they will be attending the festival Sunday and, as someone "who is impacted by poor air quality," urged the plant be removed on a different date.

"There will be plenty of opportunity for the public to ask questions to our team as we work toward the plans and finalize the implosion," Parks said Tuesday.

Although some, including Ganim, have called for the preservation of the so-called candy cane smokestack in Bridgeport, Parks and partner David Kreutz told downtown business leaders at a meeting last week that the entire plant was being torn down. They cited the costs of maintaining the red-and-white striped edifice and how difficult it would be to remove it at a future date once surrounded with new construction.

There is also sentiment that the smokestack, though a local icon, represents pollution and the past and Bridgeport needs to move on.

Ultimately, Gaudett said, deciding whether or not to tear down a shuttered power plant on the same weekend as a major music festival drawing big names like Weezer, The Killers and Hozier is staged is a good problem.

"Both are an indication of a changing, developing, vibrant city," he said.

Southington elementary school expansions and roof improvements to head to referendum

Ciara Hooks

SOUTHINGTON— The expansion of Kelley and South End elementary schools, along with roof replacements for three other elementary schools are on the horizon once they pass referendum.

The expansion of Kelley and South End elementary schools were previously part of the original South End construction project, said Superintendent Steven G. Madancy. They were also included in the discussion at the special Board of Education meeting presentation of the Elementary Facilities Plan recommendations last month. 

This project would build a new, slightly larger Kelley with four sections per grade, and includes a capacity of around 450 students. It would also build out the lower level of South End to have additional classrooms. 

Madancy said these changes will allow the district to redistrict and close one of the elementary schools. Though closing Flanders was considered during the special BOE meeting Madancy said further studies will be done before a decision is made on which school will be closed.

This approved phase would cost $73.9 million with an estimated district share of $47.8 million.

The Kelley portion of this phase would be $66.4 million with an estimated district share of $43.7 million and South End's buildout would be $7.5 million with an estimated district share of $4.1 million. 

The $6.8 million roof replacement projects at Thalberg, Strong and Hatton elementary schools have been on the town’s Capital Improvement Plan since 2019, but have been pushed out each year “for a variety of reasons,” Madancy said.

“They were slated to go to referendum in November 2026, but the worry is that pushing the school construction to 2026 pushed the roofs out yet again to 2027, which would be viewed as risky since they are well past their expected life,” he added. 

Madancy said the BOE would like to target a referendum date this November for the roof replacements at Thalberg, Strong and Hatton and May 2026 for the new Kelley and buildout of South End.

The latest work on these buildings' roofs dated back two decades. Madancy said Strong’s roof was done in two phases in 1993 and 2003, Hatton’s roof was also done in two phases in 1996 and 2003 and Thalberg’s roof was last done in 2002.

The Town Council approved a nearly $15.2 million Capital Improvement Plan as a part of its 2025-2026 town budget on May 12, which reflected the BOE's request to expedite the Board of Education roofing projects. $7.3 million of that budget was for the three elementary school roofs, according to Town Manager Alex Ricciardone, which must go to referendum. 

CT Construction Digest Wednesday May 21, 2025

CT Port Authority leaders updated on State Pier repair dispute

John Penney

Old Saybrook — Connecticut Port Authority officials on Tuesday said they’re still negotiating with the construction manager of the $311 million State Pier reconstruction project on who will cover potentially millions of dollars in repair costs at the offshore wind component staging area.

The ongoing dispute with Kiewit was one of several State Pier-related issues discussed at a Board of Directors’ meeting that also touched on the possible closure of a Groton fuel terminal and the addition of an emission-reduction device that will allow docked vessels to connect to the local power grid.

The board met in executive session for an update on talks with Kiewit regarding two construction flaws that arose late last year: a problem at the south end of the New London pier where substandard soil fill appears to have been used on a transportation corridor, and a retaining, or “toe,” wall, that was built at the wrong angle.

No action was taken after the closed-door meeting. Board Chairman Paul Whitescarver, who last year told lawmakers the repairs would cost several million dollars to address, again said Tuesday that Kiewit, as overseer of the project, bears responsibility for making the repairs.

“The authority is not responsible for those costs,” said Whitescarver, who added the pier issues have not affected the loading and off-loading of wind turbine parts at the site. 

Why that exit on Interstate 84 is closing. And for how long amid summer traffic.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation says the Interstate 84 exit won’t reopen until late July.

That’s not great news for motorists who want to get to East Hartford. (Yes, there’s a detour).

The CTDOT says “bridge rehabilitation activities” will be performed on Bridge No. 02380, at I-84 eastbound, Exit 56 in East Hartford.

The project is scheduled to start on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, and will not be completed until Sunday, July 27, 2025, according to the agency.

“The project consists of pin and hanger rehabilitation on various bridges throughout Greater Hartford,” according to DOT.

The work was awarded to Rotha Contracting Company, Inc. at a cost of $5.4 million in 2022, and is scheduled to be completed on July 2, 2026, according to DOT.  The agency said the project is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and Construction, Office of Construction, in Rocky Hill.

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Here’s the detour:

Exit 56 on I-84 Eastbound will be closed starting Tuesday, May 27, 2025, to Sunday July 27, 2025;

Traffic will be detoured to Exit 58 on I-84 Eastbound;

Motorists should turn left onto Roberts Street, then turn right to access I-84 Westbound to Exit 56, Governor Street;

Traffic control signing patterns and detour signage will guide motorists through the work zone and detour.

“Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions,” according to DOT. “Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this area.”

It’s not the only big road work going on this spring and summer.

There are about 545 active capital projects planned for this year on state highways, bridges and roads.

Two hundred of the projects are in the planning phase and 171 are under construction.

“It’s going to be a busy construction season,” state Department of Transportation Communications Director Josh Morgan has said. “We have a lot of major projects that are in the middle of the process and years two, three and four is when that really picks up.”

The DOT also recently noted that it has begun construction on the Dutch Point Viaduct rehabilitation project on Interstate 91 southbound in Hartford. That means detours to access the highway. (We tried it; it takes getting used to)

The viaduct is an 1,800-foot-long elevated bridge structure that carries three lanes of Interstate 91 southbound over the Connecticut Southern Railroad and the I-91 northbound ramps to and from Whitehead Highway in Hartford, according to the DOT. It is near the Connecticut Convention Center and the Colt Armory.

Among its busy schedule for work on state roads, the Connecticut Department of Transportation also is planning some Interstate 91 ramp work.

The DOT also said it is developing plans to realign the Interstate 91 north and south ramps at Exit 24 in Rocky Hill.

Waterbury sets new date for hearing on massive affordable housing development

Paul Hughes

WATERBURY — The City Planning Commission has rescheduled a hearing on a 63-lot affordable housing development that a local nonprofit developer is proposing to build on the city's border with Prospect.

The Planning Commission was unable to convene a scheduled hearing last Wednesday on the special exception application for the proposed Forest Hills development due to a lack of a quorum.

Waterbury-based NEST has partnered with Meriden-based Carabetta Development on the "workforce housing" project on a mostly wooded 30-acre property off the northern side of Route 69. NEST is a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to expanding home ownership opportunities and revitalizing neighborhood.

City Planner Robert Nerney said Forest Hills is the largest housing development to be proposed in Waterbury in recent years. It is also the largest housing development that NEST has proposed since its founding as Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury in 1980.

The plans for Forest Hills call for the construction of 63 single-family homes consisting of 27 two-bedroom homes and 36 three-bedroom homes, a community center with a kitchen, gathering space, and game and fitness rooms, and walking trails. There will be five designs for the "contemporary farmhouse residences" that NEST and Carabetta Development propose to build.

If approved, the two- and three-bedroom homes in the Forest Hills development will be priced between 80% and 120% of the area median income to be affordable for working people, according to NEST.

The 30-acre development site is on the northern side of Route 69, and it is bordered by Bateswood Drive on the west and and Greenwood Road to the east in Prospect. City-owned open space parcels and the Reidville Industrial Park occupy lands to the north of the site in Waterbury.

NEST has negotiated a sales agreement with the owner of the property, Sunrise Farm LLC, and NEST and Carabetta Development will develop the affordable housing project.  NEST will also offer housing education and counseling to home buyers.

The bulk of the parcel is vacant and undeveloped, and a majority of the property is wooded, according to the application. It was previously mined for sand and gravel. There is a small equestrian paddock in the front southwestern corner of the property.

NEST is seeking approval for a special exception for the Forest Hills project under the city's zoning regulations for residential campus developments.

The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved a wetlands permit for the project at its April 2 meeting.

Because the proposed development site is within 500 feet of the Prospect town line, state law required referrals to Prospect's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission.

Norwalk break grounds on $1.3M project to improve safety on 5-leg intersection on Hospital Hill

Kaitlin Keane

NORWALK — As construction begins this week on a streetscape improvement project, city officials said they hope to see a safer intersection on Hospital Hill by the end of 2025.

“This is a project that has been in the works for some time, and we’re very excited to get started,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said Monday morning at the groundbreaking for the construction project. 

The $1.3 million project is focused on improving the safety of the five-leg intersection of Stuart Avenue, Stevens Street and Magnolia Avenue, which the city determined was the third most dangerous intersection in Norwalk.

“Too often drivers are confused about the flow of traffic in this intersection,” Laoise King, deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said at Monday’s groundbreaking.

In addition to drivers often traveling in the wrong way, the intersection has been the site of several reported accidents, three of which involved pedestrians, according to the city’s Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking.

The improvements planned for “this outdated and confusing intersection” will include replacing “a dangerous five-way intersection with two intersections” as well as installing high visibility crosswalks and creating better access to nearby Norwalk Hospital, among other improvements, King said. 

The Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking, which is managing the streetscape improvement project, also plans to create a clear path for traffic using stop signs and  to adjust parking by adding a 13-space lot between Stuart and Magnolia Avenues and parallel parking along one side of Stevens Street.

The project aims to enhance the neighborhood’s streetscape design and beautify its public space as well as improve parking and increase safety. 

The city received a $800,000 grant for the improvement project in November 2023 from the DOT's Community Connectivity Grant Program. Along with supporting Norwalk’s recently adopted Complete Streets legislation, the grant will help transform the Hospital Hill district and business community by enhancing its economic development, pedestrian accessibility and overall aesthetics, officials said.

A small crowd of state and city officials as well as project advocates gathered in front of the intersection for the Monday groundbreaking ceremony, with renderings of the Hospital Hill project on display. 

Colonna Concrete, a Woodbridge-based construction company, is expected to start work on Tuesday and to complete the project by the end of the year, according to KC Bushka, who works for Norwalk’s Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking.

A traffic management plan will be in place during construction, and detour signs will be placed in the neighborhood to redirect traffic, Bushka said. The Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking met with businesses on Hospital Hill to keep them informed of the plans, he said.

Jay Habansky, head of Norwalk’s Department of Economic and Community Development, thanked officials for their “continued investment in improving the quality of life in Norwalk.” Jim Travers, director of Norwalk’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking, also credited “the impact that comes from Community Connectivity grants.”

“This project is going to be a reality,” said Josh Goldstein, a member of Norwalk’s Common Council. “It’s policy going into action.”

Plainville will vote on these projects on June 3

Brian M. Johnson

PLAINVILLE – Residents will have the opportunity to vote on multiple public works projects, including the creation of a new Public Works Department, during an all-day referendum June 3 at the Plainville Firehouse.

The referendum will be held between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the firehouse at 77 W. Main St.

Town Council Chair Chris Wazorko said the five items, which include town and Board of Education capital projects, will be “budget neutral.”

“I myself, the council and town administration encourage people to get out and vote, and to vote yes,” he said. “These are all projects that we need to get done but that we’ve put off for a number of years.”

Wazorko said the town won’t have to raise any taxes or increase spending if the referendum passes.

“It is a budget neutral referendum,” he said. “The budget can absorb the costs.”

The referendum questions include the following:

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $3,175,896 for construction of the Shuttle Meadow Road pump station rehabilitation project and authorize the issue of bonds and notes to finance the portion of the appropriation not defrayed from grants?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $6 million for the road and related improvements program and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for the acquisition of a new public works facility and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for Board of Education mechanical improvements and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

– Shall the Town of Plainville appropriate $1 million for town mechanical improvements and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?

Combining Public Works and Roadways departments

Wazorko said the town is looking to have its Public Works Department and Roadways Department consolidated into one new building.

He said this will save the town money in the long run versus renovating both existing facilities.

“I talked to a lot of people about this and nobody remembers why the two departments were separated to begin with,” Wazorko said. “Most towns have both of those departments operating under the same roof.”

If approved, the new building will be located on a parcel of land on Camp Street owned by Aiudi Construction. It will replace two 50-year-old buildings.

Pump station

In the case of the Shuttle Meadow Road pump station, the town is looking to replace existing pumps and motors with submersible style pumps, within a new precast wet well and valve vault, according to the town.

They are also looking to replace the existing control and generator building with a new pre-engineered and fabricated electrical building.

The project would include all new electrical pump controls, instrumentation, a generator, modifications to the existing wet well and targeted demolition of existing components and site work, according to the town.

The town anticipates receiving a $3.18 million loan from the State of Connecticut’s Clean Water Fund Program to cover the cost. The loan would be repaid over a 20-year term at an interest rate of 2% for this project.

Roads and ‘mechanical improvements’

The referendum includes two questions to approve $1 million for “mechanical improvements” in the schools, and another $1 million for town facilities.

At Plainville High School, the school funds would pay to replace the emergency generator, upkeep the pool and replace the pool room heater, replace the rooftop units ocer the technology education classrooms, and rehab the press box at Tinty Field, according to the town.

The school funds would also go towards repointing brick at Toffolon and Linden Schools.

The $1 million for the town would fund replacement of the HVAC systems at the Plainville Public Library, Plainville Senior Center and Plainville Fire House. It woudl also go towards replacing the library roof, according to the town.

The $6 million for road projects would pay for rehab and reconstruction of roads, milling and repaving, chip sealing, restoration or installation of sidewalks, landscaping restoration and drainage improvements, according to the town.