CT DOT: ‘Major’ rehabilitation work to begin on Interstate 95 bridge. What to know.
Drivers can expect daytime lane intermittent closures to
begin on the Gold
Star Memorial Bridge on the Interstate 95 northbound and I-95
southbound in New London starting on Monday.
There is also night work planned on the bridge starting next
month, according to the Connecticut
Department of Transportation.
According
to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, starting on March 30, from 7
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, drivers will experience temporary lane
closures in the left and right lanes, alternately. Motorists are asked to
reduce speed and follow signage.
There is also a traffic
crossover night work expected on the bridge in Groton and New London
starting on April 6.
In preparation for northbound work on the bridge, the
southbound side will shift into a new traffic alignment, according to the
Department of Transportation. The new alignment will reduce the typical five
southbound lanes to three.
Workers will place a steel barrier on the southbound bridge
to split the traffic in two directions. Two northbound travel lanes will be put
in behind the steel barrier on the southbound side of the bridge.
“A traffic crossover will be built to allow northbound I-95
traffic to cross over onto the southbound bridge and travel in northbound
direction. A crossover is a temporary traffic setup that shifts vehicles from
their normal side of the roadway to the opposite side so traffic can continue
moving safely while construction is going on,” according to the CTDOT.
The work will impact traffic on the northbound side of the
bridge for the construction. When the work is done on the southbound side, the
concrete barrier will be placed on the northbound of the bridge for
reconstruction and traffic purposes.
The work on the southbound side will start on April 6 from 8
p.m. to 6 a.m. and the traffic pattern on the southbound bridge will be in
effect throughout the project.
The work on the northbound side of the bridge is scheduled
to start on May 9, and only two lanes of traffic will be allowed on the
northbound bridge.
“All other northbound traffic will be required to use the
crossover onto the southbound bridge to travel north,” according to the CTDOT.
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The project was awarded to MSR Gold Star Partners for the
cost of $721 million last October. The project is expected to be completed in
the fall of 2030.
Easton developer creates nonprofit in push for bridge connecting CT and Long Island
As plans for a 14-mile bridge across Long Island Sound stagnate
at the state level, developer — and primary proponent — Stephen Shapiro is
stepping up his campaign for what he admits is an extremely ambitious endeavor,
one he believes will be an economic boon for the region.
The prolific
real estate developer, with projects completed, approved or in process in
cities from Fairfield to Trumbull, Shelton to Newtown, has formed the Connecticut-Long Island Initiative,
a non-profit advocate for infrastructure and transportation improvements
between Connecticut and Long Island, N.Y.
“This is the only tangible solution here in Connecticut to
the worst traffic problem in the country,” Shapiro said.
“The public overwhelmingly supports this,” added Shapiro
citing online polls he has seen on the issue. “The people of Connecticut
deserve to have voices heard. They deserve a stronger economy with more jobs,
and most importantly less traffic so they can get home in time for dinner with
their families.”
The primary focus is talking up what he says are long-term
benefits to constructing a bridge from Bridgeport to Sunken Meadow Parkway on
Long Island. Plans could also include a rail component to accommodate both
passenger and freight service.
Shapiro has even created a website, ctlii.com, which includes a petition and financial information on the
latest bridge proposal, as well as a historical look at past discussions about
creating such a connection across the Sound.
“This could be huge to help revitalize the city of
Bridgeport, the biggest city in the state,” Shapiro said. “This would bring
more benefits to its citizens and more jobs to the area.”
A bill to authorize a feasibility study for the bridge was
introduced in the state legislature’s Commerce Committee, but the committee
chairs did not bring this to a vote, so it never advanced out of committee,
leaving it potentially dead in the water.
Shapiro said a chance remains for the entire legislature to
bring this up for a vote in the coming months. But in the meantime, he has
continued a push to educate the public on what he sees as benefits to this
bridge.
James Amann of International Governmental Strategies LLC –
former speaker of the state House – was discouraged by the result.
“I am deeply disappointed the Commerce Committee chairs
lacked a vision to even raise a vote for a study that would strengthen the
economy and reduce traffic in Connecticut, especially when we had the votes,”
said Amann.
“As former speaker of the House, I know there are other ways
to get the bill to the floor this session and that’s what we intend to do,”
Amann added.
State Rep. Joe Hoxha, a supporter of the bridge, was also
disappointed with the committee chairs not bringing a vote on the bill.
"This bill is the single most bipartisan concept I have
ever come across in all my time at the Capitol as a state representative,”
Hoxha said. “As a matter of fact, it might very well be the most bipartisan
idea I’ve ever heard of in all of Connecticut politics.”
Hoxta said mayors, first selectman, representatives and
senators - across the political spectrum - support this idea.
“It is truly a disservice to the people of Connecticut to
not allow this bill to continue on, at the very least until we can get an
understanding of the cost of the study," Hoxta added.
Even with recent setback, Shapiro remains positive,
believing cooperation between Connecticut, New York and the federal government
is essential to making this dream a reality.
To that end, Shapiro has even reached out to federal
officials to present the concept and gauge interest. He says he was pleased
with the reception, and the federal government is open to participating if
there is support from Connecticut and New York.
Shapiro estimates could cost as much as $50 billion, with
the cost to Connecticut at somewhere near $1.25 billion. Costs would be covered
in part with a roughly $39 toll for drivers.
According to Shapiro, construction costs could be divided
between private investors, federal government, Connecticut and New York.
Based on similar projects, Shapiro said a realistic funding
structure could have 50% covered through private investment and bonds, with 45%
from federal loans or grants. The remaining 5% would be split between New York
and Connecticut.
Projects used for comparison on the Connecticut-Long Island
Initiative website include work on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel in Virginia
and the Gateway Hudson Tunnel in New York and New Jersey.
“Everything would be paid back through the tolls,” Shapiro
said.
Shapiro and his supporters say the bridge could transform
regional travel, ease congestion and offer an alternative route for drivers who
currently must pass through New York City to reach the mainland.
Proposals for a cross-Sound connection are nothing new, with
the first such plans discussed some 100 years ago.
Shapiro has suggested a potential compromise to address
environmental concerns, including a hybrid design that would tunnel a portion
of the route beneath the shoreline near the park.
“I hope this can link our two regions, reducing traffic
closer to the city while stimulating toll revenue, jobs and economic growth for
our future,” Shapiro said.
What it’s like to build an offshore wind farm: storms and isolation off Connecticut’s coast
As an electrician on Revolution
Wind, Thomas Kilday climbed 500-foot
turbine towers, worked in freezing winds and driving rain, and trained
to escape a helicopter crash.
But what he remembers most vividly from more than two years
of working on the offshore wind farm about 15 miles off the coast are the
sunsets.
“One of the great beauties about being out there is you’re
very far out, which is one of the downsides — you’re so far away from
civilization,” said Kilday, who lives in Rhode Island. “But the nice part is
the sunrises and the sunsets are gorgeous. There’s nothing out there for miles
and miles.”
The 704-megawatt Revolution Wind project recently
began supplying electricity to homes in Connecticut and
Rhode Island and is about 90% complete, with full operations expected in
the second half of 2026. Developed by Ørsted, the wind farm will deliver enough
electricity to the New England grid to power about 350,000 homes — or
about 2.5% of the region’s electricity supply.
Behind the power now flowing to the regional grid is the
unheralded work of hundreds of skilled tradesmen — from millwrights and
shipbuilders to carpenters, iron workers and electricians — who say they
were drawn by the novelty of building one of the nation’s first large offshore
wind farms and the chance to generate power for their communities.
But their journey wasn’t smooth: Construction was halted
twice by federal shutdown orders that cast uncertainty over the
multibillion-dollar project and the workers building it.
Still, many describe a deep sense of pride in playing even a
small role in what they see as a historic achievement.
“It’s a new industry, a new frontier of electrical
generation,” Kilday said. “I was very excited to be able to say that I worked
on it and that I was there for it.”
Building Revolution Wind required a vast workforce doing all
kinds of jobs, both off shore and on land. Construction began in 2023,
though Connecticut’s
stake in the project dates to 2018.
The project supported about 1,200 jobs in Connecticut and
Rhode Island, including hundreds of union positions, according to the
the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. At the
State Pier in New
London, which underwent
a $300 million renovation to support offshore wind development, more than
100 union jobs and nearly 200 jobs overall are tied to staging and assembly
work, the department said.
Those workers did everything from operating cranes and
piloting boats to repairing heavy machinery and coating turbine towers and
blades with specialized materials designed to withstand the harsh offshore
weather, said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, a
coalition of labor unions.
'Miles out in the ocean'
Before workers could board a vessel or assemble a turbine,
they had to undergo rigorous safety training to prepare them for the dangers of
working miles offshore. The preparation included lessons in sea rescue, CPR and
other life-saving measures. They were also taught how to work safely in extreme
conditions, such as gale-force winds while strapped to scaffolding hundreds of
feet in the air, Crowley said.
“This isn’t like building a 25-story high-rise in downtown
Providence, where if something goes wrong, you call 9-1-1 and the police and
the fire (department) come,” he said. “They are miles out in the ocean, in the
middle of heavy seas.”
The level of training usually depended on the risks
associated with a particular job. The more dangerous the task, Crowley said,
the more extensive the preparation.
One of the more unusual exercises workers had to
master — and one that Kilday said attracted him to the job — involved
practicing how to escape from a helicopter crash at sea. Helicopters are
sometimes used to transport workers around the construction site.
During the simulation, recruits were placed in a fake
helicopter fuselage that was lowered into a pool and flipped upside down. To
escape, they had to undo their seatbelts, pop open the window and swim out of
the aircraft.
“I thought that was pretty cool as a young man in my 20s,”
Kilday said. However, he added that his mom “was not so thrilled that I
was having to practice for helicopter crashes.”
Once their training was complete, workers began traveling
miles offshore to the construction site, where they would spend up to a month
building the massive wind turbines while living on specialized service vessels.
They worked 12-hour shifts every day during their rotations.
“We sleep, eat and work either on the turbine or on the
vessel,” Kilday said. “We move our whole lives out there for 28 days.”
'Long-term employment stability' — on the ocean
Life aboard the 300-foot vessel was functional but
cramped. Kilday described sleeping in bunk beds bolted to the wall,
in rooms about the size of a large walk-in closet, sometimes shared with
another worker on an opposite shift. Every lodging had a small desk, a
television and a bathroom, he said.
Weather dictated much of the workday. Waves rocked the ship
while wind whipped around the towering turbines. In the winter, accumulations
of snow and ice threatened workers stationed below the structures. Every shift
began with a “toolbox talk,” where crews discussed their daily tasks and ways
to avoid accidents. They occasionally got the day off when conditions were too
harsh — downtime that they spent playing cards or watching movies.
The demanding schedule also meant missing holidays and
family events at home. During one rotation, Kilday said, crews celebrated the
Fourth of July offshore, watching fireworks erupt along the coastline miles
away. From where they stood, the bursts looked like fireflies, he said.
On birthdays, members of the galley baked special cakes to
celebrate and keep up morale.
It was an unconventional job. But for many construction
workers, union leaders say, offshore wind provided something that is rare in
their industry: long-term stability.
“They go from job to job looking for the ones that are going
to provide the longest-term stability because periods of unemployment are built
into the life of a construction worker,” Crowley said. “The promise of offshore
wind was, and hopefully still is, that there would be long-term employment
stability over the course of a multiyear project.”
But that promise was shaken when federal officials twice
ordered construction on the project to stop, throwing the future of offshore
wind into uncertainty.
The first shutdown came in August 2025, when the federal
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued
a stop-work order when the project was roughly 80% complete. Construction
was halted for about a month. At the time, officials said the shutdown cost
developers $2.3 million per day and put 1,000 people temporarily out of work.
A second stoppage came just days before Christmas and
applied to offshore wind projects across the region. Both orders were
later overturned by a judge, allowing work to resume.
President Donald Trump has long opposed wind energy,
labeling it a “scam.” His administration cited national security and economic
concerns in its attempts last year to shut down Revolution Wind and other
offshore wind farms, prompting legal
challenges from developers and stakeholders.
Asked to comment for this article, a White House
spokesperson said: “Litigation is still ongoing and the administration looks
forward to ultimate victory.”
Workers said the sudden disruptions left them wondering
whether the project — and their jobs — would continue.
“We were all very caught off guard,” said Kilday, who was
aboard the vessel when the first stop-work order was announced. “Nobody knew
what was going to happen — whether we were going to be leaving the vessel,
if we needed to pack our bags and start looking for work.
“We were all kind of in limbo, and limbo when it affects
your job is not a place that really anyone wants to be in my experience,” he
added.
'Threw everything into chaos'
The second shutdown around Christmas brought another wave of
anxiety, Kilday said. That order came about a week before he was scheduled to
return offshore.
“It just threw everything into chaos,” he said. “I had
to worry about my job and the future and if I was going to have a paycheck
coming in.”
Antonio Gianfrancesco, who did maintenance and inspection
work on Revolution Wind, said he had worried the stoppage might last
indefinitely or even cancel the project entirely. Gianfrancesco and some other
workers were transferred to Ørsted’s other offshore wind projects, he said, but
many were sent home.
“There wasn’t enough work at the other places to be
redeployed, especially following second shutdown,” Crowley said.
As Revolution Wind begins supplying power to the regional
grid, state officials say the project will help diversify Connecticut’s energy
supply and ease the burden on residents who pay
some of the highest electrical rates in the country. Officials have
projected the wind farm could save ratepayers in Connecticut and Rhode Island
hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades.
“That’s what everyone that’s been out here — all the
iron workers, electricians, carpenters, and laborers have been working toward.
And I can’t wait to see the positive effects it has on the people of Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut,” Gianfrancesco said.
Some Connecticut Republicans, however, have questioned
whether offshore wind will ultimately deliver the promised savings, raising
concerns about the industry’s high costs.
Driving around southern Rhode Island, Kilday said he’s
often reminded of his role with Revolution Wind when he looks up at the power
lines carrying electricity overhead.
“To be able to know that the power flowing through the lines
that I drive past every day, I helped produce some of that, is a really amazing
feeling,” he said. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done, and proud that I can
point to those wind turbines and say, 'I helped build that'.”
Massive 600-800 unit apartment development pitched for small CT town
The sparsely developed southeastern Connecticut town could
be in line for one of the
largest new residential complexes in recent memory if All of Us At
North LLC gets to build the 700 to 920 apartments and townhouses that it’s
proposing.
The company, which owns more than 350 acres of
mostly woodlands in the town of Montville, is trying to persuade Gov.
Ned Lamont’s administration to borrow an estimated
$20 million to $30 million to pay for enormous sewer and roadway
improvements.
All of Us at North argue that the move is justified because
in addition to the statewide demand for more housing, the Greater New London
region is in urgent need to accommodate rapid job growth.
“There’s a particularly pressing need for additional housing
in southeastern Connecticut due to the recent contract for Electric Boat to
build the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine,” David Sherwood, attorney
for the developer, told the planning and zoning commission Tuesday.
“Electric Boat anticipates it will be hiring 8,000 workers
in 2026. About 5,000 will be employed in Groton,” Sherwood said. “There’ll be a
large influx of engineers, technicians and shipbuilders.”
If it’s ultimately built, the massive project would require
bulldozing dozens of acres of woodlands and could theoretically drive up the
town’s population by 10%.
But the Massachusetts-based developer contends that when
completed, the project would add $2.3 million in net tax revenue every year for
Montville, and could generate $11 million in new sales for the town’s stores,
restaurants, service businesses and others.
The conceptual plan is for 100 to 120 townhouses and
mid-rise apartments along Route 32, where sewers already exist. But 600 to 800
units — the vast majority of the project — would be constructed on more than
150 acres of woodlands in the town’s Uncasville section between Route 32 and
the Thames River. That land has no sewers, and the company is seeking state aid
to remedy that.
“To support the 600-800 units, water and sewer service must
be extended the full length of Massapeag Side Road and Derry Hill Road to Route
32. Upgrades to the water pollution control facility are also anticipated,”
town Land Use and Development Director Dennis Goderre wrote in a recent memo to
the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“Roadway widening along these and presumably other streets
will be required, and may also include intersection upgrades and perhaps
signalized intersections, all pending detailed traffic analysis,” Goderre
wrote. “The owner has requested assistance from the state to fund these
infrastructure improvements. During this current legislative session, lawmakers
are reviewing this ‘ask’ and appear to be strongly considering this request for
approval.”
Sherwood said state bonding would also pay for whatever
upgrades the municipal sewage treatment plant would need. Without state
infrastructure aid, the project isn’t financially feasible, he said.
Since it’s just a conceptual plan now, there are few
specifics publicly available and the developer hasn’t committed to an exact
percentage of affordable units. Sherwood’s presentation was informal; the
company is waiting on a reply for the state, and has applied for no local
wetlands or zoning permits so far.
Goderre recommended the Planning and Zoning Commission
provide feedback to the state about the proposal.
“Water and sewer would likely bring larger scale commercial,
residential or mixed-use development to this predominantly undeveloped area,”
he said. “If this level of funding is to be granted, and the increase in
population occurs, other infrastructure and community services will likely be
impacted. Funding should be provided to comprehensively support the demands
such growth will place upon the town as whole (recreation, schools,
infrastructure, government services and facilities, social needs).”