Site work and paving for a mixed-use development in New London, Connecticut. Conceptual plans call for site work for a bridge / tunnel; for paving for a bridge / tunnel; sidewalk / parking lot; and sidewalk / parking lot.

https://www.courant.com/2026/01/01/another-project-filled-year-is-expected-on-ct-roads-after-busy-2025-many-are-already-in-the-works/ New project-filled year is expected on CT roads after busy 2025. Many are in the works; not for cars The interchange of Interstate 91 (right), Interstate 691 (top) and Route 15 (left), which is undergoing a major reconstruction. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation) The interchange of Interstate 91 (right), Interstate 691 (top) and Route 15 (left), which is undergoing a major reconstruction. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation) Author By Sean Krofssik | skrofssik@courant.com | Hartford Courant PUBLISHED: January 1, 2026 at 5:30 AM EST Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Connecticut has continued its investment in transportation with hundreds of projects completed or in the works in 2025 involving state roads and rails, highlighted by the completion of East Haddam Swing Bridge in May. In 2025, the Connecticut Department of Transportation won the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards grand prize for its emergency project demolishing, and then rebuilding, the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95 in Norwalk in 2024. For 2026, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has currently more than 400 projects in design and more than 200 construction project are on the books. The upcoming year is expected to be just as busy with the expected completion of Hartford’s Dutch Point Viaduct project and ongoing construction on multi-year projects such as the Interstate 91/Interstate 691/Route 15 Interchange, the I-95 Exit 74 (Route 161) project in East Lyme and work on I-95 near Exit 43 in West Haven. Donald J. Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, said the last two years have been the best for the state construction industry in nearly 20 years. “We’ve seen momentum from the DOT and the transportation sector that we haven’t seen since 2008 and we just really appreciate the volume of work that’s coming out still,” Shubert said. “This momentum that we have is something we haven’t seen in years and we’re just hoping that it continues because it’s great. Infrastructure spending is one of the as one of the highest returns on investments of any government spending.” Governor Ned Lamont talks about the next phase during the groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of the second construction phase of a major, three-phase project to reconfigure the highway interchange connecting Interstate 91, Interstate 691, and Route 15 in Meriden. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant) Governor Ned Lamont talks about the next phase during the groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of the second construction phase of a major, three-phase project to reconfigure the highway interchange connecting Interstate 91, Interstate 691, and Route 15 in Meriden. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant) Major construction Connecticut transportation workers expect to remain busy in 2026. Workers are currently working on Phase 2 of the I-91/I-691/Route 15 three-phase project, which is expected to be completed in 2030. Phase 3 remains in design. The project is “to address traffic operational and safety concerns associated with capacity, congestion, and weaving,” according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. “This project isn’t going to be done in 2026, but it’s making really significant improvements and changes in that area,” Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan said. Morgan said the Dutch Point Viaduct two-year rehabilitation project on I-91 South in Hartford is scheduled to be completed in September 2026. The project involves the 1,800-foot-long elevated bridge structure that carries three lanes of I-91 South over the Connecticut Southern Railroad and the I-91 North ramps to and from Whitehead Highway. The rehabilitation includes a new bridge deck, upgraded drainage system, new parapets, new highway lights and strengthened bridge girders to increase load capacity. I-95 Exit 74 improvement project in East Lyme continues in 2026 with an expected completion in the spring of 2027. The work began on the project in spring of 2023. The project is currently in Phase 4 of work. The new Exit 74 southbound on-ramp opened in October. “During this stage of construction, I-95 southbound will be shifted adjacent to the previously completed northbound alignment. This shift will allow the current southbound travel lanes and bridge to be brought up to final grade,” according to the CTDOT. Work on I-95 near Exit 43 in West Haven is scheduled to be completed in November 2027. The purpose of the project is to reduce traffic congestion, enhance traffic flow and increase safety. There will be widening and reconstruction as well as the replacement of two bridges that carry I-95 over First Avenue and the Metro-North Railroad tracks. Morgan also noted the continued work on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge. The northbound bridge has five travel lanes and carries highway traffic from New London to Groton. It is 6,000 feet in length and has a deck area of 500,000 square feet. The bridge carries estimated 60,000 vehicles daily over the Thames River, railroads and local roads. Morgan said the CTDOT has been working on the project for a number of years but was just awarded a $600 million contract that will begin in 2026 and continue for several years. According to Morgan, all of the Connecticut’s biggest road projects continue to be on schedule in order to finish on time. “It’s going to be another busy year,” Morgan said. “We have more than 200 active projects happening across the state of Connecticut, and we need to do that while keeping people moving through the area. There definitely will still be barrels and cones and work crews out there across Connecticut. It’s really about the improved safety and to keep people moving and getting to their destination safely. “We have no shortage of projects, and we are ready to deliver to the people of Connecticut,” he added. Morgan also noted that the CTDOT’s work zone speed camera program is now permanent and will be in work zones in 2026. The pilot program allowed the devices to be at three active work zones at a time. The permanent program will allow up to 15 locations at a given time. According to Morgan, there will also be mobile units that can go up for 48 hours while CTDOT staff are fixing guard rails, potholes or a drainage project. He added that the CTDOT will be transparent and will have camera locations listed online with an interactive map. Community leaders will also be alerted when these devices are installed. Morgan emphasized that safety remains the top priority. Switching from diesel to electric transit buses is one option the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection is considering as part of a proposal for federal funding. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant) Switching from diesel to electric transit buses is one option the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection is considering as part of a proposal for federal funding. (Don Stacom/Hartford Courant) Bus and train changes The CTDOT celebrated the 10th anniversary of CTfastrak in March. The program, which has carried 30 million passengers, is “recognized as the nation’s top bus rapid transit network,” according to the CTDOT. CTfastrak initially launched in March 2015 and is a system of 10 bus routes operated by the CTDOT. It provides service to and from Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington, Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, Hartford and Manchester,” according to CTDOT. Morgan said there are plans of expanding the service into New Haven. “We’re going to be looking toward replicating the success of CTfastrak as a bus rapid transit system in New Haven,” Morgan said. “We’re going to have the first of several public info sessions in early 2026. I believe the first one is January 28 in New Haven to start talking about how we can replicate the bus rapid transit system that we have in New Britain and Hartford into New Haven and West Haven. “That’s going to be a game changer, we think, to get more people out of their cars and on to public transportation and next year as well on the rail side. They won’t be ready for passenger use, but we’re going start testing them on the new state-of-the-art rail cars that we’re going to be using on the Hartford line,” he added. Some of the amenities include work-comfortable seats, workstations, chargers and USB ports at every seat, bike racks and spacious restrooms. According to Morgan, those will be added to CTfastrak as it plans to transition to 100% battery-electric buses by 2027. Also on the rail line, Morgan highlighted the CTDOT and Metro-North’s announcement in July of the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art train station on the Waterbury Branch Line in Naugatuck. The new station includes a high-level heated platform, electric vehicle charging, LED lighting and ADA-compliant infrastructure. The $33.2 million project is located in downtown Naugatuck. “One of the projects happening along our rail line is the relocating the Naugatuck train station to compliment the borough’s transit-oriented development,” Morgan said. “Rehabbing the Waterbury station and reopening and reimagining that waiting room to passengers, which hasn’t been open in a generation. Finding those amenities and finding those upgrades for those who are using public transportation is going to be a huge win. Shubert said the Connecticut Construction Industries Association is putting a lot of people to work, and “we have some great innovative training programs going on with the technical high school system and other groups. It’s nice to see the DOT firing on all cylinders and really getting the job done.” Shubert credited Gov. Ned Lamont and the state legislature for the investment into infrastructure. “It’s all falling into place and that’s the way it should be,” Shubert said. “When my contractors or material producers get a positive message or indicator, they start spending on equipment, building inventories and hiring people. If they get any inclination things will slow down, they pull back faster than anyone else. “But right now we’re in the investment stage,” he added. “We’re in a positive stage for the first time in a very long time. We appreciate everything that’s going on and everybody that’s pulling in the right direction to get this work out there and to put people to work. … It just resonates through our industry which is great.” ----------------------------------------------------- https://www.courant.com/2025/12/09/ct-gov-lamont-wants-to-cut-back-borrowing-for-transportation-projects/ CT governor wants to cut borrowing surge for transportation work. How it came to be ‘unaffordable’ I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridge over the Thames River, which links New London and Groton Credit: University of Connecticut I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridge over the Thames River, which links New London and Groton Credit: University of Connecticut Author By Keith M. Phaneuf | CT Mirror PUBLISHED: December 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM EST An ongoing surge in state borrowing to rebuild Connecticut’s aging transportation infrastructure must be rolled back, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration projects, because of stagnant fuel and sales tax revenues. But business leaders and a key legislator insist Connecticut has other options to maintain expanded financing for highway, bridge and rail upgrades, including scaling back one of the governor’s favorite programs: an aggressive effort to pay down pension debt. And while Lamont downplayed the revenue challenges last week, saying the impact wouldn’t be felt for several more years, his budget staff projected borrowing levels to be reduced starting in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Just 12 months after the Lamont administration reported that Connecticut was ready to increase a key element of its transportation construction budget by 40%, from $1 billion to $1.4 billion, by 2028, a new forecast held that three-quarters of that planned growth is unaffordable under the current system. Top Videos Trump says $12 billion in aid coming for farmers hit by trade war That $400 million in new borrowing anticipated for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years should be stalled, according to recommendations in the Fiscal Accountability Report issued Nov. 20 by the Office of Policy and Management, Lamont’s chief budget and planning agency. Reversing plans to invest hundreds of millions in infrastructure work will have a chilling effect on industry hiring plans, said Donald Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industry Association. “The minute they see any kind of uncertainty, or the minute they get any clue things are slowing down, they pull back,” Shubert told the Connecticut Mirror. “We pull back and that slows the economic activity or the economic benefits — immediately.” The Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s vice president for public policy, Chris Davis, said that “any business that’s on the fence” about hiring or otherwise expanding, “they need that [state funding] stability to make those types of investments.” Twelve months ago, in the 2024-25 fiscal year, while Connecticut was borrowing $1 billion for its transportation rebuild, Lamont’s budget staff said that should grow to $1.3 billion in 2025-26, $1.4 billion in 2026-27, and then remain at that level through at least 2029 – a prediction that excited industry and construction trade leaders. Now the administration wants to stick with $1.3 billion in borrowing for 2025-26, but drop to $1.2 billion in 2026-27, $1.1 billion in 2027-28, and remain there through 2030. And given inflation in the construction industry, $1.1 billion in the late 2020s would reflect little increase, if any, beyond the $1 billion Connecticut borrowed last fiscal year. Borrowing through bond sales, coupled with matching federal grants, are the two ways Connecticut pays for the overwhelming bulk of its transportation construction projects. Slowing revenue growth is a solvable problem So why does Lamont now expect to forego most of that funding growth he envisioned just one year ago? The administration points to the $2.3 billion Special Transportation Fund, which represents 8% of the overall state budget, and covers the principal and interest payments on infrastructure projects, as well as operating expenses for the Transportation and Motor Vehicles departments. Twelve months ago, Lamont’s budget office expected annual tax revenues supporting the fund to grow almost 4.5%, or $84 million, by 2028. Now they say those sources — two fuel levies, a portion of sales tax receipts, and a highway mileage fee on most large trucks — will effectively remain flat, growing by less than $6 million over the next three years. The administration projects this sluggish revenue growth, coupled with rising costs, will push the STF into insolvency by 2029. But this is common outcome when projecting a state program’s finances out four or five years into the future, at which point inflation normally outpaces revenue growth. Still, learning $84 million in expected extra tax receipts by 2028 largely won’t happen is problematic. Tens of millions of extra dollars for annual debt service payments would allow for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional yearly borrowing for construction work. That’s because the state pays off various projects across 15 or 20 years. But compensating for losing roughly $80 million in expected revenue growth also is far from unsolvable. And some of the first solutions that might come to mind are untenable or unnecessary. Lamont would not need the electronic highway tolls he sought in 2019 and 2020, nor the $600 million they would generate annually, far more than needed to fill an $80 million gap. And given that both the governor’s office and all legislators are up for reelection next November, any hike in fuel or sales taxes — which would raise far less than tolls but still enough to cover the gap — also is likely off the table. But there are still more options. Will Lamont ease budget controls to grow construction work? The overall state budget’s General Fund, which covers about 90% of all operating expenses, has been sharing some of its resources with the transportation fund since the late 1990s. The last major change occurred in 2015 when legislators and then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy assigned about 1/13th of annual sales tax receipts, which currently exceed $5.2 billion — to the STF. And the General Fund has generated unprecedented surpluses, averaging more than $1.8 billion or 8% to 9% of the fund, since 2017, thanks to aggressive budget caps installed at that time that force big savings. Most of those unspent dollars, about $10 billion in total since 2020, have been used to reduce the massive pension debt Connecticut amassed across seven decades prior to 2011. And that’s in addition to the more than $3 billion in mandatory pension contributions Connecticut makes annually. Lamont, a fiscal moderate, has been reluctant to scale back that savings effort, though, given Connecticut still owes more than $33 billion in this area. His critics, including many of his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly, say this effort is too aggressive and is draining funds from education, health care, municipal aid and other core programs. They also note the governor has proposed saving less, himself, on a few occasions. Description - Gold Star Bridge Ped Imprv (Br 02514a) O/ Thames River Location : New London/groton Route : I-95 As of November 02, 2026, the project is in Conceptual status. Anticipated letting year is 2027. CTDOT - Bridge Pedestrian Improvement - I-95 *project Information Has Been Obtained Through a Public State Transportation Improvement Plan (Stip). A Stip is a Financial Schedule for Short- and Long-range Projects Which is Updated Regularly. Information Listed in the Stip Often Evolves Based on Funding Availability. The Project Details, Including Timeline and Value, Are Subject to Change. The Content Management Team Will Continue to Pursue Additional Details as They Become Available.