Jul. 21—WINDSOR LOCKS — The state Department of Transportation has signed a contract with the Walsh Group to construct the new train station in Windsor Locks.

Originally, Manafort Brothers Inc. was offered the contract, but First Selectman Paul Harrington was made aware on July 1 that the company decided not to sign.

Now the Walsh Group, a construction company founded in 1898, will construct the new train station.

According to the group's website, it has have built transit facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, Charlotte, North Carolina, Miami, and Los Angeles.

According to Harrington, representatives from the Walsh Group said the $65 million project should break ground within 45 days of signing, which lines up with the original plan to start in late August.

Now that the state is signing contracts and construction companies are lining up, other companies have expressed interest in developing in Windsor Locks, Harrington said.

One developer, who is planning to build in Windsor, has started looking at what he could build in Windsor Locks, Harrington added.

He also said that he spoke on the phone with the Silverman Group, which is constructing the Bradley Airport Logistics Center East on Hamilton Road, about whether it makes sense to build a mixed-use apartment complex on Main Street.

"Nothing's concrete, but there's interest, which is great," Harrington said.

Not only does the train station make development in Windsor Locks more enticing, but the town also gets a lot of traffic from the Bradley International Airport.

"The first impression they have of Connecticut is the town that they're landing in, and that happen to be Windsor Locks," Harrington said at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday. "That is a great position to be in when you're talking to developers or the state to unlock the treasure chest."

Construction of the new train station is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

Collin covers East Windsor and Windsor Locks for the Journal Inquirer.