CT's largest bridge is set for a $158 million facelift over next six years
CT's largest bridge is set for a $158 million facelift over next six years
Nobody is likely to confuse the Golden Gate Bridge for the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in southeastern Connecticut. But the two bridges are in the same category of bridges set to get a facelift thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in recently announced federal funds.
The bridges are two of four projects nationwide boosted by the federal infrastructure law passed in 2021, along with the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky and a series of four bridges in Chicago. The Connecticut bridge is now set for a $158 million project that will extend until 2029.
To celebrate the funding, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited New London on Wednesday to get an up close look at the bridge that spans the Thames River.
Joined by newly-reinaugurated Governor Ned Lamont and Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, local representatives and members of industry, the secretary touted the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending.
“These four bridges were chosen partially because they were not just iconic pieces of infrastructure but because they are essential to America’s economic strength,” said Buttigieg. “We cannot have the kind of economy we need without them.”
Gold Star Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in the state of Connecticut at 6,000 feet in length and 150 feet in height at the center span. The bridge is actually a twin pair, one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound traffic on I-95.
Collectively the bridges serve roughly 120,000 vehicle trips a day and are a vital part of the transit infrastructure for the state and region.
“These kinds of facilities are the cathedrals of our infrastructure,” said Buttigieg. “Right here tens of thousands of people are driving across the Gold Star Bridge every day to get to their jobs, to school, to everything that matters in their lives.”
The northbound bridge’s construction started in 1941 as a project to reroute car and truck traffic off of an old bridge that carried US Route 1 over the river but was put on pause as the United States entered World War II.
The thousands of tons of steel necessary to complete the bridge were dear to the war effort. The northbound span was only completed during the war because of its strategic importance to shipping and naval industries.
“The men and women who use this bridge to go to work build submarines,” said Blumenthal at the press conference. “That is what is at stake with this bridge.”
In the nearly 80 years since its construction, the bridge has been battered by storms, salty air and normal wear and tear. Inspectors hired by the state of Connecticut have found numerous instances of corrosion, cracks and fatigue in the steel truss structure. The structure and deck are rated poor. The southbound bridge, built in the early 1970s, underwent repairs that were completed in 2019.
It’s bad enough that there is a 40-ton weight restriction on the bridge, forcing trucks to take a nearly 20-mile detour to cross the Thames River.
“Some of our trucks travel that specialize in New York and New Jersey travel this bridge twice a day,” said Melanie Makjut, owner of M&G Trucking and Transportation based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island who spoke at the press conference. “My company needs this bridge to get all of the products to our customers.”
Fixing the steel trusses is the first step in the project and was already underway during Buttigieg’s visit. Local 15 Ironworker’s Union workers from Hartford took a short break from their work to watch Secretary Buttigieg speak.
“My union brothers and sisters are working on this bridge pretty much as we speak,” said Ruby Acosta, a 3rd year apprentice ironworker. “It’s awesome. We build America. We the ironworkers and the other Connecticut building trades.”
Once the structural elements of the bridge are repaired, the deck is slated for repairs and improvements to lighting, sign supports and storm drainage. A multi-modal path is planned for the bridge as well. Outgoing state Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti said that including the path was key to obtaining the funding.
“You’re going to see it on all our future bridges as well,” said Giulietti. “We realized the way of the future is going to involve those bike and pedestrian lanes going across.”
Work is expected to finish on the bridge in 2029. Commissioner Giulietti said that the federal funding shaved at minimum one year of work off the project.
Nobody is likely to confuse the Golden Gate Bridge for the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in southeastern Connecticut. But the two bridges are in the same category of bridges set to get a facelift thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in recently announced federal funds.
The bridges are two of four projects nationwide boosted by the federal infrastructure law passed in 2021, along with the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky and a series of four bridges in Chicago. The Connecticut bridge is now set for a $158 million project that will extend until 2029.
To celebrate the funding, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited New London on Wednesday to get an up close look at the bridge that spans the Thames River.
Joined by newly-reinaugurated Governor Ned Lamont and Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, local representatives and members of industry, the secretary touted the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending.
“These four bridges were chosen partially because they were not just iconic pieces of infrastructure but because they are essential to America’s economic strength,” said Buttigieg. “We cannot have the kind of economy we need without them.”
Gold Star Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in the state of Connecticut at 6,000 feet in length and 150 feet in height at the center span. The bridge is actually a twin pair, one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound traffic on I-95.
Collectively the bridges serve roughly 120,000 vehicle trips a day and are a vital part of the transit infrastructure for the state and region.
“These kinds of facilities are the cathedrals of our infrastructure,” said Buttigieg. “Right here tens of thousands of people are driving across the Gold Star Bridge every day to get to their jobs, to school, to everything that matters in their lives.”
The northbound bridge’s construction started in 1941 as a project to reroute car and truck traffic off of an old bridge that carried US Route 1 over the river but was put on pause as the United States entered World War II.
The thousands of tons of steel necessary to complete the bridge were dear to the war effort. The northbound span was only completed during the war because of its strategic importance to shipping and naval industries.
“The men and women who use this bridge to go to work build submarines,” said Blumenthal at the press conference. “That is what is at stake with this bridge.”
In the nearly 80 years since its construction, the bridge has been battered by storms, salty air and normal wear and tear. Inspectors hired by the state of Connecticut have found numerous instances of corrosion, cracks and fatigue in the steel truss structure. The structure and deck are rated poor. The southbound bridge, built in the early 1970s, underwent repairs that werestriction on the bridge, forcing trucks to take a nearly 20-mile detour to cross the Thames River.
It’s bad enough that there is a 40-ton weight r“Some of our trucks travel that specialize in New York and New Jersey travel this bridge twice a day,” said Melanie Makjut, owner of M&G Trucking and Transportation based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island who spoke at the press conference. “My company needs this bridge to get all of the products to our customers.”
Fixing the steel trusses is the first step in the project and was already underway during Buttigieg’s visit. Local 15 Ironworker’s Union workers from Hartford took a short break from their work to watch Secretary Buttigieg speak.
“My union brothers and sisters are working on this bridge pretty much as we speak,” said Ruby Acosta, a 3rd year apprentice ironworker. “It’s awesome. We build America. We the ironworkers and the other Connecticut building trades.”
Once the structural elements of the bridge are repaired, the deck is slated for repairs and improvements to lighting, sign supports and storm drainage. A multi-modal path is planned for the bridge as well. Outgoing state Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti said that including the path was key to obtaining the funding.
“You’re going to see it on all our future bridges as well,” said Giulietti. “We realized the way of the future is going to involve those bike and pedestrian lanes going across.”
Work is expected to finish on the bridge in 2029. Commissioner Giulietti said that the federal funding shaved at minimum one year of work off the project.