Besides the need for more public financing, construction of a proposed minor league soccer stadium on the lower East Side of Bridgeport, Conn., faces another wrinkle in the form of possible interference from a nearby state infrastructure project.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim's administration confirmed that a vacant municipal parcel that would serve as a public park and gateway into the future sports venue will for two years be a staging area for a nearby $30 million bridge replacement effort.
"Connecticut DOT will be using a portion of the property for the upcoming Stratford Avenue Bridge replacement project," Josh Morgan, that agency's director of communications, said in an email to CTPost. "The location will provide staging of equipment and material, as well as provide access to the bridge."
Morgan added that CTDOT has obtained a temporary property easement for access to the acreage, formerly the home of the now-demolished AGI rubber factory, and the land will revert back to Bridgeport at the bridge project's conclusion.
However, the challenge that awaits tech entrepreneur and stadium developer Andre Swanston, his Connecticut Sports Group and the city is figuring out how to schedule the construction of both the soccer venue and the bridge so that they do not conflict with one another.
CTPost reported Sept. 8 that the bridge work is set to begin next spring and conclude by the end of 2026, while Swanston's development group had hoped to open the stadium in time for that year's soccer season.
If and how that latter goal can still be met is the question as AGI's land needs to be cleared of environmental contaminants before being redeveloped as a sports stadium.
"At this point we're just in a question of logistics," said Thomas Gaudett, Ganim's chief administrative officer.
He noted the bridge work has been in the works for some time and is not "out of the blue."
"Does [the bridge project] complicate things? Sure," Gaudett acknowledged, "but we've had this conversation. Everyone knows it's an issue. And we're all hoping to play nice to get everything accomplished."
Twin Projects in a Growing Part of Bridgeport
Announced in 2023, Swanston's vision is to launch a minor league soccer team, Connecticut United, and build its 7,500-seat stadium on Bridgeport's waterfront, followed by a major league venue and other attractions. Its design was done to make it accessible and centrally located.
The main soccer facility construction would occur on privately-owned land along the banks of the Pequonnock River on Kossuth Street where the now-shuttered Shoreline Star off-track betting facility operated. The city offered the adjacent AGI property as an important complement to the development.
Swanston initially set his sights on having the stadium open by next year, but Connecticut Sports Group noted on Aug. 30 that those plans had been delayed until 2026.
Public financing totaling $16 million, in the form of combined grants for environmental remediation and site preparation, were awarded to Swanston for the Bridgeport development, but CTPost noted that the project still needs additional substantial public investment.
For that reason, and because the parties are still working out the details necessary for the release of the initial $16 million, the move from 2025 to 2026 was not surprising.
In its Aug. 30 statement, Connecticut Sports Group said the delay will "enable us to complete much-needed infrastructure work around the stadium site and continue to build out our talented staff."
Swanston got more specific in a social media post from early September when he cited the CTDOT bridge project as one of the main reasons for the timetable change but was not critical of it.
"This much-needed infrastructure investment will make the bridge safer for all auto, boat, and pedestrian traffic," he wrote. "We're working with the DOT and city of Bridgeport to mitigate the effect their work will have on stadium construction logistics and timeline."
Gaudett similarly described the Stratford Avenue Bridge replacement as an overall positive for the city and the soccer plan, noting that the new infrastructure will better accommodate the current and anticipated increased traffic to Bridgeport's lower East Side.
More people are visiting that area of town due to the Steelpointe redevelopment, across Interstate 95 from where the soccer stadium is proposed, CTPost noted.
The multipurpose shopping and restaurant destination currently includes a Bass Pro Shop, a Starbucks coffee shop and a new marina with a Boca Seafood restaurant. In addition, ground has been broken in the development for the construction of as many as 1,500 new apartments.
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