Two of Stamford, Conn.'s ailing road bridges have been repaired and reopened after receiving a "poor" rating by CTDOT. Three other bridges are still undergoing work with delays causing concerns for completion by 2025. Funding from federal and state sources is aiding in the replacement efforts.
Shutterstock photo/Eric Buermeyer
Two of Stamford, Conn.'s five ailing road bridges, on West Glen Drive and Lakeside Drive, are finally back in service after being closed over the summer and fall, the Stamford Advocate reported Dec. 15.
After both structures were rated "poor" by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), they were subsequentially closed last spring for repairs.
The transportation agency has 11 rankings for bridge conditions ranging from "failed" at one end of the scale to "excellent" at the other. The "poor" rating is defined by CTDOT as a bridge with "widespread moderate or isolated major defects; strength and/or performance of the component is affected."
Stamford's taxpayers were not on the hook for repairs to either of the two structures.
Eighty percent of the $3.9 million used to replace the Lakeside Drive bridge came from federal funds with the remainder provided by the state. It was originally constructed in 1936, rebuilt in 1993, and closed on April 1 of this year for the most recent upgrade. Traffic was once again allowed onto the improved bridge Dec. 9.
The West Glen Drive bridge, which was built in 1964, cost $2.1 million to replace, 80 percent of which was provided by federal monies with the rest covered by Connecticut funds. It closed in June and reopened to traffic Dec. 6.
Delays On One Bridge Could Cause Major Problems for Another
Meanwhile, work is ongoing on other bridges in Stamford, the Advocate noted.
The Hunting Ridge Road structure, just up the street from LaRocca's Country Market in North Stamford, is still planned to be open by June 2025, according to the city of Stamford website.
CTDOT's goal is to replace the bridge, which was built around 1940, with a structure that can withstand "pressures, velocities, impact and uplift forces from a 100-year flood."
The state will pay 45 percent of the $3.1 million it will take to replace the bridge, which also was rated in "poor" condition by transportation agency.
The goal to withstand heavy flooding came after an August downpour that weather experts described as a 100-year storm dumped three months' worth of rain on southwest Connecticut in just a few hours. Two people also were killed as a result of the storm, and more than two dozen streets were washed out or damaged.
Local officials told the Advocate that the bridge on Cedar Heights Road, which has been delayed multiple times, is aiming toward a replacement by the end of April 2025.
Currently, the structure is closed to traffic, which forces cars and trucks to make a detour along High Ridge Road and Wire Mill Road.
The most recent delay of several that have affected the project came after the city discovered the bridge, rated in "serious" condition by CTDOT, was rebuilt too low. The president of the contracting firm in charge of rebuilding the bridge said his company will pay to fix the height discrepancy.
A "serious" grade is defined by CTDOT as a bridge with "major defects; strength and/or performance of the component is seriously affected." A structure with this grade also calls for "more frequent monitoring, load restrictions and/or corrective actions."
The original goal was to finish the project by Nov. 30, 2023. The contractor committed to working during the 2023-24 winter to get the job done by the end of last May, but the date was pushed a second time to June 30.
Unfortunately, delays continued to plague the construction effort, the Stamford news source said.
The completion date was again postponed after the builder submitted documents to an inspection firm on handling the flow of the Rippowam River, which the Cedar Heights Road bridge crosses, as well as demolition of the original bridge and supporting utility lines before moving from one stage of construction to the next.
If that were not enough, the documents went through multiple rounds of reviews that resulted in even more setbacks.
The Cedar Heights Road bridge also is a detour for a project to replace the Wire Mill Road bridge, so any further delays in the first project could become a serious problem for the second one.
The Wire Mill Road bridge replacement must be finished in 2025 or risk losing some or all of the nearly $2 million in federal money that funded the project, Stamford City Engineer Lou Casolo previously told the Advocate.
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