A highly-used bridge over West Broad Street in downtown Stamford is set to undergo repairs.
The bridge last underwent an interim deck repair a few years ago, but more comprehensive repairs are needed, City Engineer Louis Casolo said in a recent Board of Finance meeting.
“I went out there the other day, took a picture, there's some cracks radiating up through the surface. It wasn't a through-deck repair, but it's held up pretty well for four years. So what I'm getting at is: It's time,” Casolo said.
The board unanimously approved the request for a $3.7 million bond for the effort. The state is kicking in an additional $3.7 million as part of the latest round of grants for bridge repairs across Connecticut.
City officials say the state considers the bridge to be in poor condition. Only about 30% of all bridges in Connecticut are considered to be in good condition, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Since a lot of traffic moves across the West Broad Street Bridge, construction will be done in stages, and could take a year and a half to complete, Casolo said. The bridge goes over the Rippowan River and is close to the UConn Stamford campus.
The bridge, built in 1954, was rebuilt in 1990. It underwent repairs in 2022, but Casolo said the bridge has continued to deteriorate.
Casolo said there are other issues with the bridge.
“The bearing pads of the steel beams are at the end of their life and require replacement,” Casolo said. “There's a lot of sidewalk deficiencies, and this is more deterioration along the supports for the railing. The abutments themselves have cracking.”
State Sen. Patricia Billie Miller, who represents Stamford, welcomed the state funding, saying the bridge is a “vital transportation link” in the city.
“State funding like this offsets what would otherwise fall more heavily on Stamford taxpayers to maintain it,” Miller said in a press release. “I’m grateful the Department of Transportation approved this funding, and pleased to see the state continuing to invest in Stamford’s infrastructure.”
