Moses Wheeler Bridge
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| Moses Wheeler Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Moses Wheeler Bridge |
| Carries | 6 lanes of I-95 (Connecticut Turnpike) |
| Crosses | Housatonic River |
| Locale | Stratford, Connecticut/Milford, Connecticut |
| Maintained by | Connecticut Department of Transportation[1] |
| Design | steel plate girder and floorbeam, with pin and hanger assemblies |
| Number of spans | 34 |
| Total length | 967 meters (3,196 feet) |
| Opening date | 1958 |
| Coordinates | |
Moses Wheeler Bridge carries Interstate 95 over the Housatonic River between Stratford and the Devon section of Milford. The bridge is a 34-span plate girder structure with a concrete deck with three 12-foot travel lanes in each direction. The central span over the river's navigation channel includes a pin and hanger assembly, which are no longer used in bridge construction. Construction on the Moses Wheeler Bridge began in 1955 and opened on January 2, 1958.
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[edit] Planned replacement
Heavy traffic and harsh New England weather have taken their toll on the Moses Wheeler Bridge. It has been rated as 'structurally deficient' during recent inspections, with accelerating deterioration of the structural steel being of particular concern. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CONNDOT) began drawing up plans to replace the bridge in 1996. Originally CONNDOT planned to construct the new bridge to the south of the existing one, away from 115 kilovolt high tension wires that run atop the nearby Metro-North Railroad Drawridge. Local opposition from Stratford residents compelled state officials to build the new bridge to the north of the existing span, closer to the Metro-North bridge and the power lines.
The new bridge is planned to be a 14-span segmented concrete box girder structure, carrying three (expandable to four) lanes in each direction with full left and right shoulders. The STV Group designed the replacement bridge. [2] The existing bridge has no shoulders.
Environmental studies for the new bridge were completed in 2005, and CONNDOT is scheduled to advertise the $120 million project for bids in 2008.
[edit] Emergency repairs
During the summer of 2007, CONNDOT performed a $6.9 million emergency repair project to the Moses Wheeler Bridge after several large holes opened up in the bridge deck[3], and advanced deterioration of the structural steel was discovered during a routine inspection. The project involved a full-depth patch and repair of the bridge deck, roadway resurfacing, and reinforcement of key superstructure components to ensure the bridge could remain in service until the new bridge can be built.[4]
[edit] See also
List of crossings of the Housatonic River
[edit] External links
- ^ CONNDOT
- ^ Moses Wheeler Bridge Replacement Project by STV
- ^ Moses Wheeler Bridge Closes Lane, WVIT TV Hartford, CT, August 13, 2007
- ^ CONNDOT Special Construction Notice
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