Arrigoni Bridge

Charles J. Arrigoni Bridge

Coordinates	41°34′09″N 72°38′55″W / 41.56917°N 72.64861°W / 41.56917; -72.64861Coordinates: 41°34′09″N 72°38′55″W / 41.56917°N 72.64861°W / 41.56917; -72.64861
Carries	Route 66 / Route 17
Crosses	Connecticut River and Route 9
Locale	Middletown and Portland, Connecticut
Maintained by	Connecticut Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Through arch bridge
Total length	3428.1 ft (1044.85 m)^[1]
Width	44.9 ft (13.7 m)^[1]
Longest span	2 × 660 feet (200 m)^[1]
Clearance below	89 ft (27.1 m)
History
Construction begin	1936^[1]
Construction end	1938
Opened	1938
Statistics
Daily traffic	33,600
Charles J. Arrigoni Bridge Location in Connecticut

The Arrigoni Bridge carries Route 66 and Route 17 over Route 9 and across the Connecticut River, connecting Middletown, Connecticut to Portland, Connecticut. The bridge has an average daily traffic of 33,600.^[2]

History

In 1895, the first non-railroad bridge between Middletown and Portland was built, but that and the earlier railroad bridge connecting the two communities were heavily damaged by flooding in 1936.^[3]

Constructed from 1936 to 1938, when it opened in 1938 the Arrigoni Bridge was the most expensive bridge, costing $3.5 million. With two 600 feet (180 m) steel arches, the bridge is still the longest of its kind in Connecticut. In 1938, the Arrigoni Bridge won the American Institute of Steel Construction's first prize of "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the large bridge category.^[4]

The bridge is somewhat of an icon and landmark in the area and is also a marker of where the water begins to freeze in the river (as south of this point the tides are able to bring enough salt water north to keep the water from freezing over.) It was named after the state legislator who promoted the project, Charles J. Arrigoni, and was designed by William G. Grove of the American Bridge Company and Leslie G. Sumner of the State Highway Department.