Construction Approaches On Rt. 1 Bridge Replacement In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Beginning the night of May 31, construction will begin on the U.S. Route 1 bridge in Stamford that spans I-95 near exit 9, a project that will require the temporary closure of the Post Road over several days into June, according to state and local officials.

The project calls for the complete replacement of the bridge - the new structure already can be seen in the staging area next to I-95 - and as a result, crews will shut down the Post Road over successive weekends May 31 to June 3, and June 7 to June 10.

During these periods, traffic will be detoured from Route 1 to a loop from Courtland Avenue to Hamilton Avenue, but officials urge motorists to avoid the area entirely if possible, because the closures will cause significant delays.

Additionally during the same periods, exit 9 traffic will be shifted to temporary roadways on both the on- and off-ramps.

"The bridge is being replaced because it has reached the end of its lifespan and is structurally deficient," stated Stamford officials of the $15 million project. "The new bridge will be constructed using the Accelerated Bridge Construction method, which significantly reduces the amount of time required to replace a bridge."

Click here or click here to read more information about the project and the detours.

Because the bridge is located near the border between Stamford and Darien, the Darien Police Department also is warning residents of that town to be prepared for the project to affect Darien's traffic and roadways.

Below is a traffic advisory from the Darien Police Department for the project. The department's suggestions can also apply to motorists from Stamford or other communities:

What/Where: The US 1 overpass over I-95 in the area of Exit 9 in Stamford is being completely replaced over two weekends. The replacement bridge structure itself has been being constructed right next to the highway for many months and is now ready to be installed. This process, known as Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) allows the impact on the roadways to be limited to two weekends rather than enduring two years of standard bridge construction. Six hundred and twenty-eight cubic yards of concrete weighing over 1.5 million pounds was used to build the two bridge spans. About 32 miles of rebar was installed within the newly constructed bridge spans, and new structural steel was used to create the new bridge superstructures. Each individual span to be lifted and set into place weighs between approximately 1.6 million pounds, and 1.8 million pounds.

When: The Darien Police Department wishes to advise all motorists and residents of expected significant and severe traffic delays occurring Friday May 31st (PM) through Monday June 3rd (early AM) and again from Friday June 7th (PM) through Monday June 10th (early AM).

MOTORISTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THE AREA DURING THE CLOSURE TIME FRAMES TO AVOID HEAVY TRAFFIC DELAYS.

Impact to Town of Darien Traffic: Although no construction is occurring in Darien, the sheer scope of this project, the major impact to I-95 through Darien and the proximity of the project to Darien town line makes it clear that there will be significant traffic congestion and potential significant delays on local Darien roadways during all hours of these two weekends.

US 1 (Post Road) in Stamford will be closed and a detour through Hamilton Ave. and Courtland Ave. will be set up. I-95 will not be "completely closed" but will be severely restricted as to be "effectively closed" during much of the weekend(s). The Darien Police Department expects very heavy traffic on most of our major surface streets (Boston Post Road, West Ave., Mansfield Ave., Hoyt Street, Tokeneke Road, etc.) as motorists seek alternates to I-95.

What Have We Done To Prepare For This? The Darien Police Department has worked closely with the CT Department of Transportation and all Emergency Services in neighboring towns to coordinate our preparation for this project. We will have additional police traffic personnel working around the clock dedicated solely to traffic management at Darien intersections and areas where delays are to be expected. We expect a large amount of traffic to be exiting I-95 at Exit 11 (especially S/B) onto US 1.

How You Can Help: Please consider avoiding the area during these weekends and try to limit traffic trips if possible. Please allow for significant extra time if you must drive in lower Fairfield County during these weekends. Bear with us and please realize that enduring two weekends of epic delays are far superior to two years of ongoing traffic congestion and frustration.

Note: There will be live streaming video feeds of construction during the weekends when the bridge is installed on the project website. This live feed, and complete information on the project, can be found at: www.i95exit9.com .

All inquiries concerning the Town of Darien’s involvement and preparation for this project can be directed to Capt. Don Anderson at danderson@darienct.gov or by phone at (203) 662-5312.