Malloy: Replacement of Norwalk River RR Bridge on Track

The project to replace the Walk Railroad Bridge over the Norwalk River is on schedule, Gov. Dannel Malloy and state Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said Tuesday in a news release.

The news release didn’t announce any problems or triumphs — just that the project is going as scheduled. Malloy praised his administration for working to replace the span: “For decades, there was no action on this bridge,” the governor said in the news release. “Now we are taking action, making smart choices today to ensure a best-in-class transportation system tomorrow.”

The bridge, first built in 1896, recently failed twice in 2014, holding up commuters for hours. Interim repairs to make failures less likely have been taken as designers are developing plans for a replacement bridge. Construction is expected to start in 2016 and be finished by 2020. Malloy noted that the project is complicated and takes time to complete.

The ”bascule” bridge turns for part of the distance over the Norwalk River in order to let boats or ships pass through. The replacement will feature twin bascule bridges. The state Bond Commission approved $53 million for the state Transportation Department to begin the project, which has also received a $161 million federal grant.

The news release described some of the interim improvements this way:

“Interim repairs included modifications to the assemblies that lift the rail clear to allow the bridge to swing and installation of electronic switches that prevent the various gears from over-rotating, which was the cause of the failures last year, according to Commissioner Redeker. The work was done in combination with a project already under way to replace rails and ties on the bridge. The new mechanisms will be programmed into the automation of the bridge to reduce the manpower currently needed to open the bridge.”

New guidelines issued by the U.S. Coast Guard have restricted the times that the bridge opens for water traffic and mandates that hours of notice be given beforehand, according to the news release: “Under the rules, the bridge may not be opened during peak train hours, which are Monday through Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Four hours’ notice is required before the bridge will be opened from9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., and two hours’ notice is required from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

Picture from the state’s “Walk Bridge Repair and Reliability Report”