DOT Announces Completion of Moses Wheeler Bridge Deck Work

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

NEWS RELEASE

2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546
NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: December 5, 2007

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
   OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
   TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062
   Fax: (860) 594-3066
   Web site:www.ct.gov/dot

DOT Announces Completion of Moses Wheeler Bridge Deck Work

Bridge Will Be Replaced, Starting in 2009

NEWINGTON, CT -- The Connecticut Department of Transportation today announced the completion of the emergency deck repairs on the Moses Wheeler Bridge, the Interstate 95 span that carries 111,000 vehicles daily over the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford.

The $6.9 million project was begun in June by the Middlesex Corporation on the 49-year-old, 3,200-foot long bridge. The final phase of the project – the installation of joint seals – will be wrapped up in 2008 as weather permits.

“This work will allow the Moses Wheeler to remain functional while the Department of Transportation designs a new bridge for the tens of thousands of commuters, truckers and others who travel the I-95 Corridor every day,” said DOT Commissioner Ralph J. Carpenter.

Commissioner Carpenter said that “the response by Department personnel and Middlesex Corporation is an excellent example of our capability to respond quickly and effectively to ensure a reliable and safe transportation system.”

The emergency project included the repair and replacement of the bridge deck ends and joints, patching the concrete deck and resurfacing the structure.

The design of a replacement bridge, parallel to the existing Moses Wheeler, is under way. The $350 million replacement project is expected to be advertised for bid next year with construction beginning in 2009. The new bridge is expected to be open in 2014.

The existing Moses Wheeler Bridge is 3,196 feet long and has 34 spans. Opened in 1958, it is named for one of Stratford’s earliest settlers, a shipwright who, in the mid-1600s, operated a ferry across the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford.

The DOT works with local, state and federal officials, as well as groups like the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, Metropool and the I-95 Corridor Coalition to ensure advance notice of its projects. Information about I-95 projects from Maine to Florida can be found at www.i95coalition.org. Other useful traffic information may be found at www.metropool.com and www.trips123.com.