DOT Project 0095-0260 Webpage
Welcome to the webpage for Project 0095-0260, Replacement of Bridge No. 05325 Wheaton Road over East Aspetuck River, in the Town of New Milford.
A virtual public informational meeting for the project will be held on Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m.
The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and allow an open discussion of any views and comments concerning the proposed improvements. A Q&A session will immediately follow the presentation.
The purpose and need of the project are to address structural deficiencies associated with the poor condition of the existing bridge superstructure and get this scour critical bridge into a state of good repair. The project will accomplish this by replacing the existing circa-1985 single-span bridge that carries Wheaton Road over the East Aspetuck River in the town of New Milford with a new single span bridge.
The existing bridge is located approximately 300 feet east of U.S. Route 202 (Litchfield Road), between Northfield Cemetery and Carlson’s Grove Park. The bridge carries bi-directional traffic on Wheaton Road in an east-west direction over the East Aspetuck River. There are no sidewalks on or near the bridge. The existing bridge consists of single-span steel multi-girder and reinforced concrete deck superstructure with reinforced cast-in-place concrete abutments and wingwalls. Wheaton Road is classified as a Local-Urban Street and has a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. The estimated Average Daily Traffic on the bridge is 890 vehicles per day.
The proposed bridge will consist of a single span AASHTO Concrete Box Beam Superstructure on Reinforced Cast-in Place Integral Abutments founded on piles. Seven 4-foot wide precast AASHTO Box Beams will be overlain with a concrete shear slab, membrane waterproofing, and 3-inch minimum wearing surface. The concrete integral abutments will be founded on piles, and the wingwalls will be cast-in-place. The overall bridge length will be increased from 35 feet to 69 feet and have a 60-foot clear span. A curb-to-curb width of 25 feet, consisting of 10-foot wide travel lanes and 2-foot to 3-foot wide shoulders, will be provided on the bridge. Open bridge rail, mounted to cast-in-place concrete curbs, will be utilized across the structure and terminate into concrete end blocks located at all four corners of the bridge. Curved walls will be utilized at all four corners of the bridge, and guiderail will be installed on the west approach.
The roadway will be reconstructed to limits approximately 64 feet west of the bridge span and 76 feet east, resulting in 200 feet of total project limits. The bridgework will utilize a full road closure and detour; Wheaton Road traffic near the bridge site will be detoured to Litchfield Road and Upland Road.
Existing overhead utility wires will be temporarily relocated to utility poles on the north side of the existing bridge prior to construction and then replaced within the Wheaton Road right-of-way upon completion of construction activities. The exposed concrete on the bridge wingwalls will have a form liner finish, and the guiderail on the west approach will be galvanized.
There are right-of-way impacts associated with the proposed improvement. A small take and drainage right-of-way will be required to construct the southwest bridge wingwall and proposed drainage pipe, and construction easements will be needed on the north and south sides of the bridge for grading and temporary utility relocation.
Construction is anticipated to begin in April 2026 based on the availability of funding, acquisition of rights of way, and approval of permits. The estimated construction cost for this project is approximately $2.52 Million. This project is anticipated to be undertaken with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.
The Public Meeting Notice can be viewed here.
The proposed project plans can be viewed here.
Please register for the virtual public information meeting at this Registration Link. Registration is required to participate. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to access the meeting.
This meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube: portal.ct.gov/ctdotvpimarchive.
Members of the public can submit comments and questions during the two-week public comment period following the meeting. Please direct comments and questions by July 29 to:
- DOT-FLBP@ct.gov
- 860-594-2020
- And/or Jeffrey Organek at Jeffrey.Organek@ct.gov and (860) 594-3582
Closed captioning will be available. Non-English translation options will be available on Zoom and YouTube. The recording will also be available on CTDOT’s YouTube Virtual Public Information Meeting playlist: portal.ct.gov/ctdotvpimarchive.
Persons with limited internet access, use the call-in number 877-853-5257 and enter Meeting ID 860 9455 3682. Persons with limited internet access may also request that project information be mailed to them within one week by contacting Jeffrey Organek at Jeffrey.Organek@ct.gov or (860) 594-3582.
Persons with hearing and/or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS).
Language assistance may be requested by contacting the CTDOT’s Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least five business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance.
Additional Information for Public
After the meeting, we hope you’ll take a few extra minutes to fill out our brief survey.