July 21, 2014

GOV. MALLOY: VIDEO DOCUMENTS CREATIVE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE EARLY COMPLETION OF CTDOT I-84 BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN SOUTHINGTON

(SOUTHINGTON, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released a time-lapse video of the replacement of two Connecticut highway bridges. The $6 million project to replace the I-84 bridge over Marion Avenue in Southington, which was scheduled for completion in July 2014, was finished ahead of schedule over the weekend of June 28-29 using an engineering and construction process known as ABC - Accelerated Bridge Construction - in which the new bridges are built adjacent to the old ones and are then lifted into place when ready.

"This project not only demonstrates the unprecedented investments we are making to improve and modernize our transportation infrastructure but also the steps we are taking to ensure these kinds of projects are completed ahead of schedule and with as little interruption as possible to area residents and travelers," said Governor Malloy. "By employing ABC principles, CTDOT took a creative approach to virtually eliminate what would have been many months or even years of traffic disruptions and congestion on I-84 and the local roads surrounding the project."

Beginning in the summer of 2013, CTDOT's contractor, Northern Construction, utilized ABC techniques to prefabricate new bridge superstructures to replace the existing bridge's units that were built in 1963 and have since fallen into poor condition. Only one weekend closure of I-84 was required for the replacement and installation of the two new 102-foot-long bridges weighing 2 million pounds each.

CTDOT has used ABC in the past on a smaller scale, but the replacement of the I-84 bridges in Southington over Marion Avenue marks the first time that the technique has been used on a large-scale construction project. While not every bridge project is suitable for ABC, CTDOT will continue to use this technology in other locations around the state after the success of this major bridge replacement.

The time-lapse video of the project, produced by Earth Cam Inc. for CTDOT, may be viewed here on Governor Malloy's YouTube channel.

Watch on YouTube | Download high quality video

###

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy