Moses Wheeler Bridge
Encyclopedia
Moses Wheeler Bridge carries Interstate 95
over the Housatonic River
between Stratford
and the Devon section of Milford. The bridge is a 34-span plate girder structure with a concrete deck with three 12-foot travel lanes in each direction. The central span over the river's navigation channel includes a ship-lap assembly, which are no longer used in bridge construction. Construction on the Moses Wheeler Bridge began in 1955 and opened on January 2, 1958.
that run atop the nearby Metro-North Railroad Drawridge. Stratford residents and officials demanded the new bridge be built to the north of the existing span, closer to the Metro-North bridge and the power lines. A compromise was reached where the new bridge will roughly use the same footprint as the existing span. To make this possible, the project will be completed in three stages: the first two stages will consist of constructing the outer parts of the new bridge that will eventually carry two outer lanes and the outer shoulder, while three lanes of traffic are maintained on the existing bridge. During the final stage of construction, three lanes of traffic will be shifted to the new outer spans, at which point crews will demolish the existing span and complete the center portion of the new bridge.
The new bridge is planned to be a 14-span segmented concrete box girder structure, carrying three (expandable to four) lanes in each direction with full left and right shoulders. The bridge is designed for seismic loading to withstand a major earthquake. Additionally, it will include a fender system to protect the bridge piers from ship collisions. Aesthetic features are also included, among which is encasing the bridge piers with decorative granite and aesthetic lighting. The STV Group designed the replacement bridge. The existing bridge has no shoulders.
Environmental studies for the new bridge were completed in 2005, and CONNDOT awarded a $60 million contract to Torrington, Connecticut
-based O&G Industries for the initial phase of work in July 2009. Construction on the first phase of replacing the bridge, including the foundations for the new bridge piers and temporary work truss
es in the Housatonic River began in September 2009. The $250 million contract that will build the remainder of the new bridge and demolish the existing span is scheduled to be let in June 2010.
Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
over the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
between Stratford
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
and the Devon section of Milford. The bridge is a 34-span plate girder structure with a concrete deck with three 12-foot travel lanes in each direction. The central span over the river's navigation channel includes a ship-lap assembly, which are no longer used in bridge construction. Construction on the Moses Wheeler Bridge began in 1955 and opened on January 2, 1958.
Planned replacement
Heavy traffic and harsh New England weather have taken their toll on the Moses Wheeler Bridge. It has been rated as 'structurally deficient' during recent inspections, with accelerating deterioration of the structural steel being of particular concern. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CONNDOT) began drawing up plans to replace the bridge in 1996. Originally CONNDOT planned to construct the new bridge to the south of the existing one, away from 115 kilovolt high tension wiresElectric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
that run atop the nearby Metro-North Railroad Drawridge. Stratford residents and officials demanded the new bridge be built to the north of the existing span, closer to the Metro-North bridge and the power lines. A compromise was reached where the new bridge will roughly use the same footprint as the existing span. To make this possible, the project will be completed in three stages: the first two stages will consist of constructing the outer parts of the new bridge that will eventually carry two outer lanes and the outer shoulder, while three lanes of traffic are maintained on the existing bridge. During the final stage of construction, three lanes of traffic will be shifted to the new outer spans, at which point crews will demolish the existing span and complete the center portion of the new bridge.
The new bridge is planned to be a 14-span segmented concrete box girder structure, carrying three (expandable to four) lanes in each direction with full left and right shoulders. The bridge is designed for seismic loading to withstand a major earthquake. Additionally, it will include a fender system to protect the bridge piers from ship collisions. Aesthetic features are also included, among which is encasing the bridge piers with decorative granite and aesthetic lighting. The STV Group designed the replacement bridge. The existing bridge has no shoulders.
Environmental studies for the new bridge were completed in 2005, and CONNDOT awarded a $60 million contract to Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
-based O&G Industries for the initial phase of work in July 2009. Construction on the first phase of replacing the bridge, including the foundations for the new bridge piers and temporary work truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es in the Housatonic River began in September 2009. The $250 million contract that will build the remainder of the new bridge and demolish the existing span is scheduled to be let in June 2010.