A new bridge for I-95 North in Westport, Connecticut, was slid into place 14 hours faster than expected, beating Monday morning rush hour by a wide margin, reports the state’s Department of Transportation.
(Check out the CDOT’s time-lapse video of the slide above.)
The lateral bridge slide, part of an accelerated bridge construction process to reduce traffic interruptions, started at 7 a.m. Saturday, October 21 and ended at 2 p.m. Sunday, October 22 to replace a deteriorated span over Saugatuck Avenue on the north side of Exit 17. CDOT had initially planned for the slide to be completed within 60 hours, before Monday morning rush hour on October 23.
The slide is part of a larger $104 million project to make safety improvements on two miles of I-95 from Exit 61 in Norwalk to Exit 17 in Westport. Yonkers Contracting Company Inc. is the contractor.
During the slide, two lanes of traffic on the interstate remained open in each direction. The northbound bridge was demolished, and the new one, which was built beside the interstate, was slid into place using heavy hydraulic jacks. A second lateral slide of a replacement deck for the southbound side is set for November 3-6.
To watch crews prep for the bridge slide between 7 a.m. October 19 and 7 a.m. October 20, check out the CDOT time-lapse video below:
Other bridges along the corridor are slated for repairs. The project also includes the following improvements, according to CDOT:
- Reconstruction of the center median and right shoulders along with resurfacing the highway mainline and ramps at Interchanges 16 and 17.
- Median reconstruction consistent with other stretches of I-95 to provide a 6-foot-wide capped concrete barrier section.
- Wider left and right shoulders where possible.
- Replacing and re-routing drainage structures.
- Replacing the highway illumination system.
- Installing new realigned Incident Management System (IMS).
- Installing new guide rail.
- Adding wet retroreflective pavement markings for increased visibility in wet conditions.
The project is scheduled for completion in November 2024. Work began June 14, 2022.
