Davis Avenue Bridge Reopens In Bruce Park

GREENWICH, CT — The Davis Avenue Bridge officially opened to vehicular traffic on Tuesday, just in time for the first day of school in Greenwich on Wednesday. The bridge is expected to be complete in the spring of 2022, the Greenwich Department of Public Works said in an announcement on Tuesday.

As part of the official Connecticut Department of Transportation diversion route for I-95, the Davis Avenue Bridge, which is located in Bruce Park, carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per day. The bridge serves three purposes – supporting traffic traveling on Davis Avenue, retaining water in the Davis Mill Pond and allowing water to flow into Indian Harbor.

But since the bridge was built in 1934 it has deteriorated, so a replacement project was developed. Inspectors had labeled the bridge "functionally obsolete", and the CT Department of Transportation changed the load rating from 34 tons to 25 tons. Throughout the project, construction crews have been working six days a week.

"We are pleased that the Davis Avenue Bridge reopened on schedule and in time for students returning back to school," said Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner Jim Michel in a news release. "The reopening of this bridge will make travel easier for residents that are commuting to work and school, or those who use this road for recreational purposes."

According to DPW, a brief closure later this month will take place in order to install a waterproof membrane.

Improvements include:

• Correct existing structural and functional deficiencies of the bridge.
• Improve multimodal traffic flow and safety at bridge crossing.
• Wider driving lanes and shoulders.
• Five-foot-long road shoulders which will make the bridge easier for bicyclists to use.
• Brand new pedestrian bridge.
• New curbing and sidewalk near the bridge.
• Additional drainage to improve run-off.
• Elimination of the bridge's middle pier to reduce likelihood of clogged debris and flooding.
• Construction of a fish ladder which gives migrating fish a detour route to swim upstream.
• New pavement and repaved markings on portions of Davis Avenue near the bridge.
• Utilities better hidden from public view.

Construction plans were prepared by Alfred Benesch & Company, of Glastonbury, and the contractor for this project is A. Vitti Excavators, LLC of Stamford. Town of Greenwich DPW Senior Civil Engineer, Jason Kaufman, is the project manager.