DOT: Moses Wheeler Bridge is Now Open at Full Capacity

This is definitely good news as we headed into the holiday season where tens of thousands of people in the area will be using the Moses Wheeler Bridge to get to their holiday destination.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker today announced that the new Moses Wheeler Bridge – carrying I-95 over the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford – is now open at full capacity. The bridge has been completely replaced under a $270 million project that began in 2009.

“Getting this bridge back to full capacity just before one of the busiest weeks of travel in the year – and before winter sets in – is a great achievement,” said Commissioner Redeker in a prepared statement. “I want to commend the hundreds of DOT employees, our designers, contractors and inspectors on achieving this milestone of providing full width travel lanes about a month before originally expected.”

At almost 3,200 feet, the Moses Wheeler Bridge is one of the longest in Connecticut. The original bridge opened in 1958. It currently carries 135,000 vehicles per day.

What’s New?

The new traffic alignment allows for three full-width (12 feet) lanes in each direction, up from 10 feet during the work on the new bridge deck. There is also an 8-foot right shoulder and 4-foot left shoulder. The final lane arraignment will allow for even wider shoulders and should be complete by summer of 2016.

History of the Project

The new bridge was built under two separate projects. The first being the foundation work which was completed by O&G Industries in September 2011. The superstructure was built by a joint venture of Walsh Construction and PCL Constructors currently scheduled for completion in December of 2016. It was designed by STV Group. The inspectors on the project are HNTB Corporation and AECOM.

What’s Next?

There is still some additional work to do, including completion of median work, repaving of the entire bridge, removing the existing bridge piers, and construction of a new parking lot and boat launch in Milford in 2016.

The Moses Wheeler Bridge is named for one of Stratford’s earliest settlers, a shipwright who at one time in the mid-1600s operated a ferry across the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford. He died in 1698 at the age of 100.

Photo information: This is an aerial picture of the bridge, prior to the upgrades and additional lane added in each direction.