$158.2M ​Federal Infrastructure Grant Will Accelerate Gold Star Rehab

NEW LONDON-GROTON, CT — Thanks to a $158.2 million federal infrastructure grant award, the rehabilitation project of the iconic Gold Star Memorial Bridge currently underway is set to be "accelerated," state and federal leaders announced Thursday.

Gov. Ned Lamont, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Rep. Joe Courtney announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the state Department of Transportation $158.2 million through its competitive Bridge Investment Program. The goal is to speed up the overhaul of the bridge's northbound span between New London and Groton.

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge was originally constructed in 1943, and a major superstructure rehabilitation was performed in the 1970s. In the 1990s, multiple rehabilitation projects were completed to improve bridge conditions. In 2014, there was a bearing replacement project for half of the expansion bearings on the approach spans. In 2018, improvements were completed on the southbound span. In 2020, the project on the northbound span began.

Created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in November 2021, the BIP is the single largest dedicated federal investment in the nation’s bridges since the construction of the interstate highway system.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to pay dividends to Connecticut,” Lamont said. “Ensuring people and freight can move safely and efficiently across the Thames River is so important. This project helps reduce congestion, lower emissions, and is an economic driver of eastern Connecticut. I thank President Joe Biden, Secretary Peter Buttigieg, and the U.S. Department of Transportation for this award. I also thank Connecticut’s Congressional delegation, who continue to work for us every day in Washington to bring home these funds to improve our state.”

The bridge’s northbound span is the longest bridge in Connecticut, carrying five lanes of traffic and nearly 60,000 vehicles daily, and has been undergoing the first phase of an overall $407.7 million rehabilitation since 2020. With this grant secured, future construction phases on the northbound structure will be accelerated, with the bridge fully operational at an earlier date.

Due to its condition, the northbound bridge is currently load restricted, which prohibits oversize and overweight vehicles from crossing the northbound structure of the bridge. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions are increased through idling, as the 17-mile detour includes more than 20 traffic signals.

In addition to safety improvements on the bridge, the project also includes expanded non-motorized access across the Thames River. A multi-use path will benefit active transportation users and connect New London and Groton, the Naval Submarine Base, and the United States Coast Guard Academy.

“This massive, historic investment in an iconic Connecticut bridge will make travel safer, speedier, and more reliable,” Blumenthal said. “The competition for funding was cutthroat, and our delegation’s fight for it was steadfast and unstinting. This investment marks another highly significant step toward bringing our infrastructure into the 21st century, and we will continue working for more progress.”

Courtney said the bridge is Connecticut’s largest passenger and truck bridge. And its rehab "long overdue."

“Preliminary work at Gold Star started last summer by members of the local Ironworkers Union, and this award will ensure that follow on structural work on the northbound lane will occur," Coutrnety said.

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge Project is the largest project underway in Connecticut that includes a Project Labor Agreement with the building trades, "providing good paying jobs and workforce development training for the next generation of workers."

"This is another example of the 2021 Infrastructure Law’s positive impact on eastern Connecticut,” he said. "With this upgrade, the bridge will be able to safely tolerate higher weight vehicles, which is a benefit to all motorists, and will reduce truck traffic on local roads, which is more congested right now due to present weight restrictions. This award is a win-win for good paying jobs in the region, and safer traffic flow.”

This is the second BIP grant CTDOT has been awarded since the passage of the federal infrastructure law. In October, CTDOT received $1 million for the Interstate 95 Traffic and Bridge Safety Study in Stamford.

“Infrastructure investments like this increase the safety, longevity, and efficiency of one of our state’s most important bridges,” CTDOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said. “Thanks to the federal government’s commitment, this critical major project will be accelerated and completed faster. We thank the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy, Congressman Courtney, and Governor Lamont for their steadfast support of vital bridge and infrastructure investments.”