South Windsor Bridge Repair Comes Through for Hartford Marathon

The Main Street Bridge that spans Stoughton’s Brook has reopened, and with barely any time to spare, thanks to a local construction firm.

Indeed, the 20-foot span’s much-needed partial replacement - which was started in June - was completed by South Windsor’s Folsom Construction on Sept. 27, just in time for the ING Hartford Marathon, which takes place on Oct. 13. A ribbon cutting dedicating the bridge's reopening will take place at the bridget at 11 a.m. today.

Main Street in South Windsor is part of the marathon’s certified course, according to South Windsor Mayor Tom Delnicki. Any delay in the reconstruction of the bridge, which is between Governor’s Highway and Strong Road, would have jeopardized the running of the 26.2-mile race.

“There can’t be any deviation,” said Delnicki, adding that part of the decision to award the bid to Folsom in May hinged on the project being completed before the marathon. “Whoever got the contract had to have it done in time for the marathon. Period.”

That the South Windsor-based Folsom was the low bidder for the $830,000 to $850,000 project was an added bonus to Delnicki.

“I’m proud to see a South Windsor business come through on a project funded by South Windsor taxpayers, doing it on time, getting it done and living up to its commitment of having the bridge opened for the Hartford Marathon and done for the people of South Windsor,” Delnicki said.

Delnicki admitted that he was concerned when a resident approached him about a month and a half ago and informed the mayor that there was “no way the bridge would be done on time.”

“I walked up to [Folsom Construction owner] Lloyd Folsom and asked him, ‘Are we going to be done on time?’” Delnicki said. “And he said, ‘Absolutely.’ I took a ride over to the construction site and could see it moving right along and see it would be done on time.”

The time constraints presented a challenge, according to Folsom Construction’s Billy Cunningham, the Main Street Bridge project manager.

“But we worked closely with the town to deliver a product that everybody could be proud of,” Cunningham said.

The construction involved removing the top portion of the bridge, which dates back to 1935, and replacing the steel beams and the surface, Cunningham said. There also had to be some road reconstruction on either side of the bridge as well as drainage improvements.

On top of the temporal challenges, Cunningham said that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was concerned about contaminating Stoughton Brook, which is still active. Cunningham said that the firm resolved the issue by putting up a protective barrier to prevent debris from entering the water.

The end result is a bridge that the contractor and the town are satisfied with.

“We’re very pleased with the look,” Cunningham said. “It’s got a whole new character.”

Most of the project will be funded through bonding passed by South Windsor residents in an infrastructure referendum in 2006. Up to 30 percent of the cost of the project - or a maximum of about $250,000 - will be reimbursed by the state, Delnicki said.