Inspection Led To Closure Of Mill Road Bridge, Stamford Says

STAMFORD, CT — An inspection of the Mill Road bridge in Stamford as part of a grant application found unsafe conditions and prompted a closure last week, a spokesperson for Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said.

The city's engineering department had applied for a grant from the Connecticut Department of Transportation Local Bridge Program on May 30, said Lauren Meyer, a special assistant to the mayor, in an email to Patch.

The program provides state grants to municipalities for the removal, replacement, reconstruction or rehabilitation of local bridges.

"As part of the application, a bridge inspection report was recently performed and included as part of the grant application for the bridge," Meyer said. "Based upon the recommendation in the inspection report to close the bridge (based on the bridge's condition), the bridge was closed."

It's unclear how old the bridge is, Meyer said, and officials were working to determine that as of Monday morning.

On May 29, the city announced the roadway would be closed due to "an unsafe roadway condition in the area of Old Long Ridge Road" on Mill Road.

Police said the closure will last "several months." Residents on Mill Road can access the roadway from the Rock Rimmon Road side.

Meyer said the city intends to complete an assessment to see if it’s possible to redistribute vehicular loading across the bridge to accommodate one-way alternating traffic until the bridge can be repaired or replaced.

A dedicated webpage for the Mill Road bridge is being developed to keep the public informed, Meyer said.

"The city will also work to provide more signage to better identify the detour route," she added.