Amtrak will soon begin construction of a new, modern Connecticut River Bridge to replace the existing bridge following the award of a construction contract to O&G/Tutor Perini, a Joint Venture. This milestone comes on the heels of recent permit approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The new Connecticut River Bridge will improve reliability and reduce delays for Amtrak’s intercity services, Connecticut Shore Line East commuter service and freight operators along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), America’s busiest rail corridor. This is one of several passenger rail improvement projects in the State of Connecticut, including the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Devon Bridge and Walk Bridge replacement projects, among others.
Amtrak will construct a new two-track bridge to replace the existing two-track Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, CT – roughly midway between New York City and Providence, RI.
- The new moveable bridge will be located immediately south of the existing moveable bridge, featuring modern track, signal, catenary, power, communication and other supporting rail infrastructure.
- It is designed with a maximum operating speed of 70 mph, a 55% increase from today’s maximum speed of 45 mph.
- Maritime navigation and safety will also improve due to additional vertical clearance compared with the existing bridge.
The 1,500-foot-long Connecticut River Bridge opened in 1907 and is one of several moveable rail bridges along the NEC. Today, it serves more than 50 daily Amtrak Northeast Regional and Acela trains, CTrail Shore Line East service and various freight trains. The unreliability of the aging bridge, due to its failure to open and close consistently, results in cascading delays to rail and maritime traffic.
-via Press Release