Officials working on the $1 billion project to replace Connecticut's 127-year-old railroad Walk Bridge recently spoke about how they plan to minimize impacts as construction continues over the next six years.
“We know that this is a topic that has generated a lot of conversation throughout the community, and so we’ve invited the Walk Bridge people who know everything there is to know about it here to have discussions, answer your questions,” said Mayor Harry Rilling at a recent event. “We’re confident that working together with the Walk Bridge and the city of Norwalk and our team, we’ll be able to mitigate to a great degree the impact that the Walk Bridge has on the city.”
The project broke ground in May to replace the four-track swing bridge over the Norwalk River that serves as a key link in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest rail corridor in the nation, according to the project's website.
While impacts on traffic have been minimal so far, project officials said there will eventually be lane closures and road closures to improve the infrastructure of the railway. Lane and road closures are not expected until 2024 and 2025, said Jeff Bird from the Walk Bridge Project team.
“Primary impacts to what we’re doing for the Walk Bridge are on North Water Street because we are replacing that structure,” Bird said. “There’s an existing span that spans over North Water Street. That structure will be removed and replaced in phases.”
The project area is about a mile of track between the South Norwalk and East Norwalk stations. The four tracks on the Walk Bridge will be fitted with a new vertical lift, first on the southbound side, then on the northbound. While the old sections are demolished and the new lift and towers are installed, trains will be diverted to the two tracks on the other side.
“I think one thing that we want to drive home is that we want to be as transparent as possible; this project won’t work without that,” said Rory McGlasson, communications and public involvement specialist for the Walk Bridge Project. “We want to make sure that you guys are aware of what’s happening on the project ahead of time, in a timely manner.”
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Source: The Hour News
