The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) is moving ahead with a $10 million project to raise an I-95 bridge that has been hit several times by trucks due to low clearance.
According to CDOT, the bridge has been struck many times, and it is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. In 2015, one truck strike was so severe it damaged steel girders and a waterline underneath the bridge.
Since the problem with the 60-year-old Strawberry Hill Avenue bridge is not enough clearance over I-95, plans include increasing the clearance from 14 ft 1 in. to 16 ft 3 in. so trucks will be less likely to crash into it.
The bridge is located about a half-mile from (East Avenue) Exit 16, an area that’s often a traffic choke point during peak drive times. Once a truck hits the bridge, it often becomes stuck, causing a traffic nightmare with closed lanes, detours and hours of cleanup and removal.
With planning in the final design phase, construction is anticipated to begin next spring. It should take two years to finish.
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Source: The Hour
