Three-year construction project on East Haddam Swing Bridge completed

Two communities are back together again without the concern of delays or road closures getting between them.

The rehabilitation project being done on the East Haddam Swing bridge is complete.

The bridge was under consistent construction for about three years, which lead to back-ups, one lane passing, and even days-long closures while crews worked hard to bring the project across the finish line.

Both Haddam and East Haddam came together at Eagle Landing State Park for the ribbon cutting.

“It was a minor inconvenience, but it was worth it for the results that we have today,” Rachael Keating, from East Haddam, said.

She rode her bike over to celebrate the new way across the Connecticut River. A pedestrian walkway has already been getting some foot and bike traffic.

“It’s amazing, my sister-in-law and brother live on the other side of the bridge so a few weeks ago, we met in the middle and we all walked and we are glad to have that connection,” Keating said.

The historic swing bridge endured years of work, but it has reached its completion.

“This is going to set the bridge up for another three decades of reliable service,” Garrett Eucalitto with the Connecticut Department of Transportation said.

The rehabilitation project was to ensure the communities could take a break from the consistent smaller patch projects that happen roughly every decade, as well as overhaul the mechanism inside the bridge to keep it swinging well into the future, without the fear of a breakdown.

The project totaled about $88.8 million, and combined about 80% federal dollars and 20% state dollars. It was funded in large part by the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“This way it’s a few years’ worth of pain, 60+ hour closures, here and there, but this way, we are going to be out of here for another three decades,” Eucalitto said.

The project overhauled the bridge infrastructure to handle heavier weight vehicles, re-did the electrical and added the pedestrian walkway for safety.

Work was led by the American Bridge Company, the same company that did the bridge initially, 112 years ago.

Back then, the first to cross the bridge were oxen, and today, the oxen were back, as a homage to the original two who crossed the river in 1913.

“A lot of our work is on the other side of the bridge,” said Lou Milardo with Rivers Edge Home Center up the street.

He welcomes the upgrade and is ready to have consistent access to their customer base in Eastern Connecticut.

“We’re glad, we’re glad it’s been a long road, but we got there,” he said.

The area has been plagued by roadwork including the installation of sidewalks on Bridge Street, sewer and water main work, and bridge and road work for the better part of the last decade.

So according to Milardo, the light at the end of the tunnel is a welcome sight.

“It’s perfect timing, beginning of the summer, the walkway they added to the bridge is a big improvement,” he said.

On Route 154, a stone’s throw away from the bridge work, CT DOT is installing two roundabouts in the center of the Tylerville section of Haddam. That roadwork is well underway, and they estimate it to be complete at the end of summer or early in the fall.