Few of the 135,000 motorists crossing the Moses Wheeler bridge over Connecticut's Housatonic River in 2014 are expected to notice that the bridge is brand new. Few will likely realize that the Connecticut Dept. of Transportation (ConnDOT) and its project team on the 3,000-ft-long span between Stratford and Milford are on track to finish the bridge three years ahead of the 2017 target. But even though drivers may not focus on those details, they will benefit from the $350-million project that replaces the existing 54-year-old span that has reached the end of its useful life.
While ConnDOT has officially shaved off a year to set completion in 2016, the superstructure contractor joint venture of Walsh Construction, Chicago, and PCL Civil Constructors, Denver, aims to finish its $166.5-million contract to replace the Interstate 95 crossing by the end of 2014. This is the same team working 17 miles down I-95 on the $554-million extradosed-span Pearl Harbor Memorial "Q" Bridge in New Haven.