STV provided construction inspection services for the rehabilitation of the historic Grand Avenue Bridge, a moveable swing span that first opened in 1898 and crosses the Quinnipiac River in New Haven. The construction performed is expected to extend the structure’s overall lifespan for decades and significantly reduce the city’s annual maintenance costs. 

The nearly $25 million project extended the approach spans on either side of the bridge to eliminate two spans and reduce future maintenance costs. The swing span deck and floor system were replaced with new stringers and a composite exodermic bridge deck with a polyester polymer concrete overlay, maximizing the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of steel to provide a thinner deck and lighter structure so an improved live load capacity and durability could be achieved. In addition, mechanical parts were repaired or replaced, and new state-of-the-art controls were added to a fully renovated bridgetender’s control house at the top of the bridge.