With more than 150,000 daily crossings, the West River Bridge between New Haven and West Haven, CT, is a vital link along I-95 and the Connecticut Gateway to New England. But after nearly 60 years of harsh winter conditions, the 1,138-foot bridge was rated structurally deficient.
As part of a five-year, $135 million project, STV, in joint venture, provided construction engineering and inspection services to replace the bridge and reconfigure the adjoining cloverleaf interchange to improve safety and traffic flow. The project widened the existing bridge from 92 feet wide to 136 feet while maintaining the existing six-lane highway and adding four full-width shoulders. The removal of the existing cloverleaf interchange required the reconstruction of about one mile of the highway to accommodate a new combined diamond interchange.
The new interchange, which was honored by the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers with an Achievement in Civil Engineering Award, eliminated poor weaving conditions as vehicles enter and exit the highway. To optimize the operation of the interchange and the local road network, three new signalized intersections were added and interconnected with three existing signalized intersections.
