The Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge (also known as the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge, and as the Housatonic River Bridge) carries the limited-access

Merritt Parkway The Merritt Parkway (also known locally as "The Merritt") is a limited-access parkway in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with a small section at the northern end in New Haven County. Designed for Connecticut's Gold Coast, the parkway is known ...

(

Connecticut Route 15 Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut that runs from a connection with New York's Hutchinson River Parkway in Greenwich, Connecticut, to its northern terminus intersecting with Interstate 84 (I-84) in East Har ...

) over the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

, between Stratford and Milford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. The first bridge on the site, known as the Sikorsky Bridge, was completed in 1940, marking the completion of the

and the starting point for construction of the adjoining Wilbur Cross Parkway, September 2, 1940. It featured two lanes in each direction, and open steel grid decking that saved cost to stay within budget and was unpopular with drivers. A toll plaza stood at the eastern end of the Sikorsky Bridge until Connecticut abolished tolls in 1988, and is now preserved in Stratford at the

Boothe Memorial Park and Museum Boothe Memorial Park and Museum sits on a site in the Putney section of Stratford, Connecticut. Built about 1840 and remodeled in 1914, it is said to be "The Oldest Homestead in America," since it sits on the foundations of a 1663 house, and ...

. The Sikorsky Bridge was named after aviation pioneer

Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...

, whose helicopter factory remains located north of the roadway, along the western riverfront, immediately north of the approach to the bridge (although visibility of the display of his name on that facility -- which in the 21st century operates as a component of

United Aircraft The United Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer formed by the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1934. In 1975, the company became United Technologies. History Pre-1930s 1930s The Air Mail scandal ...

Corporation -- has been downgraded. After years of environmental studies, the

Connecticut Department of Transportation The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut. ...

awarded an $87 million contract to

Balfour Beatty Construction Balfour Beatty Construction, is a commercial construction company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with full service offices in the United States. Balfour Beatty Construction's parent company is Balfour Beatty in London. History Balfour Beatty ...

to build the replacement bridge, the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge, in 2000. The southern half of the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge opened in 2003; the Sikorsky Bridge was demolished in 2004. In February 2004, the load unexpectedly shifted on a crane that was removing structural steel from the old bridge. The crane overturned and fell into the partially frozen Housatonic River, killing its operator. The remaining half of the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge was completed in 2006, two years behind schedule. The new bridge has a concrete deck, with an asphalt surface, three lanes in each direction, full left and right shoulders, a sidewalk for pedestrians,

wrought-iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" t ...

railing, and aesthetic lighting. The bridge also includes a system of concrete fenders that protects the bridge piers from ship collisions, a feature that was absent from the 1940 span. In 2006, the new bridge was formally dedicated as the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge.

References

External links

* * *
Construction Inspection - Sikorsky Bridge over the Housatonic River Milford/Stratford, Connecticut
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Igor Sikorsky Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Commodore Hull Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Metro North railroad bridge , downstream signs = Buildings and structures in Milford, Connecticut Buildings and structures in Stratford, Connecticut Bridges completed in 1940 Bridges completed in 2003 Bridges completed in 2006 Bridges in Fairfield County, Connecticut Bridges in New Haven County, Connecticut Monuments and memorials in Connecticut Road bridges in Connecticut Former toll bridges in Connecticut Bridges over the Housatonic River Steel bridges in the United States 1940 establishments in Connecticut

See also

References

External links