The Founders Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
between
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
and
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from ...
. The steel
stringer bridge carries the
Route 2 freeway, and also crosses over
Interstate 91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...
(which runs parallel to the river). the bridge had an average daily traffic of 29,200.
One of the centerpieces of Hartford's Riverfront Recapture project, it features a wide pedestrian promenade and access to the rest of the riverfront park area as well as to
Constitution Plaza.
The bridge makes up a section of the
East Coast Greenway, a system of trails connecting
Calais, Maine to
Key West, Florida
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...
.
History
In 1950, the
Bulkeley Bridge upstream was very congested with traffic, primarily because it was the only bridge that led to downtown Hartford, so it was planned to build a bridge just downstream, called the State Street Bridge. In 1955 they renamed this planned bridge as the Founders Bridge. In the same year, the
Greater Hartford Bridge Authority was created to help with this bridge's planning, along with the
Putnam Bridge and the
Bissell Bridge. The bridge opened on December 27, 1957, and was put under the designation of
CT 2. Tolls were removed about the time the bridge was connected to
I-91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, ...
and
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts), passing through New York and Connecticut
{{road disambiguation ...
. In the late 1980s the bridge was considered for rebuilding to accompany a riverfront plaza being planned in the area. This led the state to rebuild the bridge in 1994 to add lanes, a large sidewalk, and path connections to
East Hartford and Hartford. This rebuilding also eliminated the hazardous, congestion-prone connections to and from I-91 Northbound, as these ramps had been made redundant by the toll-free
Charter Oak Bridge replacement span. In 2001, a walkway was completed to link the path across Columbus Boulevard to
Constitution Plaza.
See also
*
List of crossings of the Connecticut River
References
External links
*
Transportation in Hartford, Connecticut
Buildings and structures in East Hartford, Connecticut
Bridges completed in 1958
Bridges over the Connecticut River
Buildings and structures in Hartford, Connecticut
Bridges in Hartford County, Connecticut
Road bridges in Connecticut
Steel bridges in the United States
Girder bridges in the United States
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