The Founders Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. The steel

stringer bridge Beam bridges are the simplest structural forms for bridge spans supported by an abutment or pier at each end. No moments are transferred throughout the support, hence their structural type is known as '' simply supported''. The simplest beam ...

carries the

Route 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

expressway, and also crosses over

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connect ...

(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.

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 and I-84. 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 East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

and Hartford. This rebuilding also eliminated the hazardous, congestion-prone connections to and from I-91 to the south, as these ramps had been made redundant by the toll-free

Charter Oak Bridge The Charter Oak Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. The twin steel stringer bridge carries the Wilbur Cross Highway ( Route 15/U.S. Route 5) over the river, connecting downtown Hartford w ...

replacement span. In 2001, a walkway was completed to link the path across Columbus Boulevard to Constitution Plaza.

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 {{Connecticut-bridge-struct-stub

History

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References

External links