The Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge is a concrete segmental bridge composed of eleven spans crossing the
Connecticut River between
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook ...
and
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in Old Lyme and ther ...
. The bridge carries
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...
and
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, makin ...
, with an average daily traffic of 82,500 vehicles.
ConnDOT traffic log (2007)
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The bridge carries eight lanes of Interstate 95 and US 1 traffic, 4 in each direction. In addition, there is a bike/pedestrian walkway on the north side of the bridge adjacent to the southbound lanes.
History
There have been three bridges on this site. Prior to the construction of the first bridge here, a ferry was used for the crossing, with the ferry landing located farther downstream.
The first bridge was a double-bascule span completed in 1911. This held up traffic terribly on weekends when boat traffic was heavy.
The second bridge opened in 1948 with a 4-lane girder and floorbeam bridge. The bridge collected tolls until their removal in the late 1980s. This bridge was demolished in 1994 after its replacement opened.
The third and current bridge was built by O&G Industries, Inc. out of Torrington, CT. Construction of the bridge began in 1990 and was completed in 1993 with a total cost of $460 million.
The bridge is named after former Connecticut Governor Raymond E. Baldwin, who was governor from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1943 to 1946.
See also
*List of crossings of the Connecticut River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Connecticut River from its mouth at Long Island Sound upstream to its source at the Connecticut Lakes
The Connecticut Lakes are a group of lakes in Coos County, New Hampshire, Coos County, n ...
References
External links
* (1993)
* (1948)
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Bridges over the Connecticut River
U.S. Route 1
Interstate 95
Bridges in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Bridges in New London County, Connecticut
Road bridges in Connecticut
Bridges on the Interstate Highway System
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Former toll bridges in Connecticut
Concrete bridges in the United States
Box girder bridges in the United States
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