Stevenson Dam Bridge
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The Stevenson Dam Bridge carries
Connecticut Route 34 Route 34 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 34 is long, and extends from Newtown near I-84 to Route 10 in New Haven. The highways connects the New Haven and Danbury areas via the Lower Naugatuck River Valley. ...
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 ...
in the U.S. state of
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, connecting the town of
Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
to the town of
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
. The Stevenson Dam Bridge sits on top of the Stevenson Dam, constructed by the
Connecticut Light and Power Company Eversource Energy is a publicly traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity, natural gas service and water service to appr ...
. It is a concrete span featuring 24 arches. The current bridge was constructed in 1919 and is 1213 feet in length by 42 feet in width, featuring one lane in each direction for automotive traffic. It is the only highway bridge in Connecticut on a dam spillway. In 2009, the DOT estimated the dam carries approximately 10,300 vehicles per day. It has been claimed to be one of two dams in the country with a public road over top, but this is false.


History

A prior, one lane wooden suspension bridge known as "Zoar Bridge" existed just south of the confluence of the Halfway River with the Housatonic, at what is now the Monroe/Newtown town line, about 3/4 mile upstream from the dam/bridge current location. The supports for the old bridge were inundated with the construction of the dam. This bridge was not the predecessor to the current Derby-Shelton Bridge. In the winter of 1875, a flood carried Zoar Bridge a mile down stream. In 1890, county commissioners ordered the removal of a toll house connected to the Oxford side of the bridge, as it was deemed a fire hazard.


Renovations

* 1959 - New mercury vapor lights added, elimination of a sharp traffic approach. *1987 - 80 post tensioned anchor cables are installed to improve earthquake resiliency. *1979 - Widening project requires the bridge to be closed entirely to traffic for approximately six months. * 2005 - The bridge was closed on five weekends in summer for repairs to the concrete decks. * 2009 - A new bridge is planned for completion and has been bonded at $34 million.


Notes

{{coord, 41.3832, -73.1715, display=title Monroe, Connecticut Oxford, Connecticut Bridges in Fairfield County, Connecticut Road bridges in Connecticut Bridges over the Housatonic River Concrete bridges in the United States Arch bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Monroe, Connecticut