Gold Star Bridge in New London in need of rehabilitation | Connecticut News

(WFSB) – The largest bridge in Connecticut, the Gold Star Bridge in New London, is in poor condition.

New London officials stress that the bridge is safe to drive on, but it needs upgrades.

Upgrades are needed on the northbound side of the bridge, as the southbound side has already been upgraded.

As of right now, oversized and overweight loads like dump trucks are not able to use the bridge.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the bridge’s current condition is a four out of nine.

Priti Bhardwaj, a Connecticut Department of Transpiration supervising engineer, says, this rating is significant.

“Four means it’s in poor condition,” says Bhardwaj.

This rating is because part of the bridge has outlived its performance years, and maintenance is not enough at this point.

“It is perfectly safe for travel, it’s just an indicator that some kind of rehabilitation should be necessary,” says Bhardwaj.

Bhardwaj is the lead engineer in charge of the rehabilitation for the bridge.

“The bridge is going to be undergoing major rehabilitation and strengthening,” Bhardwaj says.

Officials say it is a massive undertaking for such a large structure. The span of bridge on the northbound side is nearly 80-years old and was built with materials that are beyond their lifespan.

The bridge covers 6,000 linear square feet, more than a mile. The deck area, the surface people drive on, is around 500,000 square feet.

55,000 vehicles drive across the bridge per day.

Officials say most of the work will be done underneath the bridge, reinforcing or strengthening the structure with plating.

“It’s going to take a while. It’s very expensive,” says Bart Sweeny with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT).

Sweeny is the CDOT’S division chief. Sweeny says the project is a multi-year and multi-phase project and will cost $3 million.

“The first two phases of this project will address the strengthening of this bridge, as well as some of the conditions,” Sweeny says.

According to officials, phase one will start this spring, and take about three years to complete. Phase two will start in 2025, and it will focus on the approach spans and garters on either side. Phase three will consist of work on the deck.

According to engineers, when the work is complete, people will not be able to see or notice a physical difference in the bridge. They say once the work is done, the bridge will be safer and stronger.

“It will look the same. We are not changing the structure system out here, we are strengthening the systems that’s in place,” says Sweeny.

“It is needed. It is worth it. We have to bring this bridge back to a state of good repair,” Bhardwaj says.

Officials say the entire bridge will be rehabilitated by 2030.