Building the Mystic River Bridge
John Ruddy
The blast of a fire whistle echoed through downtown Mystic,
setting in motion an event the village had long awaited.
On the Groton side, a delegation of officials set out from
the Mystic Hook and Ladder Co., while in Stonington, another contingent left
the B.F. Hoxie Engine Co. The two groups, sporting silk hats and led by brass
bands, were soon on Main Street, facing each other on opposite approaches to
the Mystic River Bridge.
With a crowd on hand and car horns blowing, the Stonington
group watched as the lift span, decked with flags and bunting, rose
perpendicular to the street. The Groton officials saw two high counterweights
descend until they almost touched the ground.
On July 19, 1922, a hundred years ago this coming week,
Mystic celebrated the opening of its new bridge. A century later, a yearlong
anniversary observance is underway.
During the time in between, the bridge has gone from modern
marvel to part of the landscape. It withstood hurricanes, admitted the arriving
whaleship Charles W. Morgan, and played itself in the movie “Mystic Pizza.”
It’s the hinge connecting the village’s two halves.
Though it may seem as if it’s always been there, the bridge
had a beginning like anything else. Here’s the story of how a southeastern
Connecticut landmark came to be.
Mystic’s previous bridge opening wasn’t exactly festive. On
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1904, officials announced that a new steel swing bridge
would be ready for use two days hence.
“There will be no celebrations on Thursday,” The Day noted,
“for the townspeople believe they have nothing to enthuse about.”
Why that was isn’t clear, but they enthused even less when
the bridge opened a day early.
“Much inconvenience was caused (to) persons who walked and
drove to the temporary bridge ... only to find the way blocked,” The Day said.
The swing bridge was a leap into the future because it did
something its 1866 iron predecessor couldn’t: carry trolley cars. The Groton
& Stonington Street Railway Co. paid half the cost of the bridge, part of a
new streetcar line from Groton to Westerly.
But the bridge, with trademark green paint, soon lived up to
its cheerless welcome. The foundations settled unevenly, and the draw would
freeze in the open position, causing exasperating travel delays.
Another problem was that the whole thing pivoted on a center
pier in the Mystic River, leaving two narrow channels that were hard to
navigate.
By 1919, after just 15 years, officials were pursuing a
replacement, and the timing was perfect: Their new bridge had just been
invented.
* * *
Bascule spans, according to a 1926 book called “Movable
Bridges,” are in the basic sense, “those in which one end rises as the other
falls.” At the time, many designs had been patented, “and some are vigorously
promoted by the patentees.”
Several engineers were prolific at patenting bascules.
William Scherzer invented the “rolling-lift” type, of which the Niantic
railroad bridge was an example. Joseph Strauss’ “heel-trunnion” design was used
for the Thames River railroad bridge.
Thomas Ellis Brown wasn’t a bridge innovator at first. As
chief engineer of the Otis Elevator Co., he brought elevators to the Eiffel
Tower and New York’s Woolworth Building, then the world’s tallest. But a bridge
design competition in Brooklyn, N.Y., drew his attention in 1896, and he and
his son went on to hold a dozen patents for bascule designs.
In late 1916, Brown submitted his latest idea to the U.S.
Patent Office. In five pages, he described a problem and proposed a solution.
Under existing designs for bascule bridges balanced by
overhead counterweights, if the bridge rose 90 degrees, the beams holding the
counterweights had to stay parallel to the span and descend 90 degrees to
maintain balance. This posed design difficulties that increased cost.
Brown’s proposal kept both sides balanced despite the beams
moving through a smaller angle than the bridge.
Analyzing the idea later, a civil engineering eminence named
J.A.L. Waddell wrote that Brown had “succeeded in producing the most economic
bascule with overhead counterweight yet evolved.”
Brown was awarded Patent No. 1,270,925 on July 2, 1918. That
was just about when Mystic’s patience with its balky swing bridge was reaching
its limit.
* * *
The impact of the swing bridge’s problems extended beyond
Mystic. Main Street was part of Route 1, the busiest of Connecticut’s 14 major
roads. These had been designated in 1907 as “trunk lines” to be improved by the
state in response to increasing auto traffic.
The state highway department could have opted for a better
swing bridge, but that wouldn’t have widened the river channel. It looked into
a vertical-lift bridge, but the needed height clearance was impractical.
That left some kind of bascule, and officials chose the
Brown Balance Beam design, based on the inventor’s 1918 patent. No bridge of
this type had yet been built.
Beams holding towering concrete counterweights would drop
just 69 degrees to lift the draw fully vertical. There was another new feature:
Powered by electric motors, the bridge would move by means of two operating
wheels above the roadway, called “bull wheels,” that also locked the bridge in
place when closed.
The details emerged in a series of drawings in 1920 with
Waddell serving as consulting engineer and Brown as advisory engineer.
Construction began in July 1921.
The first order of business was the creation of a temporary
bridge to hold Mystic together through the inconvenience of the next 12 months.
It was built north of the swing bridge and connected Gravel Street with Holmes
Street.
Then the swing bridge was dismantled, and for a few days the
occasional daredevil tried to keep using it “although nothing remains of the
old bridge but a skeleton,” The Day said. “Several who tried to cross on the
girders found their courage not so great as they imagined.”
For the rest of 1921 and the winter of 1922, the site was a
warren of derricks and cofferdams as the J.E. Fitzgerald Construction Co. of
New London, the general contractor, worked under the Mystic River to clear out
old foundations and build stronger ones.
On Feb. 23, the center pier of the swing bridge was
detonated with explosives. That left a channel 75 feet wide.
By early April, the substructure was complete: an abutment
on each side, and three pairs of piers. All that was needed was a bridge to put
on them.
* * *
Max Bendett, a downtown merchant, couldn’t imagine how long
construction might last. Just before Christmas, he had bet A.R. Collier, the
project’s resident engineer, a box of cigars that the new bridge couldn’t be
crossed on foot by May 15.
As April dawned, Bendett seemed on track to win his bet.
There was nothing but empty space where the bridge was supposed to be. But that
wasn’t because the superstructure hadn’t been built. It was just built
somewhere else.
The American Bridge Co., a U.S. Steel subsidiary, held the
contract for the superstructure and had been working for months at its
headquarters near Pittsburgh. The firm had prefabricated steel parts ready to
ship to Mystic as soon as the piers were ready. Assembling them didn’t take
long.
On May 15, with the bridge quickly taking shape, Collier
summoned Bendett, carefully walked him across, then collected his cigars.
Engineers wanted the bridge open by the Fourth of July, and
they didn’t miss by much. On July 10 the roadway was cleared of debris, and a
car carrying Thomas Brown became the first automobile to make the crossing.
Brown was staying in New London and still innovating. On
April 29 he had filed his final patent application, which improved on his
counterweight idea and included aspects of the Mystic design, including the
bull wheels. He received his last patent, No. 1,519,189, posthumously in 1924.
Two days after Brown’s trip across the river, the bridge
quietly opened to traffic.
* * *
That did nothing to dampen the celebration on July 19, by
which point travelers had been using the bridge for a week. That day, trolleys
began crossing, and demolition started on the temporary bridge.
A ceremony was in order to make it all official.
“It is hardly to be wondered at that the opening of the
bridge should be celebrated,” The Day editorialized. “It means a great deal to
everybody and the event is one that should receive all the recognition
possible.”
That evening, as the crowd looked on, the lift span hung in
the air for a moment as the silk-hatted Groton and Stonington officials waited
on either side. Then it descended, allowing them to meet on the bridge.
They were greeted by R.L. Saunders, the deputy state highway
commissioner, who formally turned over the bridge to the towns.
The two halves of Mystic were again firmly joined, for the
next century and beyond.
Editor’s note: This story was drawn from many sources,
including the state Department of Transportation, the University of
Connecticut, the files of Groton Town Historian Jim Streeter and the archives
of The Day and the Westerly Sun.
Thirty-mile, multiple town detour in place during Route 82 bridge construction
Carrie Czerwinski
A detour that caused concern among residents in Lyme, East
Haddam and Salem last year seems poised to become a problem again this year ―
but for new reasons.
Beginning Wednesday, Route 82 will be closed for 47 days
between Darling Road in Salem and Route 156 in East Haddam.
The recommended detour as crews replace the bridge across
Strongs Brook in East Haddam would take drivers some 30 miles out of the way.
Drivers traveling east on Route 82 will be instructed to
detour onto Route 156, travel to Old Lyme where they will pick up Interstate 95
North, and then get on 395 North.
From that point, they will travel to Route 85 North in
Waterford which will take them up to the rotary at Salem Four Corners to get
back to route 82.
Those familiar with the area are likely to use Darling Road,
a much shorter route that will get them around the construction area.
Last year, similar work resulted in complaints of speeding
and heavy traffic along Daring Road in Salem. Some areas of the road, known as
Salem Road in Lyme, have narrow bridges, and the road lacks shoulders in many
areas, making speeding dangerous to both motorists and residents. The road is
often used by joggers and children on bikes.
Traffic Engineer III Andrew Millovitsch, the state
Department of Transportation’s project engineer, said, “They are going to see
the same influx of vehicles, but this year, I cannot go ahead and offer any
help to try and remedy the situation.”
He said after talking to residents affected last year, he
recommended increased speed enforcement and signage.
“I did everything I could last year to slow the people down,
and it ended up helping a little bit, but it didn’t remedy the situation
completely,” he said.
When approached by the DOT last fall for permission to use
the road again for the imminent project, both East Haddam and Lyme agreed to
the proposal.
But Salem Selectman Kevin Lyden, who was first selectman at
the time, declined the department’s request on behalf of Salem on Oct. 14,
which resulted in the DOT having to use state roads for the planned detour.
Reached by phone Friday evening, Lyden said during last
year’s construction, the town provided all of the speed mitigation on the
town’s part of the road, including radar speed signs, stop signs at either end
of the narrow bridge and increased police presence, and the town will do the
same this year if the situation warrants it. He also said the town has had
discussions with the state police regarding potential issues.
“The DOT did nothing to mitigate that last year,” he said,
adding “we’re the ones who sent our public works out; we’re the ones who put
the signs out.”
In his opinion, the DOT could have redirected Strong’s Brook
and reconstructed the bridge one lane at a time, allowing alternating traffic
directions in a single lane and avoided the road closure entirely. “I just
don’t buy the fact that it had to be done this way,” he said.
“If we allowed it to go down Salem Road, and have that as
the marked detour, how would that be better,” he asked, explaining that he felt
that, though locals would still use the road, the tourists and trucks would
generally follow the posted detour, resulting in a slight improvement over last
year’s issues, which he described as “terrible.”
In addition to the official detour’s length, the issue of increased
traffic on Salem Road remains.
“All of the people familiar with the detour last year, and
all the people that are familiar with the area in general, know that that is
the fastest way around the road closure, so they are going to continue to use
Salem Road,” Millovitsch said.
Lyme First Selectman David Lahm said the town has concerns
about speeding and the increased traffic on the road but will be putting up its
own signs and portable digital speed signs, as well as taking other measures to
mitigate any issues, including potentially paying for increased state trooper
presence along the road if necessary.
Lahm said his preference would have been for the state to be
able to use the road as the detour again this year.
“It worked — I won’t say it worked well, but it worked,” he
said.
Millovitsch said he advised the town of Salem to add some
additional police presence and put signs up because the DOT was not able to
provide any assistance due to the road not being part of the official detour.
“My hands are tied. I can’t go ahead and direct the
contractor to go and put signs out on this town road, because it’s not my
detour anymore,” he said.
Salem First Selectman Ed Chmielewski did not respond to a
request for comment.
Demolition grows near for hulking, abandoned Ames headquarters in Rocky Hill
With excavators and a bulldozer standing by, the developer
planning apartments at the long-abandoned Ames headquarters in Rocky Hill has
begun environmental remediation after buying the property for $2.3 million.
“We’re all eager for this. They’re telling us they can do
demolition in four months after remediation is done, and then start
construction in the spring of ‘23,” Mayor Lisa Marotta said Friday.
Rocky Hill struggled for years to find a major retailer or
office management company interested in reusing the 250,000-square-foot
building after Ames went out of business in 2002.
But the building and its 12 acres just deteriorated over the
years; the massive parking lot is buckled and riddled with weeds, the office
complex itself is marred by graffiti. Several years ago, anonymous YouTubers
filmed inside and showed moldy walls, exposed wires, collapsing drop ceilings
and decades-old work manuals scattered across floors.
“A lot of people in Rocky Hill have memories from here — so
many people worked at Ames,” said Marotta, who spent a summer after high school
as a data entry clerk in a third-floor office.
“There were hundreds of people here, and they frequented the
businesses and restaurants. They enjoy the stories of the past, but they’re
really happy to see something new coming,” Marotta said Friday in a tour of the
site.
At its height, Ames had more than 55,000 employees. Its
Rocky Hill headquarters housed as many as 1,000 merchandisers, accountants,
logistics managers and others.
Despite a devastating 1991 bankruptcy, Ames still had 327
stores and more than 21,000 employees in 2002 when it announced it was going
out of business. It was the last of the once-powerful New England discount
department store chains; Caldor and Bradlees had already shut down.
The headquarters it left behind had once been a source of
civic pride, but became a high-profile center of blight in the following years.
“A lot of people in Rocky Hill have memories from here — so
many people worked at Ames,” said Marotta, who spent a summer after high school
as a data entry clerk in a third-floor office.
“There were hundreds of people here, and they frequented the
businesses and restaurants. They enjoy the stories of the past, but they’re
really happy to see something new coming,” Marotta said Friday in a tour of the
site.
At its height, Ames had more than 55,000 employees. Its
Rocky Hill headquarters housed as many as 1,000 merchandisers, accountants,
logistics managers and others.
Despite a devastating 1991 bankruptcy, Ames still had 327
stores and more than 21,000 employees in 2002 when it announced it was going
out of business. It was the last of the once-powerful New England discount
department store chains; Caldor and Bradlees had already shut down.
The headquarters it left behind had once been a source of
civic pride, but became a high-profile center of blight in the following years.
Hamden-based Belfonti Companies LLC this month paid $2.3 million
for the property, and plans to build 213 apartments — one of the largest new
residential projects in central Connecticut.
Rocky Hill wants the new residential complex to be the
springboard for a larger-scale redevelopment that will stretch to the Connecticut
River. The town has a history of being car-centric, and the vision for this
section is heavy on wide sidewalks and bike paths to generate more of a
community center feel.
The Main Street frontage will have a restaurant and
commercial development, and Marotta sees it as part of a new village green and
town center for Rocky Hill. The town expects to close the very end of Dividend
Road so it can expand the small, triangular green there.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration last year put $500,000
toward the environmental cleanup of the 1965 building and surrounding property.
Marotta said the public-private partnership nature of the new development was
key to starting progress.
Belfonti plans 93 one-bedroom apartments and 120 two-bedroom
units, all at market rate except for 10% that will be reserved as affordable
housing.
The company’s plans will include about 11,000 square feet of
commercial office space and 10,000 square feet of retail or restaurant space.
There will also be a pocket park on the property.
Marotta said the town is looking to extend a new streetscape
with sidewalks down Glastonbury Avenue, creating pedestrian access to the
waterfront. The Ames property is about a 2-minute drive from the dock for the
Glastonbury ferry, and the new pedestrian amenities will go a long way toward
creating a town center that’s linked to the waterfront, she said.
City Hall renovations kicked off with a ceremony Thursday
BRISTOL – City and project leaders held a groundbreaking
ceremony to kick off the planned City Hall renovations Thursday.
Following the ceremony, which saw city leaders don hard hats
and dig with shovels, Mayor Jeff Caggiano gathered architectural renderings for
the new city hall and spoke of the history and importance of the project. He
was joined by representatives from “D’Amato and Downs A Joint Venture” and QA+M
Architecture and Studio Q.
Caggiano said that he is excited to see the renovation
moving forward.
“The current city hall was created in 1963 as part of urban
renewal, which saw many buildings taken down downtown and moved to North Main
Street,” said Caggiano. “Today, it will serve to kick start our new downtown
renovation across the street. The façade will be changed to meet the future
demands of city, which will include several four-story buildings. This
renovation was very necessary. After I was fortunate enough to be elected, I
worked in the building. One day it was 80 degrees and another it was 50
degrees. It was time for us to have a new building.”
Ray Rogozinski, director of public works and lead project
manager, thanked all those who supported and helped plan the renovation
project, including city staff and construction leaders. He said that the new
city hall will better serve residents.
“I don’t consider myself that old, but I remember black and
white televisions,” he said. “That is the same era of technology that we have
in the building right now. This renovation will give city hall a new life.”
Roger Rousseau, city of Bristol purchasing agent, said that
he started working in Bristol 20 years ago and noticed right away how hard it
was to move in and out of the current building.
“We have had to help people who were struggling to get up
and down the stairs because they were in poor health,” he said. “We have also
had to help people walk around to the North entrance where there is a ramp. We
want this building to be made as warm, welcoming and inviting to everyone as we
possibly can.”
Rousseau said that the redevelopment of city hall showed the
city’s commitment to a revitalized downtown.
Tom Arcari then spoke representing QA+M Architecture and
Studio Q. He said that he saw the new city hall as an opportunity to bring
about a renaissance of downtown Bristol.
“The new façade will be a beacon for all developers downtown
to follow,” he said. “This is a wonderful opportunity and we’re pleased to be a
part of it.”
Tony D’Amato, of D’Amato Construction, recalled his former
service on the city council during which, he said, he engaged in early
discussions about what to do with City Hall. Former City Councilor David Mills,
who attended the groundbreaking, had suggested Memorial Boulevard, where
D’Amato is currently working on renovating the arts magnet school.
“I want to thank the prior administration for getting this
project started and the Caggiano administration for taking the baton and taking
us to where we are today,” he said.
Dave Patrick, president of Downes Construction, explained
how his company and D’Amato had come together on the project with their two
collective bids, which he said was less than the market rate. He thanked
D’Amato Construction, whom he said have been “unbelievable partners.”
Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato, who attended the groundbreaking
ceremony, said that it had been “a long time coming.”
“To finally see it come to light is the result of a lot of
preparation and a lot of hard work,” she said.
The project will see a complete renovation of the existing
61,513 square foot city hall building, along with the 1,709 square foot
facilities garage on the site and to update the 573 square foot north connector
bridge at the third level. Furthermore, a 7,158 square foot “entrance atrium”
is being added on the North Main Street facing side.
The city hall building had originally been constructed in
1963. The renovation project will see 60-year-old mechanical systems replaced
with more modern and efficient equipment. The building will also be made fully
handicapped accessible. The new city hall will have elevator access to each
floor from the main entry and accessible parking spaces at the main entry.
The building façade is also being updated to better fit with
the downtown streetscape. City Hall will also see new ramping and pavers among
other site work.
Construction is expected to complete by Oct. 2023.