Stevenson Dam Bridge

The Stevenson Dam Bridge carries Connecticut Route 34 over the Housatonic River in the U.S. state of Connecticut, connecting the town of Monroe to the town of Oxford.

Stevenson Dam Bridge
Coordinates41°23′00″N 73°10′17″W
Carries2 lanes of Route 34
CrossesHousatonic River
LocaleMonroe and Oxford (Connecticut)
Official nameStevenson Dam Bridge
Maintained byConnecticut Department of Transportation[1]
(Owned by the Connecticut Light and Power Company)
ID number1843
Characteristics
Designconcrete arch
Total length1213 ft
Width42 ft
History
Opened1919
Statistics
TollNone

The Stevenson Dam Bridge sits on top of the Stevenson Dam, constructed by the Connecticut Light and Power Company. It is a concrete span featuring 24 arches.[2] 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.

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.[3]

Renovations
  • 1959 - New mercury vapor lights added, elimination of a sharp traffic approach.[4]
  • 2005 - The bridge was closed on five weekends in summer for repairs to the concrete decks.[5]
  • 2009 - A new bridge is planned for completion and has been bonded at $34 million.[6]

Notes
  1. "Department of Transportation". Connecticut Department of Transportation.
  2. http://environment.transportation.org/pdf/HistoricBridgePreservationPlan.pdf
  3. "The View From/Stevenson Dam; How to Fix or Replace an Aging Bridge Over the Housatonic?". The New York Times. 29 March 1998.
  4. "1959-Main".
  5. Holtz, Jeff (10 April 2005). "IN BRIEF; Weekend Closings Set For Stevenson Dam Bridge" – via NYTimes.com.
  6. http://www.housegop.state.ct.us/pressrel/Hovey/2005/press112n.htm

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