Blake St. Bridge reopens
(11/22/2006)
John DeStefano, Jr. City Of New Haven
Mayor PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday Nov. 22, 2006
-NEWS RELEASE-
HOLIDAY TRAVELING MADE EASIER: BLAKE ST. BRIDGE REOPENS AFTER 8 MONTHS OF CONSTRUCTION
DESTEFANO DELCARES DELAYS ARE OVER FOR THOUSANDS OF MOTORISTS
New Haven: Mayor John DeStefano joined State Rep. Toni Walker and local aldermen this afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the rebuilt Blake St. Bridge. The bridge – which has been partially closed for 8 months - is one of New Haven’s busiest bridges, with more than 10,000 cars crossing it each day.
“The Blake St. Bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure in New Haven and its reopening couldn’t happen at a better time,” said DeStefano. “With holiday traffic picking up, and winter around the corner, it’s important our roads and bridges are ready for challenge.”
Work on the bridge – which connects the area around Southern Connecticut State University to Westville – started approximately 8 months ago and cost $845,000. As part of the project, the bridge’s abutments were reinforced and the deck was replaced. According to Richard Miller, Director of New Haven’s Engineering Dept., the bridge is more than 50 years old and was in dire need of repair.
While it was New Haven’s engineering department that oversaw the project, it was State Rep. Toni Walker and State Sen. Toni Harp who helped secure the funding.
“The reopening of the Blake St. Bridge means it will be a little easier for people to get where they’re going – whether it’s shopping, work, or home for dinner,” said State Rep. Toni Walker.
“I’m thrilled that I was able to help deliver this project for New Haven,” said State Sen. Toni Harp. “Maintaining safe and roads and bridges is an important function of government, one that cannot be overlooked.”
New Haven has 50 bridges, 6 of which are currently either under construction or in the design phase.
[END]
Contact Name: Derek Slap
Contact Email: dslap@newhavenct.net
Contact Phone: 203-946-7660
