FAQ Page

The East Haddam Swing Bridge Project is a Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) initiative to improve safety, improve access, and operations for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists traveling on Route 82. Improvements of East Haddam Swing Bridge include major rehabilitation of the bridge to extend service life, improve roadway ride-ability for traveling public, and improve swing span operation reliability.

The bridge was built in 1913 and rehabilitated in 1988, 1998, 1999, and again in 2007. Due to significant swing span operation problems, an emergency repair project was completed in 2016. Inspections by CTDOT’s Bridge Safety and Evaluation unit have determined that the bridge is in poor condition, primarily due to the deterioration of its superstructure. When completed, the rehabilitated bridge will maintain a safe crossing of the river for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Construction is estimated to take approximately three (3) years, from Summer 2022 through Spring 2025.

There will be approximately 25, 63-hour full bridge closures with a detour of traffic, starting Sunday at 8 pm and ending Wednesday at 11 am. 23 weeks of 24/7 signalized alternating one-way traffic pattern are proposed. Full road closures and temporary alternating one-way traffic patterns will be allowed during off-peak and overnight hours. We will provide a 14-day notice before all closures.

Marine traffic impacts include a swing span operation outage for approximately four months (December-March) during mechanical and electrical work and periodically during December and January, while the submarine cables are installed. Additional short-term outages may be needed to test mechanical and electrical systems. A temporary channel in Span 4 is to be provided when the navigation channel in Span 3 is closed. Coordination with Coast Guard is required.

During construction, CTDOT will ensure that residents and business owners are informed of construction schedules and potential impacts in advance of any closures. All updates and press releases will be posted on this website for public information and awareness. Traffic will be monitored throughout construction and temporary signalization will be adjusted, if necessary, to minimize back-ups.

The East Haddam Swing Bridge Project Team is coordinating closely with numerous community stakeholders including the Towns of East Haddam and Haddam, the business community, residents, commuters, and more. Comments or questions about the project can be submitted via our website or at [email protected]. Sign up for our communications list to receive construction project updates, alerts, and invites for future meetings or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Bridge rehabilitation and cantilevered sidewalk construction will be undertaken using State and Federal funds. The approach sidewalk construction will be undertaken using Federal and Town funds. The total construction cost is estimated to be $78,440,000.

The project’s limits begin approximately at Little Meadow Road, continue over the East Haddam Swing Bridge, and end west of the Goodspeed Opera House.