Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (Connecticut)

The Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, often called the Q Bridge by local people, is an extradosed bridge in Connecticut. It carries Interstate 95, also known as the Connecticut Turnpike, over the mouth of the Quinnipiac River near the city of New Haven.

The bridge replaced an older one that opened on January 2, 1958. The old bridge had a design where steel beams held up a concrete road surface for six lanes of traffic.

In 1995, the bridge was named the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor. A new, bigger bridge was built to replace the old one. This new bridge cost $554 million and has ten lanes. The first part of it opened to traffic on June 22, 2012, and people used it for both directions until the second part was finished in late 2015. When the new bridge was fully finished in September 2015, it became the first extradosed bridge completed in the United States.

The bridge is an important part of a large $2 billion project called the New Haven Harbor Crossing Improvement Program.

History

The first bridge at this spot was built for the Connecticut Turnpike. This toll road goes from Greenwich to Killingly. The steel bridge was completed on January 2, 1958. It was designed for 90,000 cars a day. By 1993, the bridge over the Quinnipiac River was old and caused many traffic jams.

Signature span replacement

After some discussion, a group was formed to choose the best plan for the new bridge. They considered many ideas and chose a 10-lane bridge with a train station.

Construction began in 2001 but had delays due to old buildings and planning problems. The bridge was built in steps. The first part opened in 2012, and the whole project finished in 2016, later than expected. The new bridge now has separate parts for traffic going north and south.

Awards

The bridge won the top prize in AASHTO's 2016 America's Transportation Awards. It was selected as the best entry from 83 entries by transportation departments across the country.