Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (Phase I)

Cost: $137 million

Phase one construction of a new bridge over a heavily traveled Interstate 95 span in New Haven, Conn., called the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge and locally known as the Q Bridge, will be completed in 2011.

The $137 million contract marks the first phase of a massive $2-billion highway construction project along the I-95 corridor in New Haven.

A joint venture of Cianbro/Middlesex III Joint Venture is the general contractor for the project known also as Contract B-1. The old bridge, built 50 years ago to accommodate 40,000 vehicles a day, will be replaced with a new 10-lane cable-suspended extradosed crossing, the first of its kind in the U.S. Extradosed bridges have similar structural characteristics to concrete box girder and cable-stayed bridges and have seen success in Europe and Japan, project officials say.

The Q Bridge, so named because it crosses the Quinnipiac River, is also known for its gridlock during morning and evening rush hours. Traffic has tripled to 120,000 vehicles daily since the original bridge was built.

Phase one of the Connecticut Dept. of Transportation project will specifically improve the northbound I-95 entrance to the new bridge and lay down the bridge’s foundation. The contract encompasses about 0.8 mi of I-95 in both directions and will include construction of full shoulders in both directions; a new median barrier; and new drainage, signing and lighting.

San Francisco-based URS Corp. is designing the project. Chicago-based H.W. Lochner Inc., which also has offices in Connecticut, is in charge of construction engineering and inspection; and New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff is program manager for the project owned by ConnDOT.

The program is fully funded, “so there are no plans to scale back or stop the project,” says Kristen R. Stiff, public information coordinator for the I-95 corridor improvement program. Federal dollars will pay nearly 88% of the cost, which includes incentive payments if the project is completed by fixed completion dates.

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When the bridge is completed, 16 metal halide pier lighting fixtures will be used below the bridge deck to illuminate the lower portion of the piers and base. Another 16 fixtures will be mounted on exterior parapets and eight fixtures at the tower bases to illuminate the outside faces of the main towers.

During the June 2008 groundbreaking ceremony, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the overall project “one of the largest transportation initiatives ever undertaken” in the state. Two years ago, the project looked as stalled as the traffic on the old Q Bridge because state officials couldn’t find any bidders. That delay meant the overall project completion date had to be pushed back from 2014 to 2016.

Planners and construction crews are avoiding traffic delays the best they can without interrupting daytime highway traffic. They’re first building a five-lane bridge parallel to the existing span before tearing down the old bridge. Another five lanes will be built in its place.

If there are lane closures, state officials say they will occur at night only. Local roads may be affected during daytime, but officials plan to keep I-95 open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.

“This will be a signature structure for Connecticut and the first of its kind in our state,” says ConnDOT Commissioner Joseph F. Marie.

Overall, the New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program will include operational, safety and capacity improvements to 7.2 mi of I-95 between Exit 46 (Sargent Drive) in New Haven and Exit 54 (Cedar Street) in Branford, Conn. The project also calls for transit enhancements including a new Shore Line East commuter rail station at New Haven’s State Street.

Team Box

Owner: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington, Conn.
General Contractor: Cianbro/Middlesex III Joint Venture, Pittsfield, Maine
Architect: URS Corp., San Francisco
Construction Engineer & Inspection: H.W. Lochner, Inc., Chicago
Program Manager: Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York