Meeting On Glen Road Bridge Improvements

Slated For June 9

To improve the aging Glen Road bridge, which spans the Lake Zoar section of the Housatonic River and links Sandy Hook to Southbury, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning an approximately $6 million bridge rehabilitation project, which is tentatively is slated to start in the spring of 2013.

DOT has scheduled a public information meeting on the bridge improvement project for Thursday, June 9, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street. DOT staffers will be available at 6:30 pm to answer any questions from the public. A formal presentation on the bridge project is slated to start at 7 pm.

The bridge is in need of improvements due to the poor condition of its steel superstructure, according to DOT. The span carries about 3,100 vehicles per day, including traffic flow in both directions.

Sometimes known as the “silver bridge” due to its former silvery paint color, the span is now painted a medium-brown color that is spotted with blotches of surface rust.

The bridge improvement project is expected to take two construction seasons to accomplish, according to DOT. If work starts in the spring of 2013, it is expected to be completed by late 2014.

DOT plans to close the bridge to traffic and pedestrians for the first of those two construction seasons, creating detours to carry traffic which would otherwise use the bridge. A construction season typically runs from April 1 through November 30.