Image courtesy of CTDOT

BY HARMONY STILES

NORWALK, Conn. – A six-year, $925 million bridge replacement’s construction continues through 2027 and beyond.

The Walk Bridge Replacement in Norwalk – 40 miles north-northeast of New York City – involves replacing a 127-year-old railroad bridge with a new, more reliable and resilient vertical-lift structure.

Construction began in 2023.

The joint venture of Pittsfield, Maine-based Cianbro Corp. and Littleton, Mass.-based Middlesex Corp., is building the project, which marks the state’s first use of construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) project delivery.

WSP is the program manager, providing construction engineering and inspection services.

HNTB is the bridge designer.

The high-vertical lifting bridge – consisting of two-track lift spans to be built around the existing four-track swing bridge spanning the Norwalk River – will accommodate increased passenger rail traffic.

The bridge design includes 145-foot-tall lift towers that will lift each of new 240-foot-long spans approximately 60 feet, providing redundancy in the event of a track outage. New fixed east and west approaches, embankments and abutments are also being built.

Connecticut Dept. of Transportation is the lead agency.