Town of Greenwich Holds Ceremony for Completion of New Sound Beach Avenue Bridge
Greenwich, CT., May 3, 2023 – Today, Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works (DPW) celebrated the completion of the Sound Beach Avenue Bridge with a ceremony attended by First Selectman Fred Camillo, Town staff, contractors, elected officials, and members of the community. Located on Sound Beach Avenue, adjacent to Binney Park, this critical project replaced the deteriorating bridge built in 1925 and utilized by approximately 14,500 vehicles daily.
To increase hydraulic efficiency in an area prone to coastal flooding, the new bridge design eliminated the center pier and is a single-span precast concrete structure. DPW incorporated feedback from the Town’s Planning and Zoning Commission and community when designing this project. The new bridge is faced with natural rounded stones to complement Binney Park and the New England aesthetic of the area. This project employed Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques to significantly reduce road closure time. During construction, the roadway was closed for only three months and a detour was implemented to initiate the construction. The construction phase of the Sound Beach Avenue bridge commenced in April 2022 and was completed in a year. Throughout construction, DPW continuously coordinated with utility companies that have utilities located on or near the bridge. Construction crews had to continuously handle water flowing through the Cider Mill Brook flowing the bridge into Binney Pond.
Bridge Project Features:
- Built brand new bridge – corrected existing structural and hydraulic deficiencies of the bridge.
- Improved water flow – increased hydraulic efficiency in an area prone to coastal flooding. The project also installed new drainage structures to improve run-off.
- Minimized construction impacts – employed Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques to significantly reduce road closure time.
- Pedestrian safety and accessibility – relocated the sidewalk on the east side to the interior of the bridge and eliminated the old wood pedestrian bridge.
- Aesthetics – matched the look and feel of the scenic area by adorning the new bridge with natural rounded stones. The gas utility was removed from view. New landscaping has been added to all four corners of the bridge.
Concurrent Highway Maintenance Work Features:
- Pedestrian safety and accessibility –Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons (RRFB) – a traffic control device designed to increase driver awareness of pedestrians crossing roadways were installed at two mid-block crosswalks near the bridge. Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) devices have been added to the crosswalks with RRFBs to assist blind or low-vision pedestrians crossing the street. Additionally, 11 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps with detectible warning strips were installed.
- Aesthetics – New landscaping was planted for the outdoor reading room area. The installation of five decorative crosswalks will be installed following paving to be completed by the DPW Highway Division.
Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner, Jim Michel, stated, “I am very excited to celebrate the completion of the Sound Beach Avenue bridge. We sincerely thank our community for their patience during this project and look forward to the benefits of this project for decades to come.”
The project cost $2.5 million dollars and was funded through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) grant from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). Construction plans were prepared by Weston & Sampson, of Rocky Hill, CT and the contractor for this project is A. Vitti Excavators, LLC of Stamford, CT. Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works Senior Civil Engineer, Gabriella Circosta Cohee, was the project manager for the Sound Beach Avenue Bridge Project.