CT DOT has plan for $1.2 million project to add ‘aesthetic lighting’ to ‘landmark’ bridge

02.02.2024 13:45

The format will included a question and answer perion session immediately after the presentation, which will be recorded, according to DOT.

The project is being billed as intending to show off “the beautiful stone details of one of Connecticut’s landmark bridges.”

And to draw in the opinions of drivers who will traverse the Bulkeley Bridge, the Connecticut Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public information meeting on a plan for installation of “aesthetic lighting” on the span at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

The bridge carries traffic over the Connecticut River between Hartford and East Hartford.

“This project will highlight the beautiful stone details of one of Connecticut’s landmark bridges, providing a critical connection between communities in Hartford and East Hartford,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Manager Tracey Brais, in a statement. “We encourage the public to attend this meeting to share their feedback with the CTDOT project team to incorporate into the design.”

The light installation project will highlight “unique features of the structure,” according to DOT.

“Installation of LED light fixtures and conduit is proposed along the north and south elevations of the bridge with the light directed toward the stone pier noses. A new electrical service cabinet on the East Hartford side of the river will provide the power to the lighting system, ” according to DOT.

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According to DOT, the “virtual public information meeting” is schedule to allow the public and local community an opportunity to comment or ask questions on the proposed project.

The meeting will take place on Zoom, but registration is required, according to the agency.

The format will included a question and answer period session immediately after the presentation, which will be recorded, according to DOT.

Courant File Photo
The Bulkeley Bridge, built for $3 million and spanning the Connecticut River between Hartford and East Hartford, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built from 1903 to 1908, the nearly 1,200-foot stone arch bridge was originally known as the Hartford Bridge but was renamed for U.S. Sen. Morgan Bulkeley after his death in 1922.
Patrick Raycraft / Hartford Courant
Bulkeley: The name of the former Connecticut governor and U.S. senator, Morgan G. Bulkeley, is BULK-lee, not BUHK-lee, so it's the BULK-lee Bridge (pictured). But while the bridge is BULK-lee, the high school is, by popular convention, BUCK-lee
Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant
Hartford, Ct. - 08/13/2021 - Hartford's Main Street runs diagonally from the lower left providing a partial frame and connective route from the triangle-shaped Arrowhead properties in the foreground to Dunkin' Donuts Park and Downtown North. Running downstream from left to right in the background, the Connecticut River passes under Bulkeley Bridge. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com
Peter Casolino/Special to the Courant
Avon High School girls cross the finish under the stone arches of the Bulkeley Bridge at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta in 2017.

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For instructions on joining the meeting or ways to submit comments and ask questions, visit http://portal.ct.gov/DOTHartford63-728.

The agency noted that construction is expected to begin this fall, though it is “based on the availability of funding… and approval of permits.”

The work is expected to cost about $1.2 million. It is to be “undertaken with 100% percent state funds,” and “right-of-way impacts associated with the proposed project are not anticipated.”

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Anyone with limited internet access can listen to the meeting by calling 877- 853-5257 and entering Meeting ID 836 6443 7905. People with hearing and/or speech disabilities can dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services. To request that project information be mailed, within one week, contact Tracey Brais at DOTProject0063-0728@ct.gov or (860) 594-3171. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the CTDOT YouTube channel, with no registration required, according to DOT.

Language assistance can be requested by contacting the CTDOT Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. (Requests should be made at least five business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance, according to DOT).

To submit comments and questions — by February 27, 2024 — send to DOTProject0063-0728@ct.gov and (860) 594-2020. Reference State Project No. 0063-0728in the email or voicemail.