The Washington Bridge from the Stratford shoreline.
The Washington Bridge, also known as the Devon Bridge,[3] carries U.S. Route 1 (US 1) over the Housatonic River in the U.S. state of Connecticut, connecting the city of Milford to the town of Stratford. Its geographic location is N 41.20037 by W −73.11039. It is considered architecturally notable by the National Register of Historic Places for its five 100-foot-long (30 m) arches. It is designated Bridge No. 327 by the state Department of Transportation.[4]
The Washington Bridge is the longest drawbridge on the Boston Post Road.[citation needed] It is a steel trunnion-bearing bascule drawbridge. 859 feet (262 m) in length by 43 feet (13 m) in width, featuring two lanes in each direction for automotive traffic and a sidewalk for pedestrians. The clear channel for shipping is 125 feet (38 m) wide.[5] The bridge, which cost $1.5 million in 1921, was the largest and most expensive project of the state highway department up to the date of its construction.[4]
History
Postcard displaying the current and two prior bridges
Prior to the current bridge there were two previous spans, serving from 1803 to 1894, and from 1894 to 1921 (see postcard image).
The first bridge at this point was proposed in 1803 by the Milford and Stratford Bridge Company, which changed its name to the Washington Bridge Company that same year. The first permanent standing (wooden) bridge opened in 1813, complete with a toll.[7] This bridge was rebuilt at least twice: once in 1807 when ice flows carried the bridge out to sea and again in 1868 when it was struck by the steamer Monitor.[8]
In 1844 Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin vetoed a bill requiring the Washington Bridge Company to make alterations to the bridge at its own expense even though the conditions requiring these changes did not exist when the bridge was originally built. The veto was overridden by an act of the Connecticut General Assembly.[9]
The second bridge opened in 1894 and was built of iron for $88,500. It featured two 215 feet (66 m) fixed spans and a single 200 feet (61 m) swinging span in the center, with a walking path on the northern side. A trolley line was originally objected to by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad but was ultimately added in the southern lane.[11]
Built in 1921, the original fabricator of the current bridge was Bethlehem Steel.
[12] It was designed by John Alexander Low Waddell, a noted structural engineer with over 1000 structures to his credit. Originally the bridge supported two streetcar tracks and two lanes for passenger cars.
[13] At the time of its construction, it was the most expensive project yet undertaken by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, costing $1.5 million.[14]
The bridge has seen several renovations, including those completed in:
1935: Removal of streetcar apparatus to increase passenger car traffic from two lanes to four.
1989: Repaving and superstructure (including concrete parapet and railing).[16]
2007: $18.5 million overhaul which included fibreglass fenders for the bridge piers, installation of its own generator, a new bridge control system, and a complete overhaul to the mechanical apparatus.[17]
^[2] Web page titled "A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut By Samuel Orcutt, Fairfield County Historical Society (page 437)" at Google Book Search Web site, accessed September 16, 2008
^Images of Stratford, Stratford Historical Society, 1997 p78 ISBN0-7385-0066-6
^Images of Stratford, Stratford Historical Society, 1997 p78-79 ISBN0-7385-0066-6
^[3] Web page titled "Biennial Report of the Highway Commissioner to the Governor By Connecticut State Highway Dept (page 36)" at Google Books Web site, accessed September 16, 2008
^[4] "Milford" from Trolley Towns Website accessed October 6, 2008.
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