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Health & Fitness

Commuters! Arrigoni Bridge Opening Ahead of Schedule

Arrigoni bridge to open two months early.

It's news that commuters have been waiting to hear for a year and two months! Their morning commute between Portland and Middletown will soon get much easier and thankfully it comes two months ahead of schedule.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker that the Arrigoni Bridge which carries route 66 across Rt. 9 and the Connecticut River, connecting Portland and Middletown,  will have all four lanes of traffic open, during peak traffic hours,  by September 15th.

Some lanes will be closed during off peak times as crews continue to work on paving and sidewalks.  Final paving of the bridge is scheduled to begin September 4th.

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Malloy thanked the DOT and it's contractors for finishing the work ahead of schedule and also thanked commuters for their patience.

"We know that this reconstruction project for the 35,000 commuters that cross the bridge daily has not been easy," Malloy said. "The patience and cooperation of the public has been remarkable throughout the entire process and I want to thank them.

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This is great news for the people of central Connecticut, who deserve our applause for their patience during this year-long rehabilitation project," Redeker said. "There is still some additional work to do, but getting all four lanes of traffic reopened early, and particularly for the peak-travel hours, is a significant achievement and a testament to the diligence of the DOT, its contractors and the towns of Middletown and Portland."

The Arrigoni Bridge, the longest in the state of Connecticut, opened in 1938 with a cost of $3.5 million.  It was named after it's greatest supporter, the state legislater Charles J Arrigoni, who promoted the project.

The new construction to the bridge has completely replaced the deck, the portion of the bridge that supports traffic and cost $19 million, 10% over budget because of extra repairs that were not included in the inital cost.

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