New Britain herald., 1930-02-05
Span Over Railroad Tracks and Housatonic River Will Be 40 Feet Above Level of Village Streets Completion Expected in Fall of 1930.

When com mplcted late next faIs inc new Cornwall bridge spanning the Housatonic river and the track. ~ ot the New Haven railroad on high, way route No. l54 between Corn, = wall and sharon will not be onI, the longest concrete arch bridge 'J Connecticut. but the largest all coH. crete grade crossing climinatios project in New England, accordiu. 10 statement by Highway Con- missioner John A, Macdonald todar
 From end to end, tho bridge will be 726 feet long. IL will include eight spans, six of which are 10 ,C or the open spandrcI arch type and two of which, those at each sidt, will be eirdcr spans. Tho center arch, spanning the river will mod- sure 192 feet from center 10 center of the main piers, The extreme width Of the bridge will be 3G fe.l 6 inches with q roadway width of 35 feet, Reinforced concrete Wll he used both for tho substructure and supcrstru-turc, tho amount ut concrete required being sutficio"t 10 pave more than four miles of highway at a width of 70 feet, a4l the amount Of steel sufficient for two miles of railroad track
 fO Feet Over Village Streets The bridge will pass 40 feet abore inc streets of the villages on bo;l sides of the river. Concrete star ways will be constructed on bo, h sides for the convenience of pcdcs- trians going to and from tho stor :, railroad station and post office,
 Approaches for the huge span, will comprise q full sized highway construction joo in themselves. An- breaches on the Torrinston arI Hartford roads on the east and o1 thc Canaan and New Milford roads on the north and south. respectively, will have rights of way of 3o feet and pavemcnts Of 70 feet. Tn fir Ieneth will total about 6,@75 feet.
 The greater part Of the southcriy approach from New Milford will d. part completely from the old roi ] and will be carried over nov right Of way through the fields. which will require an excavation c5 about e5 5000 cubic yards Of sand and gravel. Hecause o( unstable ill. Waterboun1 macadam will r- rsed 10 pave tho approaches an1 this al a later date will he replaced r.t,t ff pavement.
 Contract for the paving Of thr approaches cannot be awarded un,l after the completion of the strut- ture itself since the bridge will '# required 10 carry cNcaEated mater ial from the cast side for use as t,4 or the other side of the river.
 Cost About soOo,oGo
 When completed the bridro structure will cost about S56H,oo9 and it is estimated that tho an- proach work. including small but expensive box culycrt, will cost about s140,0Q0. The contract ter the structure ;s in the hands of C.. W. Blakeslce X Sons of New Hav2I,
 Work on the bridge was bogun early in July, 19-2, When "o"k was discontinued for the ~int s', about onc-third of tho project had been completed, but this third was the most difficult part of the jop, inc construction of the foundation. Operations will he renewed carly io the spring and the span, itsc {, should be finished by late tall. Fol lowing this, work will be started on the approaches and probably by tn" close of 1881 the entire project will be finished and opened for trafli'. thus closing the last gap in tl, beautiful Honsatonic valley rod between Danoury and Lime Rock.