Bulkeley Bridge - Hartford, CT
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neoc1
N 41° 46.157 W 072° 40.056
18T E 693866 N 4626789
The Bulkeley Bridge is a nine span stone arch bridge that carries I-84, US Route 6, and US Route 44 across the Connecticut River between Hartford and East Hartford, CT.
Waymark Code: WMP8QQ
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 07/21/2015
Views: 1
The Bulkeley Bridge was completed in 1908. Its the largest and one of the last major stone arch bridges built in New England. It is the oldest and busiest bridge crossing the Connecticut River in the Hartford and one of the oldest bridges in the United States still in use in the Interstate Highway System.
Construction of the bridge began in 1903. Then called the Hartford Bridge, the neo-classical stone arch bridge was designed by Edward Dwight Graves, chief engineer and Edmund M. Wheelwright, architect. In 1922, the bridge was renamed the Bulkeley Bridge in honor of the recently deceased Morgan Bulkeley, the former four-term mayor of Hartford, Governor of Connecticut, United States Senator, and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the first president of the National League.
The costs of construction are estimated at roughly $3 million which, adjusted for inflation, is the most expensive bridge project in Connecticut history. One hundred thousand cubic yards of pink and gray granite were used in its construction. Its nine spans are 1192' long. The bridge opened on Oct. 6, 1908.
Dimensions:
Length of largest span: 119.1 ft.
Total length: 1,075.2 ft.
Deck width: 109.9 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 18.7 ft.
A 100 year dedication plaque at the southwest end at river level is inscribed:
BULKELEY BRIDGE
ONE HUNDRED YEAR DEDICATION
{Image of the Bridge}
The Bulkeley Bridge, crossing the Connecticut River, is named in honor of Hartford Mayor, Connecticut Governor, and US Senator Morgan G. Bulkeley. Originally dedicated on October 6, 1908, this magnificent stone arch structure connecting the communities of Hartford and East Hartford is now part of the United States Interstate System system. After one hundred years of service, this bridge is rededicated to the travelers crossing and those who have made travel possible, over this historic span.
Rededicated October 19, 2008
Hartford, Connecticut
The Bulkeley Bridge was places on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1993.