New Milford, Conn., is replacing two bridges to improve safety and prevent flooding. Other state road projects in Connecticut are also underway, including repairs on I-291 and a bridge replacement in New London. Contractors and deadlines are outlined for each project.
Pete Bass, Mayor of New Milford photo
The contractor installed rock sockets, fully threaded bar with centralizers and began structure excavation and removal of existing masonry at the West Abutment.
Motorists in the New Milford, Conn. area can expect new detours this summer as the town begins work on major projects to replace two road bridges deemed to be in poor condition.
The construction to fully replace the "structurally deficient" Van Car Road bridge is well under way, while the replacement of the Sand Road bridge is expected to start in mid-June 2025, according to officials from the public works department in New Milford, north of Danbury in western Connecticut.
"Both of these replacement projects will make the roadways safer for commuters as well as provide resilience for the future to prevent flooding," Chuck Ballard, roads design engineer of New Milford, told the New Haven Register. "The town is systemically inspecting and replacing all 60-plus bridges in its inventory. [We] are prioritizing by condition, and Sand Road and Van Car are definitely the next ones when it comes to overall conditions and need for replacement."
The 62-ft.-long Van Car Road bridge, originally built in 1957, carried traffic over the East Aspetuck River until Van Car Road was closed to vehicle travel last March. In addition, the intersecting Paper Mill Road has been closed since April 28, 2025, according to the city.
Meanwhile, utility work on the Sand Road bridge project began at the end of April 2025, and the roadway itself is expected to be shuttered by mid-June, according to Ballard.
Constructed in 1983, Sand Road bridge, at 65-ft. in length, supports traffic crossing over the West Aspetuck River near the junction with Long Mountain Road.
Each of the old structures are made of steel beams and reinforced concrete deck superstructures supported by reinforced concrete abutments and wingwalls.
Ballard added that both spans are in bad condition due to the state of their overall roadway surfaces, road abutments and inability to meet current standards for floodwaters.
The Van Car Road bridge carries an average of 840 vehicles per day, according to data from Close, Jensen and Miller, a Wethersfield, Conn. consulting firm. The span also has been deemed "structurally deficient" and "hydraulically inadequate" with areas of section loss, peeling paint and moderate to heavy rust on its stringers.
On average, the Sand Road bridge sees 477 vehicles cross it each day and, at its last inspection in October 2024, was declared "structurally deficient," the Register noted.
Ballard added that the town is coordinating with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) on both replacement efforts.
Rebuilding the Van Car Road bridge is expected to cost $3.3 million, he said, while the Sand Road bridge replacement will likely cost $2.5 million. They will be paid for with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent state funds.
"These bridges are coming toward the end of their life," said New Milford Mayor Pete Bass. "It just continues with our plan for road and bridge reconstruction [and] infrastructure work to provide a better road system for New Milford."
Crews under the supervision of Dayton Construction Co. in Watertown, Conn. officially started work on the Van Car Road bridge around April 1, 2025, and are expected to have the job completed by the beginning of November, according to Ballard.
It is being made of precast concrete box beams supported by concrete abutments, the New Haven news source reported June 1, adding that CTDOT plans on "slightly widening" the bridge to create a new 55-ft. span and improving the site's drainage, among other changes.
Brunalli Construction Co., based in Southington, is working on the Sand Road bridge, with the completion of that project tentatively slated for the end of November.
Four Other Connecticut Road Projects Began in Early June
Several other Connecticut road projects started up in the first week of June under the guidance of CTDOT, the Hartford Courant reported:
• The state agency said that work began on the Connecticut Highway 254 bridge over Waterbury Road in Thomaston, west of Hartford. On June 5, 2025, the bridge was converted from two lanes to alternating traffic and remain that way until July 14, according to CTDOT.
Temporary traffic barriers and sand barrels have been installed as well as traffic control signing patterns and temporary traffic signals. Blast All Inc. in Old Saybrook, Conn. is doing the job, part of a project to metallize 11 bridges in Thomaston and Litchfield at a cost of $17.4 million. The effort is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 30 and is being administered by the state's Bureau of Engineering and Construction District 4 in Thomaston.
• A bridge deck repair has commenced on Interstate 291 east and west between Exits 5 and 2B in the South Windsor area. The work is being done to ensure the bridges remain in a state of good repair, the Courant noted. CTDOT contracted with Mohawk Northeast Inc., in Plantsville, Conn., to make the necessary repairs.
• Also under way is the replacement of a bridge on U.S. Highway 1, South Frontage Road and the I-95 North Exit 83 ramp in New London. Plans call for the "full replacement of the bridge superstructure and substructure, drainage improvements, roadway realignment and upgrades to traffic signals," according to CTDOT. ROTHA Contracting Co. Inc. in Avon, Conn. won the bid in March at a cost of $14 million and is expected to finish by the end of November 2026. The work will be administered by CTDOT's Bureau of Engineering and Construction District 2 in Norwich.
• Bethany, north of New Haven, a milling and resurfacing project has started on Conn. 63. The roadwork will be done on a 1.68-mi. segment of the highway in Bethany from a half-mile south of the route's junction with Conn. 42 north to the Naugatuck town line.
The milling segment of this project by Tilcon Connecticut was scheduled to finish June 10, followed the next day by Torrington-based O&G Industries beginning the road's resurfacing. The entire project is scheduled to wrap on June 23, 2025, according to CTDOT.
The Bethany roadwork is included in the state agency's 2025 Vendor Resurfacing Program.
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