Grand Street Bridge (Connecticut)
Grand Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The Grand Street Bridge in 1995 | |
| Coordinates | 41°11′N 73°11′W / 41.19°N 73.19°W |
| Carries | Grand Street |
| Locale | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Official name | Grand Street Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 372 feet (113 m)[1]: 26 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1919 |
| Closed | 1990s |
| Location | |
 | |
The Grand Street Bridge was a double-leaf deck-girder bascule bridge in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States that spanned the Pequonnock River and connected Grand Street and Artic Street. It was one of three movable bridges planned by the City of Bridgeport in 1916 at the request of the War Department during World War I. Construction was completed in 1919, but the delays surrounding the construction went to the Connecticut Supreme Court in case of Edward DeV. Tompkins, Inc. vs. City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The court ruled in favor of Tompkins and awarded damages equal to the contract. In 1936, the bridge had excessive settling and required the replacement of its southeast pier. As part of the repairs, a new floor and electrical system were installed. In 1965, the floor was replaced with a steel grate on I-beam floor. In 1984, the eastern approach span was replaced and the northwest trunnion post was reconstructed. The bridge was closed in the 1990s and dismantled in 1999.
Construction
Requests for bids for the Grand Street Bridge were announced in the trade publication Contractor, for the "substructure, superstructure and approaches". Originally the deadline was set for April 6, 1916, but it was later extended to May 6, 1916.[2]: 70 [3]: 72 The June 1916 issue of Contractor announced that Edward DeVoe Tompkins, Inc., obtained the contract with the lowest bid of $187,000.[4]: 70 The contract, signed on May 16, 1916, stipulated that work on the bridge was to begin within 15 days and the project's original deadline would be September 1, 1917.[5]
The engineering firm which provided the design was the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company, and the fabricator of the steel was the Penn Bridge Company.[6] The moving bridge had two bascule leaves, each 48 feet (15 m) long that were connected by a 69 feet (21 m) long deck-girder approach, for a total overall length of 372 feet (113 m).[6] The girders were 40 feet (12 m) in width; which were wider than the 37.5 feet (11.4 m) bascules.[6] The angle-iron outriggers added another 7.5 feet (2.3 m) on each side, making the bridge's total width 55 feet (17 m). The original floor was comprised of wooden blocks atop wooden planks.[6]
Court case
Edward DeVoe Tompkins, Inc. suffered numerous delays in the construction of the bridge and sued the City of Bridgeport. The case went to the Connecticut Supreme Court in Edward DeV. Tompkins v. City of Bridgeport, Connecticut.[6] Tompkins sued the City of Bridgeport for breach of contract on the grounds that City of Bridgeport was unresponsive, and did not clear the site as scheduled. Tompkins also cited other concerns relating to the design and construction of the bridge including the design engineers from the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company being located in Chicago.[6] The City of Bridgeport alleged that Tompkins was incompetent and uncooperative, but the Connecticut Supreme Court disagreed and ruled in favor of Tompkins. The Court awarded Tompkins the full contract as damages.[6]
Service Life
The Grand Street Bridge opened for traffic in 1919, but had to be closed in 1932 after the southeast pier was undergoing excessive settling. The Connecticut Highway Department and federal funding provided the funds required to remove the bascule leaves and replace the pier in 1936.[6] As a part of the renovations, a new floor and electrical system were installed.[6] In 1965, the bridge floor was replaced with steel grating atop 14-inch (36-cm) I-beam stringers.[6] In 1984, the eastern approach span and northwest trunnion post were reconstructed as part of what would be the the bridge's last major renovations. Other minor repairs to the bridge's steel and masonry were done during the project.[6] The bridge was closed in the 1990s and it was dismantled in 1999.[1]: 27 [7] In 2010, the United States Coast Guard struck the rule pertaining to the operation of the bridge due to its removal.[8] Previously, the rule stated that the bridge need not open for the passage of vessels.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b Clouette, Bruce (2004). Where Water Meets Land: Historic Movable Bridges of Connecticut. Connecticut Department of Transportation.
- ^ Contractor (Volume 23). McGraw Publishing Company. 1916.
- ^ Contractor (Volume 23). McGraw Publishing Company. 1916.
- ^ Contractor (Volume 23). McGraw Publishing Company. 1916.
- ^ Connecticut reports; proceedings in the Supreme Court of the State of Connecticut, Volume 94. 1921. pp. 659–689.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cloutte, Bruce. "Grand Street Bridge, Spanning Pequonnock River at Grand Street, Bridgeport, Fairfield County, CT" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Bridgeport Firefighters Historical Society (2000). Bridgeport Firefighters. Arcadia Publishing. p. 104. ISBN 9780738504926.
- ^ "Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Pequonnock River, Bridgeport, CT". Federal Register. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2001. p. 461.