Bridge Delivery to Cause Traffic Disruptions

Workers recently installed the concrete abutments for the new bridge. On Friday, weather permitting, nine beams will be placed side-by-side across the abutments to form the new span. Photo by John Kniering.

A view of the abutments from the south side of the Park River. Photo by John Kniering.

The following is a message from Chris Dupuis, senior project manager in the Facilities Department.

On Thursday, Nov. 8, and Friday, Nov. 9, nine 84-foot long concrete beams will be delivered to campus and will be lifted into place to create the new bridge over the Park River.

It will be an exciting milestone to see the new bridge take shape, and it will mark a major step toward completion of this complex construction project.

Nine trucks will carry the massive beams from Pennsylvania to the University of Hartford. Four of the trucks are scheduled to arrive on campus on the afternoon of Nov. 8, and five more are scheduled to arrive on the morning of Nov. 9.

When each truck arrives on campus, the entrances to Parking Lots A, B, C, and D, and access from Presidents Way to the east (toward the magnet school), will be closed for approximately five to 10 minutes, so that there are no vehicles on the main campus road in this area while the trucks – each 110 feet long – make their way to the construction site. As soon as the truck passes each parking lot, a Public Safety officer will allow vehicles to resume exiting and entering the parking lot as usual.

Please leave extra time and plan for possible delays if you are planning to enter or exit Lots A, B, C, or D during the following time periods:

- Thursday, Nov. 8, between 1 and 3:30 p.m.

- Friday, Nov. 9, between 9 a.m. and noon

Please note that there may be unexpected changes in the delivery schedule for circumstances beyond our control (weather, traffic on the drive from Pennsylvania to West Hartford) and that we may have to extend the delivery of the beams into Friday afternoon, Nov. 9, if the trucks are delayed in arriving to campus.

In addition to the brief traffic disruptions, students, faculty, and staff who park in the north section of D-Lot (see map) will be asked to park in other parts of D-Lot or in C-Lot on Nov. 8 and 9 to accommodate the trucks.

Resident students who park overnight in the north section of D-Lot must move their cars by 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Those students may park in any other available resident parking space. Students may also park in M-Lot (behind the Sports Center) from Wednesday night until 10 a.m. Saturday morning, should additional parking be needed. Barring any unexpected changes in the delivery schedule, students may return their vehicles to the north section of D-Lot as of 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Come and Watch the Bridge Being Assembled

Members of the University community are invited to watch the bridge assembly on Friday, Nov. 9, from anywhere outside the construction zone.

A large crane will lay the nine beams side-by-side across the bridge abutments throughout the day, at the rate of about one per hour. It should be a quite a striking sight. Please note that the safe operation of the crane is weather dependent. The threat of thunder, lighting, or high winds would prevent the crane from lifting the beams into place safely. If inclement weather occurs on Friday, Nov. 9, the installation of the beams would occur the next available good weather day, ideally Saturday, Nov. 10.

Once the bridge structure is in place, a new road will be built over it. The bridge is on track to be open for pedestrian and vehicular traffic by the start of the spring semester.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the logistical challenge of delivering the bridge components and assembling the new span. Your cooperation during this process is greatly appreciated.

If you have any specific questions or concerns about the deliveries, please contact me at cdupuis@hartford.edu or ext. 7866.

Sincerely,

Chris Dupuis
Senior Project Manager
Facilities