Detour Planned During Riverside Bridge Replacement Project

If you're planning to travel through the Lockwood Lane neighborhood of Riverside as a short cut, you should plan on extra travel time.

A $3 million project to replace the Lockwood Lane bridge over I-95 is scheduled to begin April 1. And that means not only motorists, but pedestrians too, will have to take a nearly 1-mile detour to get to where they need to go, according to town officials.

Some preliminary work will begin Monday, March 18, but should not impede traffice, CT Department of Transporation projection engineer Stacey Epps told the Board of Selectmen at its Thursday meeting. The project involves replacing the deck of the bridge and its upper span, project engineer Mary Baker said.

Construction work is scheduled to continue until the negotiated completion date of Nov 30, 2013, according to Baker, who gave a project update at Thursday's Board of Selectmen meeting. Depending upon the progress of the work to be done by Rotha Construction of Avon, the completion date could be sooner.

Baker said arrangements have been made to limit loud noise work in the demolition of the bridge and its substructure to one week in July. The Connecticut Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the work, will install noise monitors in the neighborhood to ensure the standards are met, Baker said.

Here's the detour route:

• Northbound traffic on Lockwood Lane will need to use Lockwood Road west to Riverside Avenue, north to East Putnam Avenue (Route 1) east.
• Southbound traffic on Lockwood Lane will need to use East Putnam Avenue (Route 1), west to Riverside Avenue, south to Lockwood Road east.

Baker also said that arrangements will include bus transportation for students who normally walk to nearby schools—including Eastern Middle School.

And for residents who want more information can call Epps at 203-389-3155.