Gov. Ned Lamont joined Stamford officials this morning to announce plans to replace the Route 1 bridge over I-95 near Exit 9.
The current, 76-year-old bridge will essentially be “dropped” and replaced with another, prebuilt bridge that is under construction nearby, in what city officials call an “accelerated bridge construction” approach costing $15 million. That work will take place over only two weekends, June 1-2 and June 8-9.
Doing the same work in a more traditional manner would have taken two years, according to Connecticut Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Anna Berry.
Successful implementation of such projects will help “this state, this city, this country ”¦ to evolve, and grow and succeed,” Stamford Mayor David Martin said. “If we don”™t take care of this bridge ”¦ surely that bridge collapses.”
Noting that the DOT deemed the bridge “structurally deficient some years ago,” Lamont said that paying for such projects would be done in part through electronic tolling.
Stamford”™s Board of Representatives recently passed an anti-tolling resolution; Martin, noting that it was not unanimous, called it “a populist vote that I disagreed with.”
“It was an easy vote, and it was a wrong vote,” Lamont added. “What they”™re saying is, ”˜Let”™s continue to borrow.”™ Borrow, borrow, borrow ”“ that”™s just what got this state into the problems we have right now.”
new tax ned is a failure, only took a month
We certainly don’t see too many “stop spending” messages. Only more taxes in many forms.