The city of Bridgeport has announced that it received a commitment from the Connecticut Department of Transportation to fund 50 percent of the cost to rebuild the Congress Street Bridge.
The funding commitment, which will be allocated from the state”™s Local Bridge Program, matches the Bridgeport City Council”™s approval of $12 million in municipal funds targeted for the construction project. The bridge, which spans the Pequonnock River, opened in 1910 for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, but the structure was closed amid safety concerns in 1997 and demolished in 2010.
“We are thrilled to receive the matching funds for the $24 million project that will have a huge impact on Bridgeport”™s infrastructure and rejoin our communities,” said Mayor Joe Ganim. “Rebuilding the Congress Street Bridge will have a tremendous and positive economic impact on the downtown and East Side in addition to improving safety response.”
