Malloy holds crisis summit after Norwalk bridge malfunction

After a recent bridge failure in Norwalk, Gov. Dannel Malloy called to order a crisis summit to address safety. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast, Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker met with Malloy on Monday to discuss ways to prevent future malfunctions on the Walk Bridge.

The bridge got stuck Friday just before 3 p.m. after swinging open to let boat traffic through, causing Fairfield County commuters to face more than three hours of delays during rush hour and train service suspensions between South Norwalk and Grand Central Terminal, according to The Hour, a Norwalk newspaper. Commuters going toward New Haven had to find an alternative route to the East Norwalk train station.

“This is now the second major failure in two weeks, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and causing unacceptable delays,” Malloy said in a statement. “Let me be clear. This is outrageous. In speaking with MTA and Metro-North, my administration has stressed that every procedure, protocol and engineering solution must get the immediate attention of the most qualified team of experts.”

Malloy also emphasized the importance of critiquing the operating, maintenance, alternative service and customer protocols and finding near-term solutions to ensure Connecticut commuters are receiving reliable services. The Connecticut Department of Transportation and MTA will conduct an operational review of the Walk Bridge and deliver their findings by mid-July, Malloy said.

In April, Malloy announced the state applied for $600 million in federal transportation funds to help cover the capital costs of projects related to Connecticut’s commuter rail infrastructure along the New Haven Line.

The state specifically requested $349 million in federal funding to cover 75 percent of the cost to replace the Walk Bridge in an effort to enhance safety and reliability.

“It should be noted that these most recent failures punctuate the absolute necessity for replacing this 118-year-old bridge ”“ a central link to the entire Northeast corridor,” Malloy said. “We simply cannot afford peak service disruptions like this, which is why we have requested and are aggressively pursuing federal resiliency funding for this exact purpose.”