More federal money awarded to replace rail bridge over Connecticut River

Old Lyme ― The United States Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it has awarded $65.2 million for the replacement of the 115-year old train bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme.This is the second time Amtrak's Connecticut River Bridge replacement project has been selected for funding through the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program to support railroad infrastructure.An initial $65.2 million federal contribution was designated in fiscal year 2020 towards the estimated $432.4 million cost of the estimated 6-year-long project, which is slated to begin construction in 2024."I'm thrilled," Jim Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group, a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering rail commuters on Metro-North, said by phone on Thursday."Kudos to the DOT. Thank you to Washington for the money. It's obviously our money; it's taxpayer money that's coming back to us, but it's a crucial investment, and I'm glad they're getting ahead of it before it suffers some of the failures that the bridges further west have suffered."He added that although the work is "not sexy to commuters," like new rail cars, it is "a crucial element of infrastructure that needs to be repaired."An additional $20 million was also awarded to the state to replace 2 power substations along the New Haven Line. The bridge project will also allow trains to significantly increase their speed on the span. Speeds over the bridge are currently restricted to 45 miles per hour, but with the bridge replacement, speeds will increase to 70 mile per hour, while delays due to bridge openings and closings are projected to decrease."Governor Lamont has challenged us from day one to improve services and speed up trains, and with these grants, we continue to move in that direction," said DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti.Currently, according to documents on the Northeast Corridor Commission's website, the bridge, built in 1907, opens and closes up to 3,000 times per year which stresses the aging components, increases maintenance costs and reduces reliability for both rail and maritime traffic.In a joint statement, the state's Congressional delegation called the Northeast Corridor one of the busiest rail lines in North America, with more than 144,000 commuters using the New Haven Line and Shore Line East daily. It said the two projects are an important investment in Connecticut as they upgrade the power supply and remove a major chokepoint along the Shore Line East line by replacing the outmoded, deteriorating bridge.According to a press release from Gov. Ned Lamont's office, the age and condition of the bridge pose the risk of a long-term service interruption to rail service, which is used by at least 56 trains daily, bringing Amtrak passengers from Virginia to Boston while serving commuters on the Shore Line East line and freight trains headed to Worcester and Providence.Like the existing bridge, the new bridge will have a two-track configuration and be moveable, though the new bridge will be higher, 24 feet instead of 18. This is expected to minimize maritime delays by allowing larger boats to pass under the span when it is closed.Amtrak and the DOT will provide a match of approximately $24.8 million for the bridge replacement. With the current match, and approximately $55 million in contributions and pledges by the DOT to match the 2020 award, the state now has $210 million in funding, which constitutes slightly less than half of the money needed for the project.