Arrigoni Bridge

Charles J. Arrigoni Bridge
Carries	Route 66 and Route 17
Crosses	Connecticut River and Route 9
Locale	Middletown and Portland, Connecticut
Maintained by	Connecticut Department of Transportation
Design	Through arch bridge
Total length	3428.1 ft (1044.85 m)[1]
Width	44.9 ft (13.7 m)[1]
Longest span	2 × 660 feet (200 m)[1]
Clearance below	89 ft (27.1 m)
Construction begin	1936[1]
Construction end	1938
Opened	1938
Daily traffic	33,600
Coordinates	41°34′09″N 72°38′55″W / 41.56917°N 72.64861°W / 41.56917; -72.64861Coordinates: 41°34′09″N 72°38′55″W / 41.56917°N 72.64861°W / 41.56917; -72.64861

The Arrigoni Bridge carries Route 66 and Route 17 over Route 9 and across the Connecticut River, connecting Middletown, Connecticut to Portland, Connecticut. The bridge has an average daily traffic of 33,600.^[2]

History

In 1895, the first non-railroad bridge between Middletown and Portland was built, but that and the earlier railroad bridge connecting the two communities were heavily damaged by flooding in 1936.^[3]

Constructed from 1936 to 1938, when it opened in 1938 the Arrigoni Bridge was the most expensive bridge, costing $3.5 million. With two 600 feet (180 m) steel arches, the bridge is still the longest in the state. In 1938 it won the American Institute of Steel Construction's first prize "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the large bridge category.^[4]

Award plaque

From a commemorative booklet entitled "The Middletown-Portland Bridge" August 61938. Click the image for the accompanying text.

The bridge is somewhat of an icon and landmark in the area and is also a marker of where the water begins to freeze in the river (as south of this point the tides are able to bring enough salt water north to keep the water from freezing over.) It was named after the state legislator who promoted the project, Charles J. Arrigoni, and was designed by William G. Grove of the American Bridge Company and Leslie G. Sumner of the State Highway Department.

See also

• List of crossings of the Connecticut River
• French King Bridge won the same award 6 years earlier
  

  Portland Passenger Bridge over the Connecticut, no longer in existence

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Charles J. Arrigoni Bridge at Structurae
2. ^ 2005 State of Connecticut Department of Transportation Traffic Volumes State Maintained Highway Network Traffic Log (pdf)
3. ^ McDougall, Robert W., Portland, p 7, Arcadia Publishing, 2004, ISBN 9780738536422, retrieved via Google Books on January 16, 2009
4. ^ The Hartford Courant, April 25, 2007, Middlesex County Advertising Supplement, page 7

External links

• Connecticut's historic highway bridges