Bridge Work Continues
Down through the years, there have been several bridges that spanned the Housatonic River connecting Shelton (Huntington) and Derby from covered bridges to iron bridges to the current concrete bridge which was built in 1918.
One of the earliest of the bridges for which pictures survive was the Huntington Bridge erected after the previous bridge was washed away in 1851. It was a wooden, covered bridge that was also a toll bridge - read the full story here.
After much controversy, the new iron bridge was built in 1891 and included trolley tracks for the emerging transportation system. The bridge lasted until the current bridge was built in 1918.
The bridge was wider and stronger than many bridges of the time as World War I had raised concerns about the needs for moving heavy military equipment in times of need. The bridge has served the two towns very well, though its aesthetic appeal wasn't the best including the period of time when special fencing was erected to prevent anyone from jumping off the bridge. The Derby-Shelton Rotary Club made a grant to the Shelton Economic Development Commission for a study which helped SEDC earn a $265,000 grant to study the look and functionality of the bridge which eventually resulted in the current State Department of Transportation project currently underway.
On October 10 the project took a major step forward when the renovated lane from Derby to Shelton was opened and a couple of days later as the work shifted to the middle of the bridge, an important piece of history was unearthed when they started removing the paving - the original trolley tracks from the days when the bridge was double tracked for trolleys.
Click pictures for larger images.
Story posted on 2022-10-14 |
