New Milford honors design engineer with new bridge
NEW MILFORD — Opening the new bridge that carries Upland Road over the East Aspetuck River was a noteworthy event for the town, according to Mayor Pete Bass.
It was the last project that town design engineer Mark Rosa worked on before his death in August, “so it has a special meaning to us as well,” Bass said.
The bridge, which had been closed since April, opened to traffic on Tuesday. The town invited members of Rosa’s family to the event, where a plaque in Rosa’s honor was unveiled.
Rosa, who spent five years as New Milford Public Works’ design engineer, died on Aug. 16 at the age of 62.
The plaque in his name was set on the east side of the bridge, according to Public Works Director Jack Healy.
The new bridge, which is about 40 feet long, is expected to last at least 50 years, Healy said.
The old bridge, built in 1978, was a 34foot single-span steel beam structure supported by reinforced concrete abutments and wingwalls, according to the state Department of Transportation. A 2018 state review determined the bridge was structurally deficient, though Healy said plans to replace the bridge went back at least eight years.
The state’s review determined the old bridge was “scour critical,” meaning the abutments were being undermined as a result of the river’s water passing by, Healy said.
“Because of that, they thought it was unsafe,” he said of the state’s review. “They felt the long-term liability of the bridge was being compromised.”
The replacement bridge consists of a prestressed concrete deck unit structure supported by new concrete abutments, creating a 42-foot bridge with a 24-foot curb-to-curb width, according to the state DOT.
Healy said Nagy Brothers, a Monroebased construction company, started construction on the bridge in April and finished on Dec. 4.
The project’s total cost was $1.4 million, Healy said, with 80 percent funded by federal grants and 20 percent funded by state grants.