CTDOT, Metro-North plan spring bridge and maintenance work on New Haven Line

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and Metro-North Railroad this spring will be making critical repairs on the Devon Bridge on the New Haven commuter rail line and doing maintenance work on the line's Waterbury Branch.

 

First, five miles of track will be replaced along the 27-mile Waterbury Branch.

Second, interim repairs will be made to the 110-year-old, four-track Devon railroad bridge over the Housatonic River. This 1,067-foot long moveable bridge must be replaced in the future, but requires interim repairs to sustain reliable service. Completion of the Track 3 work on the Devon Bridge is a prerequisite to the next and final phase of CTDOT’s overhead catenary wire replacement, a $106-million upgrade that is on target for completion in 2017. This six-month, $1 million phase of work involves steel repairs, a new wooden deck and new miter rails on the Track 3 span.

Details of the Devon scope of work are as follows: Remove the timber deck, perform steel repairs then install new deck timbers, reinstall the running rail and new miter rails. The timber deck renewal should take about 10 weeks for the 800-plus timbers. A safety walkway also will be erected

Tags: