Groton ― The planned replacement of the deck on the northbound Gold Star Memorial Bridge will require shifting two northbound lanes of traffic to the southbound span in two years.

At a public forum on Tuesday, the state Department of Transportation unveiled the planned configuration and details of the next phase of construction on the northbound span that will fix the bridge and make it so oversized trucks can cross.

Project Manager Tracey Brais, who outlined the project to The Day on Monday, said the two northbound lanes will be separated by a barrier from the three southbound lanes on the southbound span.

Meanwhile, two northbound lanes will be maintained on the northbound span.

Brais said Tuesday that since the state DOT is planning another project to strengthen the steel on the southbound side from the summer of 2025 to the summer 2026, the crossover of the lanes won’t start until 2026.

The more than 20 people at the public information meeting at the city’s Municipal Building, listened to the presentation and then asked questions about a variety of topics such as the what work is being done on the bridge now and how the painting of the bridge will be handled.

The second phase of the northbound project also will require some temporary exit closures. The northbound Exit 85 ramp will need to be closed temporarily for a short period of time, anticipated to be a couple of months. The northbound exit 86 off-ramp will be closed to traffic for about two years, with a detour in place, said Brais.

The project discussed at Tuesday’s information session is the second phase of the project to repair the northbound Gold Star bridge.

Currently, for the first phase of the project, crews are strengthening the steel on the truss spans, which are the main spans over the Thames River, Brais said. The first phase began in 2022 and is anticipated to be completed in June 2025.

This second and last phase, which will last from 2025 to the fall 2029, will involve steel repairs to the approach spans over land, replacing the bridge’s deck, replacing bearings, patching up concrete, painting the bridge, and installing new highway lights, a new crash-tested railing system and steel mesh fencing.

Brais said the project is primarily needed because, based on the last biennial inspection, the bridge deck and bridge superstructure are in poor condition.

She said the bridge is safe to drive over, as inspection teams are out there at least biennially inspecting the bridge, and any time there is an incident such as the fire last year. Maintenance crews also frequently address issues as they come up, especially when the public notices a pothole or broken joint.

She said the repairs are needed to bring the bridge up to a state of good repair and keep it in service for at least another 25 years without a major rehabilitation project.

The project also will strengthen the bridge so it will be able to carry oversized, overweight trucks, which currently are detoured 17 miles, she said.

Brais said the DOT plans to go out to bid for the estimated $591 million project for the second phase of the northbound span. The DOT has a $158.2 million federal grant and plans to use 90% federal funds and 10% state funds for the remainder of the project.

The northbound bridge was originally constructed in 1943 to carry two lanes of traffic in both directions. With the construction of the southbound bridge in the late 1960s, the northbound bridge was partially reconstructed in 1975.

New London resident Andrew Lopez said he biked to the meeting in Groton with six of his friends. He said there is a lot of activity on the bike path on the southbound side: they had to pause to let a runner going in the opposite direction pass, then a motor scooter came from behind them and drove past, and then they passed bicyclists heading in the opposite direction.

Brais said the DOT plans to hold a public information meeting at a later date for a project to improve the southbound span’s shared-use pathway. The goal is to widen the path, so it is at least 11 feet wide but mostly 14 feet wide.

More information is available at: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/bridges/project-pages/gold-star-memorial-bridge

People can submit comments or questions to the DOT, by May 14, by emailing DOT.GoldStarBridgeProjects@ct.gov or calling (860) 594-2020.

k.drelich@theday.com