1943,1975 +1973 I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridges over Thames River at Groton, CT

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; Historic Bridges; Satellite, 125 photos)

It is the northbound (southern) bridge that is the 1943 historic bridge. It was one of very few steel bridges that were built during WWII because steel was being rationed. (I've seen some bridges that were started before the war, but then had their construction halted for the duration of the war.) It is 5,931' (1,808m) long with a main span of 540' (165m). It was rebuilt after the 1973 bridge was added. [HistoricBridges]

Additional views of this bridge are available in my notes on the adjacent railroad bridge.

HistoricBridges_articles, p2
[It makes sense that after the upper chord is complete, the left traveler, as well as the right one, can be moved over to the derrick on the right for disassembly.]

After the new Strauss trunnion bridge railroad bridge was built, the old swing bridge was converted for road use. The Gold Star bridge replaced the swing bridge. 

Calvin Lunny, one of many from his album
Old Thames Railroad (RR) Bridge. Before the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Groton-New London, Connecticut crossing the Thames River.

 

ConnecticutHistory, Postcard ca. 1930-1945 - Boston Public Library, The Tichnor Brothers Collection
"Initially, travelers relied on a ferry to help them complete their journey through southeastern Connecticut. Additional help came in the late 19th century in the form of a railroad bridge that carried people and freight across the river. Later, upon the arrival of the automobile, authorities built a new railroad bridge and converted the old bridge for use by cars and trucks, but even this soon proved inadequate....In 1951, officials renamed it the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in honor of servicemen who gave their lives in World War I and World War II."
[I noticed that the artist didn't bother at put any railroad bridges on the postcard. Note that Calvin's image above shows the former and current railroad bridges.]

 

emuseum

emuseum, this webpage did not work correctly so I could not get a higher resolution image.

Bridges Now and Then posted
The view from below the second span of the Gold Star Bridge, during construction in 1973. The 1943 span can be seen to the left. The bridges cross the Thames River, connecting Groton and New London, Connecticut. (No Credit Found) [Not correct, see comment below.]

Richard Cranium commented on the above post
That’s the original span, the second span is shown to the left. This picture is the rehab of the first span built in 1943. We’re currently re structuring the same span again.
[The restructuring includes replacing 160,000 rivets with high-strength bolts.]

In 2016, the 1973 bridge was rehabilitated to extend its life 15-25 years. [cardinal-engineering] These photos are from that webpage.

1

2

3

5

5

6

7

AmericanBridge Added by Brianna82 Posted in Gold Star Memorial Bridge

fox61, Apr 21, 2023
SKY61 captured this drone footage of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Groton after a fuel delivery truck crashed and sparked a massive fire.
[The cranes at the dock are because that is the Mohawk Northeast construction company, not because they have started repairs on the bridge.]

During the repairs, a free shuttle bus was run every half hour for pedestrian traffic until the bridge sidewalk officially reopened Aug 28, 2023. [CTDOT]

mirror, Apr 21, 2023, (Image: Twitter/@sbottone) There are several more Twitter photos on this webpage.
"The driver of the tanker was pronounced dead at the scene, while two passengers in a car involved were taken to hospital with unspecified injuries....Fire was said to be 'pouring' off the bridge to several buildings below. Police have confirmed fire has spread to buildings below Gold Star Bridge....It was home heating fuel being carried in a regular fuel delivery truck as opposed to a tanker."

ConstructionEquipmentGuide
"The Gold Star Memorial Bridge, as seen from the New London side.(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)"
On Jan 4, 2024, $158m of additional federal funding was announced to rehab the 1943 bridge. This 6-year project will remove the 40-ton weight limit.
The northbound span carries 60,000 vehicles a day.
"The bridge's south span opened in 1943, while the northbound span was completed 30 years later."
[But the south span is the 1943 northbound span. I think they meant southbound instead of northbound for the 1973 north span.]

The 2024 rehab is new enough that the CTDOT webpage for this bridge basically says "under construction."