Connecticut Department of Transportation to Open Flatbush Avenue Bridge in West Hartford/Hartford Earlier Than Originally Scheduled

Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony This Friday, October 18, 2013 at 2 P.M.

(Newington, CT) -- The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced today that it will be opening the Flatbush Avenue Bridge section of the CTfastrak project in West Hartford/Hartford to vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 19, 2013. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this Friday, October 18, 2013 starting at 2 p.m. on the bridge, located at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and New Park Avenue.

Speakers will include Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker, Federal Highway Administration Regional Administrator Amy Jackson-Grove and several Hartford and West Hartford business and community leaders.

Opening 10 days earlier than originally scheduled with four traffic lanes, a pedestrian walkway and spanning 1,100 feet, the Flatbush Avenue Bridge was built to carry vehicular and pedestrian traffic over the Amtrak rail line and CTfastrak bus rapid transit system at an estimated cost of $23.1 million. The construction project also included the realignment and reconstruction of the New Park Avenue/Flatbush Avenue and Newfield Avenue/Flatbush Avenue intersections. Design and construction of the Flatbush Avenue Bridge features several geotechnical innovations to accommodate the challenging subsurface conditions. The use of prefabricated vertical drains (wick drains), lightweight fill and design elements that accommodate differential settlement were used. Additional considerations in the phased construction were made to maintain safe pedestrian and vehicular access in the area and minimize the impact to nearby businesses and neighborhoods.

The Flatbush Avenue Bridge will officially open to all vehicular traffic in the early morning hours on Saturday morning, October 19, 2013. The completion of this bridge provides significant benefits to the community to improve safety, pedestrian and bicycle access, vehicular movements and traffic flow and the promotion of transit-oriented development in the area.

NOTE: Media vehicles should park in a reserved area at the entrance to the Flatbush Avenue Bridge near New Park Avenue. (Please click here to view several construction photos of the bridge). This event will be held rain/shine.

The CTfastrak guideway is being constructed on an abandoned railroad corridor from New Britain to Newington Junction and alongside the active Amtrak railroad right of way from Newington Junction to Hartford's Union Station. CTfastrak regional service will feature shuttle, express and feeder routes that directly access the dedicated guideway as well as connecting with all local bus routes in the New Britain, Hartford and Waterbury areas and with Amtrak service in Hartford and Metro-North Waterbury Branch rail service in Waterbury. As a result, the CTfastrak system will benefit a large geographic area and provide a one-seat, no transfer ride to regional employment, shopping and healthcare destinations. The CTfastrak bus rapid transit system will open for service in early 2015.

For general information about CTfastrak, visit www.ctfastrak.com, connect via Facebook at www.facebook.com/ctfastrak or Twitter @ctfastrak.