Project Description:
The ConnDOT is undertaking the Walk Bridge Program to replace the deteriorating railroad bridge over the Norwalk River in Norwalk, CT. One of the oldest movable bridges in the country, the Walk Bridge is a critical transportation link on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston carrying four tracks of Metro-North Railroad, Amtrak and freight service.
The new bridge, currently under design, will provide safe and reliable rail service and efficiencies of rail transportation while improving navigational capacity and dependability for marine traffic. It will be a redundant structure with two independent movable spans and will be designed and constructed to be resilient and sustainable for extreme weather events including storm surges and high winds.
The replacement of the Walk Bridge also requires work on the railroad embankments on each side of the river and retaining walls, replacement of track, catenary, traction power and other railroad systems, the removal of the existing high towers, the construction of a new fender system in the river and construction at the nearby Fort Point Street Bridge.
The replacement of the Walk Bridge requires operating the railroad on two tracks during construction. To facilitate railroad operations and to minimize impacts to commuter and other passenger service while operating on two tracks, the Walk Bridge Program also includes two projects to be completed in advance of the bridge replacement: the CP243 Interlocking project on the mainline between South Norwalk and Westport and the Danbury Branch Dockyard Electrification project on the lower Danbury Branch Line.
For more information visit www.walkbridgect.com