East Haddam Bridge

Ferries had carried travelers across the Connecticut River at East Haddam since 1694, and the arrangement held until a governor’s commission recommended a bridge in 1909. The state redirected its ferry subsidy to construction, making the East Haddam Bridge one of the first in Connecticut paid for by the state and prompting legislation that placed trunk line bridges under the State Highway Department. Edward W. Bush served as chief engineer, and Alfred P. Boller designed the pin-connected swing span, which was reputed at its completion to be the longest of its kind in the world. The bridge opened on Flag Day 1913 with an address by Governor Simeon E. Baldwin, a seventeen-gun salute, and an automobile parade. It has been rehabilitated repeatedly since, most recently in an $88.8 million project completed in May 2025.

The East Haddam Bridge carries State Route 82 across the Connecticut River between Haddam and East Haddam, Connecticut. It consists of a swing span and a through truss approach span, both of pin-connected construction. At the time of its completion, it was reputed to be the longest swing bridge of its kind in the world. ²

Crossing the river at East Haddam had been the work of ferries since 1694. ¹ That arrangement held for more than two centuries, until a governor’s commission on transportation recommended in 1909 that a bridge be built to join the two towns. ³ The state accepted the recommendation, to the satisfaction of both communities, and redirected the aid that had subsidized the ferry toward construction of a bridge. The East Haddam Bridge thus became one of the first in Connecticut to be paid for by the state, and it marked the passage of river crossing from an older mode of travel to a modern one.

Design and Construction

The state engaged Edward W. Bush, then among the most prominent civil engineers in Connecticut, as chief engineer of the project. ³ Bush designed the piers and the approach roadways. The engineering firm of Boller, Hodge & Baird was retained as well, and the pin-connected draw span was designed by Alfred P. Boller, an authority on deep bridge foundations, so that the structure might pivot upon its pier and open a channel to river traffic. ⁹

The contract for the superstructure went to Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins of Boston, and the contract for the substructure to the American Bridge Company. ⁶

Construction began in April 1912 and was completed in June 1913. ³

Opening

The bridge opened on June 14, 1913, Flag Day. ¹ Governor Simeon E. Baldwin delivered an address, a seventeen-gun salute was fired, an automobile parade passed over the new span, and a concert drew thousands to the celebration. With the bridge in service, the state retired the ferry that had run since 1694.

The project’s consequences extended beyond the river. ¹ Having financed the bridge directly, the legislature formed a special commission to consider the question, and the resulting legislation placed the control of trunk line bridges, those carrying long-distance through traffic, with the State Highway Department.

Later Work

The bridge was rehabilitated in 1985, receiving a new steel grate deck and improvements to its operating machinery. Further repairs followed in 1988, 1998, 1999, 2007, and 2016. ⁴

A centennial celebration was held on June 15, 2013, marked by a local parade of antique automobiles.

Between September 2022 and May 2025, the bridge underwent a rehabilitation costing $88.8 million, financed 80% by federal funds and 20% by the state. ⁴ The work brought new mechanical and electrical systems, repairs to the substructure, and a replacement of the roof. The American Bridge Company, which had worked on the original structure more than a century earlier, carried out the rehabilitation. The bridge reopened on May 27, 2025.