Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Baldwin Bridge is a concrete segmental bridge composed of eleven spans crossing the Connecticut River
between Old Saybrook, Connecticut
and Old Lyme, Connecticut
. The bridge carries Interstate 95
and U.S. Route 1
, with an average daily traffic of 82,500.
The bridge has numerous signs on it, including the Old Saybrook and Old Lyme town line markers. When heading north on I-95 on the bridge, there is a bike/pedestrian lane to the left of both the north and south lanes.
The first bridge was a double-bascule span completed in 1911.
The second bridge opened in 1948 with a 4-lane girder and floorbeam bridge. This bridge was demolished in 1994 after its replacement opened.
The third and current bridge was built by O&G Industries, Inc. out of Torrington, CT. Construction of the bridge began in 1990 and was completed in 1993 with a total cost of $460 million.
The bridge is named after former Connecticut Governor Raymond E. Baldwin
, who was governor from 1939–1941 and again from 1943-1946.
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
between Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,367 at the 2000 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.-History:...
and Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Main Street of the town is a historic district. The town has long been a popular summer resort and artists' colony...
. The bridge carries Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
and U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
, with an average daily traffic of 82,500.
The bridge has numerous signs on it, including the Old Saybrook and Old Lyme town line markers. When heading north on I-95 on the bridge, there is a bike/pedestrian lane to the left of both the north and south lanes.
History
There have been three bridges on this site. Prior to the construction of the first bridge here, a ferry was used for the crossing, with the ferry landing located further upstream.The first bridge was a double-bascule span completed in 1911.
The second bridge opened in 1948 with a 4-lane girder and floorbeam bridge. This bridge was demolished in 1994 after its replacement opened.
The third and current bridge was built by O&G Industries, Inc. out of Torrington, CT. Construction of the bridge began in 1990 and was completed in 1993 with a total cost of $460 million.
The bridge is named after former Connecticut Governor Raymond E. Baldwin
Raymond E. Baldwin
Raymond Earl Baldwin was a United States Senator, the 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut.-Biography:Born in Rye, New York, he moved to Middletown, Connecticut in 1903 and attended the public schools. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown in 1916, and entered Yale University...
, who was governor from 1939–1941 and again from 1943-1946.