Thames River Bridge (Amtrak)
Encyclopedia
Amtrak's Thames River Bridge spans from New London
to Groton
, Connecticut
, USA
, crossing Connecticut's Thames River
.
The bridge was originally constructed in 1919 by the American Bridge Company
for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
replacing a span dating from 1889. In 2008 it underwent a renovation which included the draw span's conversion from a bascule to a vertical-lift mechanism.
The bridge opens for marine traffic more than 4 times per day and serves up to 36 passenger trains and two freight trains per day.
It is one of eight moveable bridges on the Amtrak route through Connecticut surveyed in one multiple property study in 1986. The eight bridges from west to east are:
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
to Groton
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, crossing Connecticut's Thames River
Thames River (Connecticut)
The Thames River is a short river and tidal estuary in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It flows south for through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic and Shetucket rivers at Norwich, to New London and Groton, which flank its mouth at the Long Island Sound.Differing from its...
.
The bridge was originally constructed in 1919 by the American Bridge Company
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...
for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
replacing a span dating from 1889. In 2008 it underwent a renovation which included the draw span's conversion from a bascule to a vertical-lift mechanism.
The bridge opens for marine traffic more than 4 times per day and serves up to 36 passenger trains and two freight trains per day.
It is one of eight moveable bridges on the Amtrak route through Connecticut surveyed in one multiple property study in 1986. The eight bridges from west to east are:
- Mianus River Railroad BridgeMianus River Railroad BridgeThe Mianus River Railroad Bridge, also known as the Cos Cob Bridge, is a bascule bridge built in 1904 over the Mianus River, in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987...
at Cos Cob, built in 1904; - Norwalk River Railroad BridgeNorwalk River Railroad BridgeThe Norwalk River Railroad Bridge — the Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad right-of-way over the Norwalk River was built in 1896, when the route was widened to four tracks...
at Norwalk, 1896; - Saugatuck River Railroad BridgeSaugatuck River Railroad BridgeThe Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge, also known as Saugatuck River Bridge, is a railroad bridge carrying trackage of Metro-North railroad's New Haven Line over the Saugatuck River in Westport, Connecticut...
at Westport, 1905; - Pequonnock River Railroad BridgePequonnock River Railroad BridgeThe Pequonnock River Railroad Bridge is a railroad drawbridge over the Pequonnock River in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Owned by the State of Connecticut and maintained and operated by Metro-North Railroad, it is also referred to as Pequonnock River Bridge, PECK Bridge, and Undergrade Bridge 55.90...
at Bridgeport, 1902; - Housatonic River Railroad Bridge, at Devon, 1905;
- Connecticut River Railroad Bridge, Old Saybrook-Old Lyme, 1907;
- Niantic River BridgeNiantic River BridgeNiantic River Bridge, also known as Amtrak Bascule Bridge No. 116.74, is a railroad bridge carrying Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line across the Niantic River between East Lyme, Connecticut and Waterford, Connecticut...
, East Lyme-Waterford, 1907; and this bridge - Thames River Bridge, Groton, built in 1919.