Nieves, Mayor Joe Ganim, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and others gathered to tout the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ issuance last Wednesday of a permit that will allow the final five-percent worth of design to be completed and the city to seek bids for the installation of a new Congress Street span. The Congress Street drawbridge got stuck in the open position in 1997, during Ganim’s first tenure in office. He was re-elected in 2015. The rusty hulk was demolished in 2010 under Finch, who called it “the city’s most visible reminder of infrastructure neglect. The army corps could not immediately be reached for comment. But Shannon King, a spokesperson for that federal agency, in an Oct. 21 emailed statement following release of the state DEEP permit wrote, “We expect the Army Corps of Engineers’ permit to be issued over the next few weeks. Design for the project will be completed by the end of 2022. Construction is set to begin in spring 2023 and completed in fall 2024.” Himes earlier this month said he would not be shocked if, given the passage of time, it winds up costing more than $24 million. But that will not be known until the city solicits prices from contractors.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Bridgeport-officials-Congress-St-Bridge-to-be-17546824.php