New London — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Wednesday said that without a new funding commitment by the state for a promised — but seemingly stalled — pedestrian bridge project in downtown New London, the success of the incoming National Coast Guard Museum will be in jeopardy. “We cannot take no for an answer — everyone else has met their obligations,” Murphy said, referring to the federal and private funding sources that have brought the $220 million museum nearly to completion on the city’s waterfront. “We cannot open this museum without a way for people to get there.” Murphy’s comments came during an “urgent” virtual meeting attended by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., several state lawmakers, Mayor Michael Passero and Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, which is overseeing both the museum and the planned pedestrian bridge portions of the project. The meeting largely centered around what several attendees called the “last piece” of the overall project: an elevated span proposed to connect the Water Street Garage to the museum with entrances and exits to the nearby train station and ferry docks. But a $20 million funding commitment by the state in 2014 to build what was envisioned as a 400-foot, glass-enclosed bridge is significantly less than what is now needed for the project. Only one firm, the Plainville-based Manafort Brothers Inc., in October submitted a bid for the bridge job. Pulver at the time said the bid was at a “range above what was planned,” due largely to escalating construction, manpower and material costs over the last decade. And, with the museum on track for a 2027 opening, Murphy said time is running out to get the bridge project funded and built. “The most urgent item at hand is getting a safe, pedestrian bridge that will allow hundreds of thousands of visitors to get to the museum,” he said. While Murphy said there is not yet a firm updated cost for the bridge work, it’s likely between $15 million and $25 million more than originally allotted, depending on the firm selected and how the project is indemnified.
Lawmakers push Lamont to fund stalled Coast Guard museum bridge project
