Amtrak's Thames River Bridge spans the Thames River between New London and Groton, Connecticut.
Thames River Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Looking east along the bridge, May 26, 2012 | |
| Coordinates | 41°21′47″N 72°05′15″W / 41.36306°N 72.08750°W |
| Carries | Two railroad tracks |
| Crosses | Thames River |
| Locale | New London, Connecticut and Groton, Connecticut |
| Official name | Thames River Bridge |
| Maintained by | Amtrak[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss with bascule opening (opening converted to vertical lift) |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 1,389 feet (423 m) |
| Clearance below | 29 feet (8.8 m) (vertical lift lowered)[2] 135 feet (41 m) (vertical lift raised)[2] |
| History | |
| Opened | 1919 (replaced 2008)[1] |
| Location | |
 | |
Design and history
editThe bridge was originally a Strauss heel-trunnion Warren through-truss bascule design, built in 1919. It was built by the American Bridge Company for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, replacing a span dating from 1889. In June 2008, the bridge underwent replacement which included the span's conversion from a bascule to a vertical-lift mechanism.[1]
As built in 1919, the bridge's abutments and piers were designed to carry a second set of double-track spans, in the event that an expansion to four tracks was ever undertaken at this location by the New Haven Railroad (it never was).
Operation
editThe bridge opens for marine traffic more than four times per day and serves up to 36 passenger trains and two freight trains per day.[1] The bridge sits 29 feet (8.8 m) above mean high water (MHW), and the vertical lift span opens to 135 feet (41 m) above MHW and provides 105 feet (32 m) of horizontal clearance.[2]
It is one of eight moveable bridges on the Northeast Corridor through Connecticut surveyed in one multiple-property study in 1986.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Wald, Matthew L. (June 24, 2008). "Last Train to Cross Connecticut Drawbridge". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c NOAA. "Nautical Chart No. 13213: New London Harbor and vicinity; Bailey Point to Smith Cove 42nd ed. 03/01/2011". Washington, D.C.: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ^ Bruce Clouette, Matthew Roth and John Herzan (February 4, 1986). "Movable Railroad Bridges on the NE Corridor in Connecticut TR". National Park Service.
External links
editMedia related to Thames River Bridge (Connecticut) at Wikimedia Commons
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CT-25, "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Groton Bridge, Spanning Thames River between New London & Groton, New London, New London County, CT", 24 photos, 10 data pages, 2 photo caption pages