Year-Long Jelliff Mill Bridge Replacement Project To Start in September; Alternating One-Way Traffic

Seven years after discussions started and four months after the state issued approval to solicit bids for the widely anticipated replacement of Jelliff Mill Bridge, town officials said this week that they’re poised to start work on the project. The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved a $3,256,467 —New Canaan will pay 20 percent or about $651,000 of that, with the state making up the balance—for Hudson, Mass.-based New England Infrastructure, Inc. to begin the work later this summer or early fall and wrap up in late-2017, according to officials from the Department of Public Works. “Construction will begin in 6-8 weeks,” Public Works Director Michael Pastore told NewCanaanite.com. “This will be towards the end of September.”

Because of the bridge’s susceptibility to erosion, changes are needed as soon as possible. Once construction is underway, motorists will face alternating one-way traffic at the bridge, DPW officials said.