DOT and Norwalk officials give multi-year update on Walk Bridge; major construction, truck routing and outreach ahead

Connecticut Department of Transportation officials and Norwalk public works staff updated the Common Council on April 8 on the Walk Bridge replacement and a package of connected East Norwalk projects, saying primary bridge elements are scheduled for installation in 2027–2029 and site restoration should conclude in early 2030.

The presentation, led by Rory McGlasson, public information manager for WSP working on behalf of the Department of Transportation, described current work on underground utility bypasses, foundation shafts and staged construction that will allow large bridge spans to be floated into place.

The update matters because the Walk Bridge program affects traffic, freight movement and neighborhoods across Norwalk; it also requires extended staging areas and truck routes and has prompted requests for heightened resident notification and multilingual outreach.

DOT and city staff described work now underway and the schedule ahead. Rory McGlasson said the project “is really into construction now” and noted crews have completed the north microtunnel and were progressing on the south side; engineers plan to drill a microtunnel roughly 400 feet long and about 50 feet below the riverbed to carry traction power and communications lines beneath the Norwalk River.

Mark Strang, a project engineer on the program, walked the council through recent site operations. He described installation of large oscillated steel casings and deep shaft work that reached bedrock, and he outlined the sequence for removing the existing high towers after new Eversource lines are terminated and de-energized this spring. Strang said the project will use barges to float preassembled bridge spans into place during restricted in-water work windows (generally November–April).

Vanessa Valadares, Norwalk’s chief of public works, said the city and DOT have coordinated since the program’s early planning, and she emphasized the outreach role played by WSP and DOT. She introduced the public outreach team and the department’s on-site contact resources and asked residents to use the project website for updates.

Project manager Gus Mello described truck routing and demolition plans. He said the program identified designated truck routes and that the largest steel members will be moved by barge when feasible, with smaller components arriving by truck within approved routes. “We are going to be basically putting them on barge,” Mello said of the largest elements.

Council members pressed staff on local impacts: how demolition materials will be removed, when large shipments will arrive at the Marissa Island staging area, and how notifications will reach residents near Woodward Avenue and South Main streets. Staff said they maintain a stakeholder email list, conduct monthly meetings with neighborhood associations, distribute door‑to‑door notices for road closures and maintain a project hotline (info@walkbridgect.com and 833‑GO‑WALK).

Officials also noted site-specific work now visible to the public: lift-tower pier construction, the microtunnel bypass, and work on three replacement bridges in East Norwalk. The DOT team said major in-water operations, including flotation and final span placement, are scheduled for 2027, with final cleanup and site restoration anticipated by early 2030.

Council members urged intensified multilingual outreach, door-to-door flyers and direct contact with schools as construction ramps up. Several members asked staff to coordinate with the school district to notify parents about heavy equipment and truck shipments near walking routes.

What’s next: DOT and WSP said they will continue neighborhood briefings, send advanced notices for major shipments and provide updated schedule maps on the project website. Staff offered to arrange site tours for council members and stakeholder groups on request.