GROTON, Conn. — The vehicle lanes on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge re-opened seven hours after a fiery crash killed a trucker and burned a section of the 72-year-old link between New London and Groton. The oil tanker accident and resulting fire also damaged a section of the pedestrian crossing, cutting off a critical link between two intricately linked communities.
The state Department of Transportation’s interim solution: free, shuttle service. The service is operated by DATTCO. It began Monday on Bailey Street in New London and Bridge Street in Groton where pedestrians and bikers usually enter the bridge. The service will run seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. with two stops in each city.
Connecticut's DOT’s highway and bridge teams working with consultants since April 21 to come up with this interim solution. The reason for it: not everyone is obeying orange signs stating the sidewalk is closed.
“Unfortunately, we are still hearing reports of people hoping out onto the highway and then hopping over the barrier. Then, walking across or riding across. Just really unsafe to do so. The fence that’s up there now is a temporary chain link fence. It’s not there to support weight if someone were to fall off their bike,” said Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the transportation department.
“We know that this is such a critical link between Groton and New London. We don’t know when we’re going to be able to open that sidewalk, so in the interim we’re going to be providing this no cost shuttle.”
More than three weeks have passed since a horrific accident claimed a trucker’s life and burned a southbound section of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge—closing the pedestrian crossing.
Biker Michael Mingo used to ride to work at Electric Boat.
“I love riding so I would go across the bridge quite often.”
But that habit had to change after the deadly crash April 21.
“I haven’t been riding my bike across the bridge. I had other people. We’d put it on the car and we’d go across.”
Business owner Ray Geer works next to the bridge daily but says he has no desire to walk it.
“Not me. I’m not a heights person.”
These days, Geer runs into people wondering how to get across.
“They’ll walk down and see that it’s barricaded off. Most people I guess turn around, try to figure out another way to get over the bridge.”
The shuttle solution comes as New London experiences a housing boom with some 2 thousand units under construction and E.B. hires more than 5 thousand new workers to build submarines.
“I’m glad they’re doing this because I know a lot of people really do enjoy going across that bike bridge.”
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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