The Northbound Gold Star Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project involves the comprehensive design and replacement of the full concrete deck across the entire 6,000-foot span of the Northbound Bridge. The 1.2-mile-long bridge carries five lanes of almost 60,000 vehicles daily across the Thames River, multiple railroad tracks and local roads between New London and Groton, Connecticut. As the state’s largest and most complex bridge, the Gold Star Memorial Bridge is a crucial component of regional mobility and freight travel.

The rehabilitation of the Northbound Bridge will replace the deck and steel superstructure and improve freight travel across the Thames River. HNTB is leading the design of the bridge rehabilitation project on the Northbound Bridge for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The firm is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of this critical infrastructure upgrade, leveraging its expertise in complex bridge projects to meet the traffic demands and enhance the safety of the region.

Key components of the project include:

• Replacement of the existing deck, stringers, roadside barriers, fencing and expansion joints
• Upgrading the drainage system, highway light standards and overhead sign supports
• Steel strengthening of the superstructure
• Repairing and replacing bearings
• Repairing and cleaning the concrete substructure
• Construction and reconstruction of approach slabs, pin and hanger maintenance
• Painting of the steel elements

This extensive work will increase the structural capacity of the bridge, ensuring it can support all legal, permit and emergency vehicles — improving system safety and long-term performance.

Funding for the project comes from a $158 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, and the project was the first recipient of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Large Bridge grant. This substantial support accelerated the design, as well as future construction phases, enabling the project to be completed by 2029.