The Gold Star Memorial Bridge is a pair of steel truss bridges that carry both

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

and U.S. Route 1 across the Thames River between

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, US and

Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...

. The bridge is the largest structure in the state with more than of deck area, and the longest bridge in the state at . Its 11 highway lanes accommodate an average daily traffic of 117,000 vehicles. The bridge is actually a set of twin bridges, but they are generally spoken of using the singular "bridge;" the local media and residents refer to it as "The Goldstar".

History

The current south span (northbound) of the bridge was completed in 1943 as a single span carrying traffic in both directions. It was part of

Southeastern Connecticut The Southeastern Connecticut region comprises, as the name suggests, the southeastern corner of the state of Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as New London County or by the tourist slogan ''Mystic, Connecticut, Mystic and More''. Southe ...

's "free span" highway, a short long four-lane stretch connecting New London to

. As part of the new highway, the bridge's purpose was to remove automobiles from a previous bridge that carried U.S. Route 1 over the Thames River. In 1951, the bridge was designated as the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in honor of members of the Armed Forces from Groton, New London, and Waterford who lost their lives during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and

the Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. In 1958, the Route 1 bypass containing the Gold Star Bridge was connected to the

Connecticut Turnpike The Connecticut Turnpike (officially the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike) is a controlled-access highway and former toll road in the U.S. state of Connecticut; it is maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT). Span ...

by extending west to what is today the interchange of Interstates 95 and

395 __NOTOC__ Year 395 ( CCCXCV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Olybrius and Probinus (or, less frequently, year 1148 ...

East Lyme East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town. Geography East Lyme is located in southern New London County, west ...

. East of the bridge, a bypass of Route 184 was completed to the Rhode Island border on December 12, 1964, officially making the bridge and both bypasses part of Interstate 95. The stretch of I-95 containing the bridge is known as the Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway. During construction of the north span (southbound) on July 1, 1972, the US Coast Guard Academy's three-masted barque was involved in a serious accident with the bridge as she was returning to her berth in New London. The ship's foremast and mainmast caught the safety netting slung below the new bridge, despite extensive precautions, as she passed below the original span and the new span being built parallel to it. Both masts were snapped off about seven-eighths of the way up, the upper parts left hanging dangerously from the remaining upright masts. The ship had to undergo emergency repairs as a result. The bridge's second span was completed in 1973.

Design

The design is a pair of steel truss bridges, each composed of eleven spans. The posted traffic

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

is 55 miles per hour. The newer southbound span has a sidewalk/bike path accessible from Bridge St and Riverview Ave on the Groton side and Williams Street on the New London side.

Gallery

File:Gold Star Bridge Panorama.jpg, Panorama from the south, showing the northbound span and Amtrak bridge

Notes

External links

{{commons category Road bridges in Connecticut U.S. Route 1 Interstate 95 Bridges completed in 1943 Bridges completed in 1973 Bridges in New London County, Connecticut Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Bridges over the Thames River (Connecticut) Steel bridges in the United States 1943 establishments in Connecticut