New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement on the opening of the Ferry Street Bridge.

“Today we celebrate the re-opening of the Ferry Street Bridge. It has been six years in the making and what a welcome day it is. As we all know, this bridge serves as a crucial access point to Fair Haven and a tertiary crossing route over the Quinnipiac River. For it to be closed created challenges for our community and for our region. But we met that challenge head-on and are here today because of the hard work and commitment of State Senator Marty Looney, Mayor John DeStefano, City Engineer Dick Miller and the residents.

“In addition to the reopening, we also celebrate the collaborative effort that made today possible. When the bridge was unexpectedly closed due to structural deficiencies, neither the City nor the region had the funds needed to make the repairs. But given the regional importance of the bridge, we found a way to get the monies needed for the project. We worked with the City of New Haven, the South Central Regional Council of Governments, ConnDOT, and I was pleased to secure $2 million dollars in federal funding. It was an impressive and unheard of feat to secure the funding needed in such a short period of time. But it illustrates the importance of the regional project.

“This bridge is also an example of why we need to be making the long-term investments in our roads and bridges. Our infrastructure ensures that we are able to move people and goods – it is a vital link for our communities – so it is critical that we finance needed improvements to modernize and repair our deteriorating and aging roads and bridges. Having the Ferry Street Bridge closed for six years, we know that failing to address this shortfall comes at great cost to our economy, our safety and our quality of life.

“In the form of roads, bridges, water projects, schools or public transportation, infrastructure represents the lifeblood of any economy.”

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