Historic Warren Pony Truss Bridge in East Windsor Available for Preservation from CTDOT

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) invites written proposals to relocate, rehabilitate, use, and maintain the historic steel superstructure of Bridge #01524, known as the Stiles Bridge, which carries Route 191 over the Scantic River in East Windsor. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requiresCTDOT to offer historic metal bridges for relocation prior to demolition. The bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places at the state level as a representative example of state highway bridges of the 1920s, as a typical example of a Warren pony truss structure, and as a structure constructed by the Berlin Construction Company.

The Stiles Bridge is a single-span steel Warren pony truss constructed in 1925 by the Connecticut-based steel bridge manufacturer, the Berlin Construction Company.The bridge's existing steel superstructure-including the floor beams, trusses, lattice bars, and stay plates-will be available for an individual or entity interested in rehabilitating, using, and maintaining the historical superstructure by summer 2025.

The bridge currently has a poor condition rating and will be replaced under State Project #0046-0127. If no party takes possession of the existing superstructure, the entire structure will be disposed of as part of the bridge's replacement in summer 2025.

Interested parties are required to meet the following criteria for consideration:

• Providea comprehensive written plan for the preservation and future use of the bridge, including any desired modificationsand the estimated cost of rehabilitation. While CTDOT will remove the superstructure, it will be the recipient's responsibility to ensure the means and methods to receive and transport the bridge components from the site and to providea preservation plan that is compliant with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
• The new owner shalluse the entire superstructure of the truss bridgein a transportation-related capacity. Before assuming ownership, the potential owner's proposed plan for the bridge's relocation, rehabilitation,and reuse will be subject to review by CTDOT. The prospective owner's plan must include a timeline presenting the completion of a plan to relocate,reassemble, and restorethe bridge within the first 12 months of ownership.
• Maintainthe structure and the features that give it historic significance according to prescribed standards.
• Assumeall future legal and financial responsibility for the structure, including hold harmless agreements to CTDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and posta performance bond.
• Provideproof of ability to maintain financial and administrative responsibilities of bridge's preservation.The maximum assistance that may be available for the transport and rehabilitation of the bridge will not exceed CTDOT's estimated cost of transporting and disposing of the structure, approximately$14,000.

Thoseinterested in obtaining ownership of the bridge for aesthetic, historic, recreation,or other preservation uses should contact CTDOT National Register Specialist Lucas Karmazinas ([email protected]; 860-594-2136). Requestsmust be received by theclose of business on March 25, 2023. CTDOT reserves the rightto accept or reject any or all proposalsand to withdraw this invitation at any time before or after submissionsare received.