Norwalk WALK Bridge Program

WSP serves as both the program manager and the construction manager for this $1.6 billion WALK Bridge initiative. As program manager, our firm provides a range of services, including design peer reviews, public engagement, cost estimating, financial reporting, scheduling reviews, risk management, and specification writing. We have also performed traffic, noise, and utility studies to support the program. Additionally, as construction manager we provide resident engineering, construction inspection, survey and testing and commissioning for the entire program.

Our program management team is supporting the CTDOT in its first Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) project. Their work includes setting up the procurement process, reviewing contractor estimates, facilitating risk workshops, and preparing the Project Management Plan for FTA submission. We also brought in additional resources to manage pricing uncertainties due to COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. HNTB is the designer of record, and the construction manager general contractor services are provided by a joint venture between the Cianbro and Middlesex corporations.

Construction of enabling work began in July 2017 with the construction of a new high speed four track universal interlocking as well as communication and signal system upgrades, advance overhead catenary system improvements and expansion and electrification of the Danbury Dock Yard. This work enables the Walk Bridge replacement while limiting the length of railroad operational impacts.

Construction began on the new WALK Bridge in May 2023. Unlike the existing swing span design, the new bridge is a state-of-the-art multi-span vertical lift bridge. New twin lift bridge with 310-foot-long spans carrying two tracks each, was designed to be constructed under, over and around the existing the four-track swing bridge while maintaining the swing bridge and Norwalk River navigation operations. Two active tracks must be maintained during construction.

The vertical lift span design maintains navigation on the Norwalk River and provides a widened, unobstructed channel alignment on the river. The replacement bridge features two movable spans carrying two tracks each, which can be operated individually in case of a necessary track maintenance. The replacement program is divided into four phases, with Phase One focused on underground and substructure work, Phase Three for structural steel and moveable bridge equipment procurement and fabrication and Phase Four for the construction of the new lift bridge and approach structures. The Second Phase involves the construction of four local bridges and replacement of the East Norwalk Station as part of the States TIME-2 program.

The existing 200-ft high towers, which carry Eversource transmission and MNR communication, signal and traction power wires, will be removed as part of the project. As of August 2025, micro tunneling under the Norwalk River that will carry traction power circuits and Eversource transmission bypass and horizontal directional drilling rerouting is complete. Construction is expected to go vertical in 2026 and to be complete by 2030.

The project is in a highly developed commercial and residential area in historic South Norwalk, and there are more than a dozen different stakeholders involved in the WALK Bridge Program, including the city of Norwalk, active commercial and recreational marine users, the Harbor Management Commission, the Maritime Aquarium, Sheffield Island Ferry, Metro-North and numerous other businesses and residents.

Our team runs the program’s comprehensive public outreach program, which includes a public information center that’s staffed four days a week. We hold monthly stakeholder meetings, offer field tours and educational programs.

In addition to a dedicated website, hotline, and social media, 4D animations and virtual tours help stakeholders and the public visualize the project.

The main WALK Bridge site also features a looping, real-time Unreal Engine model that we developed for the project. This model is designed to run on both desktop computers and virtual reality and is used as an external tool for public information sessions at professional events/conferences.

Residents, businesses, first responders and Coast Guard personnel all rely on the Norwalk River for deliveries, safety protocols and leisure and we are proud to help ensure the corridor serves generations to come.

Visit www.walkbridgect.com for more information.