NEW HAVEN — The new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge also known as the Q Bridge in New Haven has officially opened, eight months ahead of schedule.
Commuters can expect to see five lanes with two full shoulders on both the north and southbound directions.
The completion of the bridge will help ease congestion and provide for a faster and safer commute.
The Q Bridge is expected to serve more than 140,000 vehicles per day.
The milestone completion has been seven years in the making. The northbound side was completed in 2012, soon after construction began on the southbound side.
In total about 1,000 workers played a role in constructing the bridge.
“It is a distinctive landmark in the New Haven skyline, designed to recall the smokestacks of a battleship in the harbor,” said Mayor Toni Harp.
“The new Q Bridge is a game changer for the I-95 corridor,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. “It’s evidence of how federal and state money can come together to ease congestion and improve safety for commuters.”
A grand opening celebration and dedication ceremony took place on Saturday, September 19. Politicians gathered along with community members to view the bridge before it opened publicly. The public had the opportunity to walk and bike on a 1.5 mile stretch of the new southbound bridge.
