Founders Bridge

Founders Bridge
Founders Bridge
Coordinates41°45′56.32″N 72°39′55.57″W / 41.7656444°N 72.6654361°W / 41.7656444; -72.6654361
Carries7 lanes of Route 2
CrossesConnecticut River, I-91
LocaleHartford, Connecticut and East Hartford, Connecticut
Official nameFounders Bridge
Maintained byConnecticut Department of Transportation
Characteristics
DesignStringer/multibeam or girder
Total length1175 ft (358.1 m)
Width86.0 ft (26.2 m)
Clearance below49 ft (15 m)
History
OpenedDecember 23, 1957
Location

The Founders Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River between Hartford, Connecticut and East Hartford, Connecticut. The steel stringer bridge carries the Route 2 freeway, and also crosses over Interstate 91 (which runs parallel to the river). As of 2013 the bridge had an average daily traffic of 29,200.

One of the centerpieces of Hartford's Riverfront Recapture project, it features a wide pedestrian promenade and access to the rest of the riverfront park area as well as to Constitution Plaza.

The bridge makes up a section of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) system of trails connecting Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.