New England Construction

Dedicated to the people who make our built environment better and safer. We tell your stories and celebrate your successes.

Register with us and receive industry news and content only available to subscribers.

Subscribe
Contacts

Indianapolis, IN, USA (HQ)

903 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202

Call: (317) 423-2325

info@acppubs.com

Fuss & O’Neill Wins ACEC CT 2020 Engineering Excellence Award for Beehive Bridge

NEW BRITAIN, CT — Civil engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill and the City of New Britain were awarded an American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut (ACEC CT) 2020 Engineering Excellence Award at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut, for their joint effort on the completion of the Beehive Bridge.

Beehive Bridge is a singular and statement bridge in New Britain, Connecticut, that underwent a major transformation. The original bridge was constructed in the 1970s, but divided the city. Spanning 270 feet, the original bridge was built for vehicular movement over Route 72, and was neither walkable nor bikeable. To reconnect the neighborhoods, five lanes were reduced to three, creating space for two five-foot bike lanes, wider sidewalks (up to 21-feet-wide, each inset with five-foot-wide strip of brick pavers), trees and plantings.

The bridge sports curved panels in varying shades of translucent orange formed to look like a giant honeycomb and to mimic the flight of a bumble bee. As the sun moves across the sky, sunlight drifts through the panels, creating changing patterns on the streetscape. At night, the walls are lit by programmable LED lighting. A public art installation of a giant aluminum beehive sits on a raised dais, and each corner of the bridge is anchored by an 11-foot-tall aluminum bee.

This bridge was a collaborative effort. The City of New Britain Public Works Director Mark Moriarty, PE and New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart were the project’s champions in its early stages, and City Engineer Rob Trottier, PE, city staff, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and a group of stakeholders provided leadership to reach public consensus and an endorsement of the project. The design team included Fuss & O’Neill, Svigals + Partners, Pirie Associates Architects and Richter & Cegan, Inc. The contractor was Martin Laviero Contractor, Inc. and Sign Pro was instrumental in the construction of the paneling and sculptures.

Volvo CE
Your local Volvo Construction Equipment dealer
Tyler Equipment
Develon
Your local Doosan Infracore Construction Equip dealer
Equipment East
Bobcat
Your local Bobcat dealer
Bobcat of Boston