Finished: Former ‘brown bridge’ fully reopens, with a new rosy complexion

Structural repairs and a bright new paint job are all but complete, and the bridge formerly known as “brown" is now all clear for traffic.

The bridge’s new rosy hue has been called red or pink, but the official color is known as “primer red,” similar to the “international orange” on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Construction barriers, construction crews and work-related traffic-snarls all but evaporated this week. Traffic over the busy span at the north end of town is restored to its usual steady summer crawl, albeit a bit steadier and a tad faster. The bridge is the main artery in and out of town.

“Any summer road construction in our town can be a big inconvenience for residents, visitors and commercial traffic,” said Town Manager Mark Pruhenski. “We thank everyone for their patience over the past year.”

Work on the state-owned bridge where Routes 7, 23 and 41 converge over the Housatonic River, began in mid-2020. The project faced Covid-related delays and persistent rain earlier this summer, but contractors finished just a month or so behind schedule.

The makeover has delivered a bright burst of rose color to an old rusty brown steel truss span. The new hue carries over to the walkway railings on the north side, which offers a northerly view of the Housatonic River. Painting of the south side railings will be complete soon.

The bridge color was selected by the town’s Design Advisory Committee, prevailing over suggestions of green or a rainbow design.

Over the last year workers reinforced the steel structure and concrete decking of the 119-foot steel truss span, built in 1931. The very first bridge to span the river there was a wooden version, built in 1735, which was followed by several others.

More of the bridge‘s history can be found in this Berkshire Edge article.

The bridge project was financed by the state Department of Transportation, and the cost was originally projected at $1.6 million. MIG Corp. of Acton was the contractor for the job.

(Berkshire Eagle file photo)