After years of construction, the first half of the New Haven Q-Bridge is scheduled to open the weekend of July 26, according to a district engineer in charge of the project.
Southbound traffic will be shifted to the first half of the new bridge, allowing crews to demolish the old bridge and build the other new half, the engineer said.
Drivers say they hope the shift will alleviate some of the dense commuter traffic.
“Morning time it's a struggle, afternoon time it's a struggle, at night it's a struggle,” said New Haven resident Damarie Vazquez.
The new traffic pattern may not ease congestion right away because there are usually delays when patterns change. However, once drivers adjust, the Q-bridge project will be one step closer to completion.
“They're finally ahead of the game, so that way the traffic can flow a little better, and it won't be so crowded. Lately everything has been backed up over the Q-Bridge, so it's a good thing,” said Rob Davis, who lives in West Haven.
The project has been in the works for years because construction crews are demolishing the old bridge and building a new one that will span ten lanes.
“I really hope that they can get it finished in a timely manner,” said Starks.
The next phase of the project is scheduled to begin six weeks ahead of schedule. The project is currently under budget by about $8 million.
The new bridge should be finished by 2015 or 2016.