Charles H. Marsh Memorial Bridge
(Grove Street Bridge)
NBI Information
Location
State: Connecticut
County: Litchfield County
Feature Carried: Grove Street
Feature Crossed: Housatonic River
Latitude, Longitude: 41.5445,-73.4074
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: Town or Township Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Open, no restriction
History
Year Built: 1977
Historical Significance: Bridge is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: None
Picture Date: November 8, 2025
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 2
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 3
Main Structure Type: Stringer/Multi-beam or Girder
Main Structure Material: Steel Continuous
Number of Approach Spans: None
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Inspection Date: September 2022
Deck Condition: Satisfactory
Superstructure Condition: Fair
Substructure Condition: Satisfactory
Channel Condition: Very Good
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2024
Bridge Information
The Charles H. Marsh Memorial Bridge was built in 1977 to replace the deteriorating Lovers Leap Bridge. It has some unique geometry at the abutments, although there is no information available about why the bridge was built this way. What appears to be abutments are actually piers, with the girders extending past them to create an additional span. These additional spans are enclosed by the wingwalls, and the girders are mostly encased in concrete.
In the 1984, University of Connecticut (UConn) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) began a long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) research program. This project instrumented six bridges across the state (including this bridge) with strain gauges, tiltmeters, vibration sensors, and temperature sensers. This provides information on the performance of the bridge under routine traffic, which can be used to identify structural integrity problems.
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