The city has closed the Ferry Street Bridge for repairs due to a mechanical problem impacting the bridge’s load-bearing capacity. Mayor Justin Elicker sent out an alert to city residents on Tuesday stating that the bridge, which connects Fair Haven to the Annex from River Street to Fairmont Av enue, “will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic” as of today. The bridge is stable, according to City Engineer Giovanni Zinn. “There’s no safety issue right now” while the bridge is out of use. He said that the mechanical issue specifically impacts the bridge’s ability to carry the “live load of extremely heavy vehicles.” Specifically, two plates that “transfer some of the load through the bridge” became disconnected. “We are reattaching them,” said Zinn. “We will have a contractor out there at 7 tomorrow morning.” Zinn said that he does not expect the closure to last long. “I think it’s more of a matter of days as opposed to anything longer than that,” he said. According to Zinn, the city discovered the issue through a bridge inspection in response to a report that the bridge’s rotation was slightly off while opening and closing. Zinn said that the safety standards to which the city adheres account for a weight beyond what the bridge is actually likely to carry. Still, “in the bridge world, we don’t like to deal with ‘fairly unlikely.’ Safety is an absolute,” Zinn said. “We want to be cautious about it.” In the alert, Elicker stated, “If your commute includes the Ferry Street Bridge, please provide yourself with extra time, use an alternate route such as the Grand Avenue Bridge or consider alternative transportation.” “At this point,” he wrote, “we do not have a timeline for the bridge to reopen but are working as quickly as we can to address the issue. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation and we will update folks once the bridge is reopened!” The bridge reopened in 2008 after a $17 million reconstruction. It had been closed for six years after it was deemed unsafe. Sign up for citywide emergency alerts here. The post Ferry Street Bridge Closes For Repairs appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less