By Janice Sina
(May 28, 2025) — With the sound of tires singing over the steel deck of the East Haddam Swing Bridge and the Lady Katherine docked in the background, two brown-eyed oxen hitched to a cart stood patiently in the shade.
Owned by the Riendeau family, they are a new generation of the first oxen to cross the bridge at its opening in 1913. The bridge replaced the ferries as a more efficient way to transport goods from the quiet east side where twine mills dotted the Moodus River to the more populated west side and its consumers. From these first ox carts to the 12,000 vehicles that cross the bridge daily, the ribbon cutting and celebration held on May 27, 2025 marked another milestone in the bridge’s history.
Residents and business people from both sides of the river were in attendance as were local, state and federal officials, including First Selectmen Robert McGarry of Haddam and First Selectperson Irene Haines of East Haddam, State Senator Norm Needleman, Congressman Joe Courtney, Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, and Rodney Bitgood of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. They lent their perspective on everything from the state-of-the-art construction and renovations, to the inconveniences and closures, to the new sidewalk that allows pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the river.
Robert McGarry spoke of perseverance, citing the scope of the project. “I’ve done enough renovations on old houses myself that I know what a surprise is like when you open a wall. I can just imagine what surprises were likely found on this bridge.” Additionally, he thanked local businesses and residents for their perseverance and patience and highlighted the new sidewalk as a safety feature. Irene Haines agreed. “It really was a true community effort, from the federal to the local level,” she said, praising the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce as key to communication among the Department of Transportation, American Bridge personnel, and all emergency management teams to ensure that if there was ever a situation where emergency vehicles needed to cross, that was made possible. Standing beside me, Selectperson Tanya Bourgoin echoed everyone’s thoughts. “Despite the struggle and the inconveniences during the construction,” she told me, “I take it as a point if pride that not only did our community work together, but also that the same company that built the bridge worked to restore it.”
Many officials made reference to the ongoing rotary construction and all are looking ahead to the time when all the construction projects in the area are finished. “We’re getting there,” said Haines. “We’re just about there.” The general consensus was that once complete, these projects would link the residents and businesses east and west of the river in positive ways.
Garrett Eucalitto of the Connecticut Department of Transportation recalled the bridge’s beginnings. In June 1913, 1000 people gathered at this same spot as the swing bridge opened. At the time it was, at almost 900 feet, the longest truss bridge of its kind anywhere in the world.
The toll for an ox or horse cart was 25 cents and sheep cost 3 cents to cross. He says there are, thankfully, no plans to bring tolls back. Though a smaller crowd was in attendance today, in the modern world of news coverage and social media, news travels fast and the impact will be felt by many, including those who travel across the bridge daily, the boaters who enjoy the Connecticut River and all its scenery, and everyone who is linked, town to town, by this feat of engineering. The ceremony ended with the ribbon cutting, scissors held by McGarry and Haines, as traffic hummed across the bridge in the distance.
Photos by Joe Sina
The best years of my life were visiting my grandparents cottage, in the 50s and 60s on Little Meadow Road and watching the swing bridge open and close. The air horn from the tankers would wake us up early in the mornings. We would race up to the bridge on our bicycles and try to get a ride on it as it opened. Life was so simple and rewarding back then. Remember the flood of 55? The river rose 4 feet up to the first floor of our cottage and we had to be rescued by boat. I was four years old at the time.