Middlesex COUNTY · Bridges & transportation
Arrigoni Bridge: a new river crossing
The 1938 crossing that joined Middletown and Portland above the Connecticut River.
Historical focus · 1936–1999
LOOK CLOSER · OPEN ANY IMAGE
The story in photographs
circa 1938
Arrigoni Bridge — image from a commemorative booklet, circa 1938
Arrigoni Bridge — image from a commemorative booklet, circa 1938
Image credit & source
Creator not identified / Wikimedia Commons
Public domain
Original source · Reuse terms
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPHS
People, places, and change.
Construction begins, 1936
Construction of the Arrigoni Bridge began in 1936. The city’s historical account describes work continuing nearly around the clock until the crossing opened. Its site connected Middletown’s western riverbank with Portland, making a major engineering project part of the everyday journeys between two industrial communities. [1]
An opening in August 1938
The bridge opened to traffic on August 6, 1938, carrying Routes 17 and 66 across the Connecticut River. A commemorative image from the opening period presents the new crossing and its approaches. Its date identifies a moment of public celebration, rather than the construction date of every surrounding building. [1]
A public landscape
Connecticut’s architectural history places the bridge within the Highway Department’s growing attention to landscape and appearance in the 1920s and 1930s. The paired arches became a prominent river landmark. The 1938 commemorative image records the crossing as a newly completed public work. [2] [1]
Sources & further reading (2)
Keep the sources close.
Download this collection’s notes, timeline and image credits. Photographs link to their original archives and require an internet connection.
Building dates and photograph dates are recorded separately. Later photographs are identified in their captions; unknown exposure dates remain unknown. Follow each image’s credit and reuse terms.