Never Built Cross Sound Bridge ( Orient Point, NY)

[roadman65]

I was looking on the map and was noticing the short RI Route 78 in Westerly, RI. Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.  If I remember correctly three options were considered with two connecting Eastern CT and one to Watch Hill, RI.

Being that RI Route 78 is been built as a useless bypass around the core of Westerly I assume before cancelling the bridge proposal they actually chose the Orient - Watch Hill option?

[shadyjay]

I wouldn't call RI 78 a "useless bypass" around Westerly... it serves a very large volume of traffic especially in the summer months with motorists trying to get to the beaches from CT.  Misquamicut, Watch Hill, and Point Judith/Block Island Ferry (via US 1 North) are all destinations reached via the bypass.

So I'd hardly call it useless. 

Now I just don't understand how the bypass in its present configuration would have connected any LI Sound bridge to I-95 North with any effectiveness.... unless a spur would've departed the bypass where it turns from S/N to E/W to reach I-95. 

I would still like the see the bypass on the CT side extended to I-95 South between Exits 91 & 92 in Stonington and on the RI side extended with a bridge over US 1 and full interchange there, not to mention conversion of the "Super 2" to a standard 4-lane expressway. 

[The Ghostbuster]

It would have been nice if at least one of the Long Island Sound Bridges had been built. Then, traffic would not have to go through New York City to access Long Island or the rest of New England.

[pderocco]

I was looking on the map and was noticing the short RI Route 78 in Westerly, RI. Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.  If I remember correctly three options were considered with two connecting Eastern CT and one to Watch Hill, RI.

That sounds like a harebrained scheme. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is in shallow water, but this has bits that are a couple hundred feet deep, so it would have to be a floating bridge. Even the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge across Lake Washington was broken up by a storm, so building this across a piece of open ocean seems unworkable at any reasonable price.

[oscar]

I was looking on the map and was noticing the short RI Route 78 in Westerly, RI. Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.  If I remember correctly three options were considered with two connecting Eastern CT and one to Watch Hill, RI.

That sounds like a harebrained scheme. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is in shallow water, but this has bits that are a couple hundred feet deep, so it would have to be a floating bridge.

Those bits are in tunnels, so enemy forces can't block the channels to naval shipyards and other facilities in Norfolk and Newport News by blowing up a bridge or two, as the German navy found out the hard way during World War II.

[pderocco]

I was looking on the map and was noticing the short RI Route 78 in Westerly, RI. Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.  If I remember correctly three options were considered with two connecting Eastern CT and one to Watch Hill, RI.

That sounds like a harebrained scheme. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is in shallow water, but this has bits that are a couple hundred feet deep, so it would have to be a floating bridge.

Those bits are in tunnels, so enemy forces can't block the channels to naval shipyards and other facilities in Norfolk and Newport News by blowing up a bridge or two, as the German navy found out the hard way during World War II.

I was referring to the L.I. sound entrance being very deep.

[roadman65]

I wouldn't call RI 78 a "useless bypass" around Westerly... it serves a very large volume of traffic especially in the summer months with motorists trying to get to the beaches from CT.  Misquamicut, Watch Hill, and Point Judith/Block Island Ferry (via US 1 North) are all destinations reached via the bypass.

So I'd hardly call it useless. 

Now I just don't understand how the bypass in its present configuration would have connected any LI Sound bridge to I-95 North with any effectiveness.... unless a spur would've departed the bypass where it turns from S/N to E/W to reach I-95. 

I would still like the see the bypass on the CT side extended to I-95 South between Exits 91 & 92 in Stonington and on the RI side extended with a bridge over US 1 and full interchange there, not to mention conversion of the "Super 2" to a standard 4-lane expressway. 

Good luck in Connecticut in getting Route 78 done as they're done with expanding freeways. Look at CT Route 11. A half ass built freeway that ends abruptly. Locals call it " The Road To Nowhere" or " Route 5 and a Half."

Anyway. Freeways aren't always straight in some cases.

[froggie]

Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.

An auxiliary benefit, but not the primary reason for the bypass...planning of which predates the cross-sound studies.

It is not a "useless" bypass.  It serves the function for which it was originally intended:  a connection from I-95 in Connecticut to US 1 and the Rhode Island beaches...albeit not directly as the proposed extension to and interchange with I-95 were cancelled as Jay indicated.

[vdeane]

Honestly, as cool as a road crossing the NY/RI border would be, I don't see how it would be feasible.  You'd have to bulldoze Orient, Fishers Island, and Watch Hill, and for the length of the bridges needed to get there, for not much more distance over the water you can go straight to Connecticut from East Marion.

[Beltway]

I was looking on the map and was noticing the short RI Route 78 in Westerly, RI. Then I researched it and found out it was built as part of a longer freeway to accommodate the planned, but never built Orient- Watch Hill Bridge which was one of the options to extend the LIE in NY back to the mainland via Fischer's Island.  If I remember correctly three options were considered with two connecting Eastern CT and one to Watch Hill, RI.

That sounds like a harebrained scheme. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is in shallow water, but this has bits that are a couple hundred feet deep, so it would have to be a floating bridge.

Those bits are in tunnels, so enemy forces can't block the channels to naval shipyards and other facilities in Norfolk and Newport News by blowing up a bridge or two, as the German navy found out the hard way during World War II.

Broader than that, there are many world posts with minimal or no naval presence, that disallow any bridge being built between the deep water port and the sea.

Because of problems such as MV Summit Venture and MV Dali and others. Not just blocking the port for months but also billions of dollars of losses both maritime and crossing replacement.

The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line is a 8.9 mile long bridge-tunnel and the tunnel is 5.8 miles long. It crosses Tokyo Bay between the ocean and the deep water ports in the upper bay. Tokyo has 9 short highway underwater tunnels and virtually all of the inner harbor and river docks are accessible without passing under a bridge. No bridges between dock and ocean.

I just checked a nautical chart and the aforementioned LIS waters are no deeper than the waters at the US-50 Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Mostly under 80 feet and a few places as deep as 120 feet.

Plus there would have been usage of islands along the way, for both the Orient Point to Westerly route and the Montauk Point to Point Judith route.

All that said, IMO the by far most beneficial crossing would be the extension of the I-287 route from Rye to Oyster Bay and the I-495 LIE. This is solely in New York and would not involve getting another state on board.

[pderocco]

I just checked a nautical chart and the aforementioned LIS waters are no deeper than the waters at the US-50 Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Mostly under 80 feet and a few places as deep as 120 feet.

Is Google Earth using some other dataset? In GE, everything along the US-50 Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the US-13 Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is well under 100 feet, while the LIS entrance exceeds 200 feet.

[froggie]

I just checked a nautical chart and the aforementioned LIS waters are no deeper than the waters at the US-50 Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Mostly under 80 feet and a few places as deep as 120 feet.

I don't think you looked in the right spot.  Chart 13212 is the best one for the deepest part of the Sound where the proposed crossing was to be.  Between the Gull Islands and Fishers Island is a little over 4 miles.  Unless you put some significant horizontal curvage on the bridge span (which would cause other issues not to mention drive the cost up), you're looking at two sections where it's well over 100 ft, including a roughly 3/4mi stretch over 150ft and approaching or exceeding 200ft in depth.