North Street will reopen to through traffic on Friday, Aug. 28, ending an 81-day full closure that shut down one of Greenwich's busiest arterial roads all summer. The Department of Public Works said the reopening comes ahead of the start of the school year.
The DPW announced Tuesday that the road, closed since June 8 for the North Street Bridge Replacement Project, will carry vehicles again on the same day Greenwich students return to classrooms. The bridge sits between Cotswood Road and Macpherson Drive, roughly 0.9 miles from the nearest school.
Drivers should not expect a normal commute yet. Alternating one-way traffic will remain in place during the workday, with police officers and flaggers directing vehicles as construction continues. No lane closures or one-way alternating traffic will be permitted during peak hours: 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, a restriction that protects school drop-off, pick-up and commuter windows.
The project
McCarthy Concrete, Inc. is replacing the bridge over West Brothers Brook at a total cost of approximately $4.52 million. The project is fully funded for construction through the state's Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, which reimburses Greenwich at 100 percent for construction and inspection costs. Design costs are town-funded.
The bridge was originally built in 1909 and rebuilt in 1950. After a March 2022 inspection found it in critical condition, the town commissioned emergency repairs and hired WMC Consulting Engineers to design a replacement. The project was announced in March 2026, with the full road closure beginning June 8.
What's ahead
The reopening does not mark the end of construction. Work to date has included micropile drilling, underground utility coordination with Aquarion and placement of precast footings, abutments and deck units. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2027, though all schedules are weather-dependent.
DPW Commissioner James Michel said in the project's March 2026 announcement that Greenwich "is proactively replacing a key piece of failing infrastructure to improve safety, reliability, and long-term performance for the community."
Project manager Finton Sweeney, a civil engineer in the DPW Engineering Division, can be reached at 203-622-7783. Updates are posted on the town's project page.
