The Route 1 bridge at the border of Port Chester, N.Y. and Greenwich, Conn., photographed on May 1, 2024. The two bridges near Greenwich's border with Port Chester need to come down, as experts said they limit the flow of the Byram River that runs beneath them, exacerbating flooding during heavy rains.

GREENWICH — A group of congressmen from Connecticut and New York are calling for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize bridge replacements over the Byram River in Greenwich due to flooding.

Connecticut's Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, along with New York's Rep. George Latimer, D-6th District, sent a letter to the commander of the New York district of the Army Corps of Engineers, Col. Eric Swenson, last week to urge the replacement of two bridges they say are long overdue.

The group is calling for improvements to the West Putnam Avenue and Hillside Avenue bridges, which span the Byram River and contribute to flooding in the Pemberwick neighborhood of Greenwich.

Improvements were authorized years ago, yet the projects remain unfinished, according to the federal officials. 

“As members of Congress representing communities in Connecticut and New York that are directly impacted by the hydrodynamics of Byram River and its bridges, we write to express our serious concern regarding the continued delays to the years-long plan to replace the U.S. Route 1 bridges,” they wrote.

The group noted Hurricane Ida in 2021 brought eight inches of rain that resulted in flash floods in the area and flooded basements of Pemberwick residents.

Fortunately, no lives were lost, the legislators said, but “replacing these bridges is an important component of improving the region’s long-term flood resilience and protecting the public as we enter another hurricane season.”

Blumenthal, Murphy, Himes and Latimer urged the Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize the Byram River bridges, expedite all remaining reviews and approvals, coordinate closely with Connecticut and New York state and local officials, and provide regular updates to Congress.

“The residents of our region have waited long enough for these critical improvements, and we look forward to working with you to ensure this project advances as expeditiously as possible,” the officials wrote.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said he’s been working with various entities involved with the bridge replacements for years.

“I share the frustration because we worked really hard to get this project moving and done as quickly as possible, without any shortcuts being taken, and then to hear that there’s been another delay is extremely frustrating,” he said. “I support the effort by the federal officials to advocate to the federal government to get this project started and completed.”

In 2020, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a Byram River Basin Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study, which recommended removing and replacing both the West Putnam Avenue and Hillside Avenue bridges because they were major contributors to flooding the area.

The federal officials said they are “extremely disappointed to learn that the project schedule has slipped once again.”

The current projection has the design not being completed until 2027 and more funding may be necessary to complete the design phase, which the group called “deeply concerning,” particularly considering Congress approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act specifically to move authorized projects from planning to construction.

“The consequences of these delays extend well beyond the project schedule,” the federal legislators wrote. “They represent a massive risk to life and property. Continued delays in replacing these bridges leave surrounding neighborhoods vulnerable to potentially lethal flooding.”

“We have a nearly 100-year-old problem of flooding on the Byram River and it has gotten very dangerous in several of these recent storms,” Camillo said. “Before there’s a loss of life, in addition to destruction of personal property, they really need to focus on getting this started and completed.”

Blumenthal, Murphy, Himes and Latimer said they are requesting a meeting with Swenson and his staff to discuss the status of the projects, the remaining obstacles to completing designs and beginning construction, the anticipated construction schedule, and how the Army Corps of Engineers is utilizing federal funding to move the projects forward.

July 28, 2026