The Beehive Bridge

New Britain is Buzzing
The Beehive Bridge, New Britain
November 2023

When all is said and done, and former New Britain mayor Erin Stewart serves a few days in jail for (alledgedly) stealing a bunch of money from her governor campaign funds and town coffers, one of her positive lasting legacies will be this: The Beehive Bridge.

In the spirit of Ms. Stewart, I’ve stolen some great pictures of this beautiful bridge from FCA (the firm who designed it) and Structure Magazine.

Longtime readers know I’ve always pulled for New Britain. After all, my wife grew up there and she and her four siblings are proud NBHS alumni. Her parents remained in town almost their whole lives since immigrating to the US, so I visited often. I came to appreciate its industrial history and immigrant mix.

As the industry left and the city took financial hit after financial hit, hard times befell New Britain. But it continues to fight and there are constant glimmers of hope and improvement.

Civic improvements like the Beehive Bridge and the busway to Hartford that terminates there are two such glimmers. Actually three, as the busway features a multi-use trail that brought Calvin and me here from West Hartford on a chilly November day.

The bridge is relatively new, but the story of the need for a bridge here is a tale as old as… well, as old as the introduction of the highway system to the US.

Why not use this page to bring up a core reason our cities were wrecked in the 20th century, from The New Britain Progressive:

During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s the state of Connecticut disastrously gutted its cities by ramming urban freeways through their cores. Interstate 91 and Interstate 84 in Hartford, Interstate 95 and Route 8 in Bridgeport, and Interstate 95 and the Oak Street Connector in New Haven all destroyed vibrant neighborhoods in the name of easy suburban commuting, “progress,” and—often explicitly —racial and economic segregation. But perhaps no Connecticut municipality was as impacted as the midsized city of New Britain, which has three highways carving up its traditional development pattern. The people of New Britain did not accept the gutting of their city lying down, and its past opposition could inspire a movement to remove these highways in the future.

New Britain, a city of only 82,000 in 1960, somehow has three highways running through it: Interstate 84 and State Routes 72 and 9. And while Interstate 84 is mostly on the outskirts of the city, Routes 72 and 9 run directly through its downtown and core neighborhoods.

Well over 1,000 homes were destroyed and residents were displaced – and the city’s population has never rebounded and the community was divided. Though several bridges were installed to reconnect the now separate neighborhoods, connectivity to the downtown areas was irrevocably damaged.

The highways aren’t going away, but the hope to reconnect through public art and creative bridge design is one tiny way to help. The Beehive bridge was intentionally designed to sort of cocoon people from the highway beneath. The “art” part of the bridge takes inspiration from the City’s seal, which includes bees, a beehive, and the motto in Latin of “industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey” that pays homage to the City’s industrial past.

From Structure Magazine:

The unique focal point of the project is the pedestrian enclosure, which consists of more than 2,100 amber-honey-colored, ½-inch-thick polycarbonate panels arranged in the shape of a giant honeycomb. Its unique appearance shines as a landmark for the City and changes the landscape throughout the day. During daylight hours, the enclosure paints the bridge in ever-changing shades as the sun moves through the sky. At night, programmable LED lighting creates a 21st-century beacon inviting travelers to the City.

Everyone agreed (and hopefully agrees) that the residents of New Britain deserve a cool focal point that connects people to the downtown core. If we’re to believe the story, Erin Stewart herself envisioned what that would be. Shortly after her first term as mayor, she wanted to fix what was an unsightly concrete overpass that was poorly lit, had narrow sidewalks and was loud and unprotected. No one wanted to walk across it. Stewart says she drew the first designs on a napkin.

The design firms were chosen and the challenge was afoot. I’m sure someone will appreciate this, from SCA:

One of the most unique aspects of the Beehive Bridge architectural design is that the railings are composed of compound curves. This means the forms are curving in multiple directions at once. Modeling the bridge in three dimensions was complicated – and then documenting it in a precise way posed a challenge and opportunity for the design team. As a result, we used parametric modeling in a way we had not done previously. We also created study models in paper and cardboard throughout the design process.

The bridge features the unique colorful translucent panels in a honeycomb pattern, as well as four stainless-steel honeybee sculptures and two pocket parks at the approach to the bridge. Stewarts plan for the bridge, which was part of her wider goals of revitalizing the city, came to fruition in 2019.

There is also new development on the downtown side of the bridge, in addition to the busway and multi-use path. And now there is an attractive and safe connection between the ethnic neighborhoods – notably Little Poland – and downtown New Britain.

I love the Beehive Bridge. It is stunning at night and worth a closer look during the day. If it draws a few more people to explore what the little city has to offer, all the better.

CTMQ’s Cool Bridges
CT FastTrak Multi-Use Trail