Engineering Excellence Takes Center Stage at WALK Bridge Roadshow Event

The Engineering and Public Works Roadshow brought national attention to Connecticut’s most critical infrastructure project Monday, celebrating the ongoing replacement of the 128-year-old WALK Bridge that serves as a vital link for 125,000 daily commuters on America’s busiest rail corridor.

The December 2 event at the WALK Bridge Welcome Center united engineering leaders, public officials and infrastructure professionals to spotlight the $1 billion project that exemplifies how modern engineering tackles complex challenges while maintaining essential services.

“This isn’t just Connecticut’s project. This is the Northeast Corridor’s project. This is America’s infrastructure at work,” said Steve Drechsler, past president of ACEC Connecticut, who served as master of ceremonies for the event.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling emphasized the project’s surprisingly smooth execution despite initial community concerns. “It’s been a lot less intrusive than we thought it would be,” Rilling noted. “You hardly even notice it, except when you go on some of the back roads. That’s because of the DOT and the engineers and the planning and how they’re going about it.”

The complexity of the project drew particular attention from speakers. Brian Burke of WSP, the program management consultant, highlighted the unprecedented challenge: “How often are you going to be building a new bridge under, around and above an existing 130-year-old bridge that is still maintaining commuter rail service for multiple years?”

The Roadshow – a collaboration between the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Public Works Association (APWA) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – has now traveled more than 60,000 miles across the country to showcase infrastructure excellence and address the critical workforce shortage.

“We face a six-figure shortage of engineers and public works people,” noted Jeff Urbanchuk, ACEC’s senior vice president of communications and marketing. “If you’re good at science and math, you have an interest in that, or you want to build or create things, engineering is a great way of doing it. You can have a lasting impact on the communities that you live and grew up in.”

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto provided perspective on the state’s infrastructure needs, noting the WALK Bridge is just one piece of a larger puzzle. “We have more pieces of infrastructure that we’re going to need to do in just a few years from now,” he said, citing upcoming work totaling around $15 billion.

Christian Brown from HNTB, the project’s designer of record, captured the project’s complexity perfectly by sharing a resident’s analogy: “Replacing the WALK Bridge is like trying to change your flat tire while you’re still going 60 miles an hour down the highway.”

The event concluded with recognition awards for key contributors and a renewed call to action for the next generation considering STEM careers, emphasizing that infrastructure investment isn’t just about steel and concrete, but about connecting communities and building America’s future.