Title:
Not just water under the bridge
Author:
Kimball, Carol W.
Subjects:
Flooding of the railroad underpass on Groton's South Road nothing new
Thames River and railroad tracks
first all-rail route from Boston to New York
pesky underpass proved impossible to drain
"Town seeks legislative solution to flooding on South Road"
Thames River and railroad tracks
first all-rail route from Boston to New York
pesky underpass proved impossible to drain
"Town seeks legislative solution to flooding on South Road"
Object ID:
Kim12-067
Object Name:
Scrapbook
Category:
8: Communication Artifact
Subcategory:
Documentary Artifact
Publisher:
The Day
Publication Place:
New London, CT
Pubication Date:
12/14/2009
Collection:
Carol W. Kimball
Summary:
Flooding of the railroad underpass on Groton's South Road is the subject of complaint but it's deja vu all over again as Yogi Berra would say. The underpass has been flooding for more than a century, ever since the first railroad bridge crossed the Thames River in 1889, making it necessary to connect to it via new tracks in Groton. The old Groton Main Line went across the Poquonnock River. Traces of that causeway can still be seen near the entrance to Bluff Point; the track veered south, ending at the old North Yard of General Dynamics. Before the bridge, railroad ferries carried cars across the river to the New London station where a waiting locomotive took them on to New York. Since the new bridge lay to the north, the railroad company laid five miles of double track from Poquonnock switch to the Thames, creating the first all-rail route from Boston to New York. Where the line crossed South Road, planners created the pesky underpass, building overhead tracks barely nine feet above the highway. This proved impossible to drain because the road was not far enough above the river. Throughout the years, attempts have been made to remedy the situation. In March 1983 The Day ran an article titled, "Town seeks legislative solution to flooding on South Road". Looks like we're hearing those same complaints again.
People:
Berra, Yogi and "deja vu all over again"
Plant, Morton F., philanthropist
Plant, Morton F., philanthropist
Search Terms:
Flooding of the railroad underpass on Groton's South Road nothing new
Thames River and railroad tracks
first all-rail route from Boston to New York
pesky underpass proved impossible to drain
"Town seeks legislative solution to flooding on South Road"
Thames River and railroad tracks
first all-rail route from Boston to New York
pesky underpass proved impossible to drain
"Town seeks legislative solution to flooding on South Road"