Connecticut Has Had Its Share of Bridge Collapses

Most of us woke up this morning to the shocking news of the bridge/ship/collapse disaster unfurling in Baltimore, Maryland. Could that happen in Connecticut? Yes, one of our bridges did, just recently.

The collapse of the Mianus River Bridge was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the awful news about the overnight disaster in Baltimore. I was 14 years old in 1983, just over 40 years ago when the Mianus River Bridge collapsed along I-95 in Cos Cob. I remember the impact it had on the average driver in Connecticut, nobody wanted to drive over any bridge in Connecticut for months.

Bridge collapse paranoia was real in 1983. If you were a Fairfield County to NYC commuter, the disaster upended your life. It took my Aunt and Uncle 8 hours to drive from Philadelphia to Waterbury one afternoon. They never forgot that day, spending 3 hours getting over the GWB. Here's a video from YouTube about the collapse from Fox 61.

In September 2023, fox61.com also reported on a bridge collapse in Scotland, Connecticut that left six families stranded. Even on a neighborhood scale, the great news for us though is our Department of Transportation has been hyper-aware and proactively working on bridge infrastructure since, and laser-focused in the past decade.

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Connecticut's bridges are overall in very good shape, especially when compared to the conditions that exist in our nearby neighbors New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. You can read the latest inspection reports by registering at ct.gov/DOT/local-bridge-program/inspection-reports.

10 Items You Should Never Purchase at Connecticut Dollar Stores

Connecticut is an expensive place to live so people here will do just about anything to save a few bucks. This savings hunt makes dollar stores big business in CT and we have no shortage of them. Family Dollar has 32 Connecticut stores, Dollar Tree has 56 locations and Dollar General boasts 71 outlets throughout the State.

There are some items at these stores that will shave a lot of dough off your receipts but experts say you should not trust these stores with all purchases. Reader's Digest and USA Today have issued alerts to the public listing items you should steer clear of at Dollar Stores, here are 10 of them.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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