Currently:

Recently, Connecticut developers have proposed an idea for a 50 billion dollar project that involves building a bridge across the Long Island Sound, from CT to LI. A Connecticut housing developer, Steven Shapiro, states that it would “help Connecticut residents travel to the beautiful Long Island beaches easier.” While on paper this may seem like a good idea, this has sparked backlash from tons of people. The strange thing? This idea has been suggested many times. Let’s go through the reasons why, from an environmental perspective, building a bridge across the Long Island Sound—in Manhasset’s backyard—may end up a poor choice.

A History:

For nearly a century, proposals of a bridge linking Long Island and Connecticut have been resurfacing in new forms every decade. The first serious proposal for a bridge between the two areas originated in the 1930s, during the New Deal Era, consisting of an 18-mile long bridge connecting Orient Point to either Connecticut or Rhode Island. However, the idea was abandoned after the senator who proposed it died and with America’s involvement in WWII.

In the 1950’s and 60’s, road-builder Robert Moses and the NY Department of Public Works proposed a new idea: a bridge connecting Oyster Bay and Rye, meant to alleviate some of the congestion within NYC.  While this idea was supported by then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the time, the idea sparked outrage amongst environmentalists and severe local opposition, leading to the plan’s cancellation in 1973.

Short term environmental impacts:

A bridge could disturb marine life in the Long Island Sound, which would be particularly concerning for species there which are already endangered, such as the Atlantic Surgeon. However, there are less obvious impacts too– noise pollution, caused during and even after the construction of a bridge can have negative impacts on the people and ecosystems affected by it, such as sleep disruption, stress responses, and even temporary hearing loss in animals. Additionally, sediment disruption and accidental spills of machinery could reduce water clarity, leading to disrupted ecosystems.

Long term impacts:

Bridge construction could permanently alter the flow of currents and sediment movements, potentially reshaping nearby shorelines, mudflats, and marshes, which are already threatened by rising sea levels.  A bridge could also begin to act as a reef, which may allow invasive species to adapt to man-made surfaces. 

Furthermore, lighting along the bridge could act as a hazard for migratory birds, which are known to frequently collide with bridges. Any associated roads or intersections that are built along the already-scarce coastal land will also reduce nesting, foraging, and protection for these birds. 

Every-day traffic may also start becoming a glaring issue, as cars create heavy emissions of CO2, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. This traffic could generate stormwater runoff that contains oil, damaging nearby aquatic ecosystems that are reliant on the freshwater. 

Overall, to protect the environment, the bridge would require heavy regulation and design adequacy, with features like enclosed drainage systems, catch basins. and some sort of way to route runoff. While many argue that such a bridge would be pivotal in reducing congestion on routes such as the I-95, it is important to realize that the Long Island Sound is a crucial wildlife corridor and a working, urbanized waterbody. Conservation groups stress that building such a bridge will have adverse and irreversible environmental consequences.