Ribbon cutting ceremony held on new Q bridge

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The Department of Transportation will switch traffic onto the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge starting Friday night, but not before a formal ribbon cutting ceremony.

On Friday the DOT was getting set to open three northbound lanes of the new Pearl Harbor Memorial, or "Q" Bridge.

"That's going to mean some lane closures," said DOT engineer Brian Mercure. "I-95 is going to be down to one lane for quite a while."

• For a full list of detours, click here.

Mayor John DeStefano and Sen. Richard Blumenthal were among the dignitaries on hand at the ribbon cutting ceremony on the new bridge.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere near the bridge this weekend, nor should anyone else," DeStefano said.

But the long-term gain, it's hoped, will be much bigger.

"This bridge is going to be a game changer for commuters, for businesses, it is opening new vistas for job creation, economic expansion, and quality of life," Blumenthal said.

With the bridge's proper name in bolder face, some very special Americans say there will be less quandary about what to call the "Q."

"It's named after an area where I was, and I was lucky to get out, and I'm very happy to have this named the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge," said William Lehr, a Pearl Harbor survivor.