These stipulations required the use of a cofferdam to deposit the concrete, but boring in the river showed that it did not have a suitable bottom upon which to build. Tompkins would have to construct a thick artificial bottom in order to proceed. To deposit in accordance with the contract, a tremie would be needed. A tremie is a pipe that concrete is passed through so it doesn't contact the water and disintegrate. The plans were stipulated to be presented by May 26, but it first submitted on June 2 with the sketches of the design following on June 14, 1916. The project was delayed due to the consulting engineer's proposals being denied by the Bridgeport bridge commission and the "ambiguous and contradictory requirements" advanced and by the position of the consulting engineer. The project was delayed for months because due to the consulting engineer's discussions, via mail, between Bridgeport and Chicago. Construction of the concrete wing-piles and slabs began around August 1, 1916 and the substructure was nearly completed by January 31, 1917, the original deadline for that part of the project, but the issue with the construction of the piers had already greatly delayed the construction. In early 1917, Tompkins submitted a plan to attempt a pumping out of the constructed cofferdam, which it noted as dangerous to the crew. This plan was denied because there was no artificial seal in place. The commission did not want Tompkins to proceed until the commission consulted an advisory engineer. In April 1917, William Burr was made the advisory engineer and made many changes to the original Strauss designs, most importantly the requirement that piers project into the concrete cylinders was stricken. Burr's alterations called for an open caisson for the central piers which made impossible the projection of piles into the concrete and required dredging that was unnecessary under the initial Strauss plan. The seal for the end piers was thickened to and would be deposited through a tremie, as previously suggested by Tompkins. The Bridgeport bridge commission terminated the contract on August 20, 1917 and notified Tompkins that it would complete the project. The commission had Tompkin's crew forcibly ejected from the site on September 3, 1917 and took possession of its equipment until October 19, 1917. While the contract allowed the equipment to be taken, it also stipulated that delays that were the fault of the city would result in an equal extension to the time lost and Tompkins would sue the City of Bridgeport. The City of Bridgeport hired another contractor to complete the bridge.