By Andy Brophy

WESTPORT–Discussing the closure of the Jesup Road bridge, severely damaged in a Sept. 13 storm, the Board of Selectmen today heard from Larry Roberts, the director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) and operations and public safety officials. Roberts shed new light on the replacement project timeline and the selectmen decided, for the time being, to make no changes to traffic patterns downtown.

Repairing the Jesup Road bridge

Second Selectwoman Amy Wistreich said changing traffic patterns downtown obscures the “real solution … getting the bridge done.”

Wistreich said she was “disappointed.” She added, “This really feels like business as usual and not an emergency, expedited process.” She said her constituents have said that to her and she was representing them.

Roberts explained that if the town didn’t make the replacement bridge wider, so water from Deadman Brook could more easily flow under it, the process would be easier and faster, Roberts said.

“I assure you we’re going to work as quickly as possible but also going to build a bridge where the town can treat floodwaters better,” he said.

Replacing the bridge not only leads to a longer permitting process, it also taps into a different state reimbursement pool, which stretches the timeline, Roberts explained.

First Selectman Kevin Christie said that designing and building the higher-capacity bridge is “a better path for reimbursement.”

Roberts said bids were due today for the initial design and permitting work on the replacement bridge and that the town had started the application process for a state grant that would fund 50 percent of the new bridge’s construction cost. 

He reminded the board that the town was reimbursed 100% for the Greens Farm bridge over Sasco Creek, 50% federal, 50% state. But, it took five and a half years to get that funding approved.

Impact of changing traffic patterns is “limited”

The selectmen’s decision to make no changes to traffic patterns came after comments from representatives of the Police Department, Emergency Medical Services, Public Works Department, and Traffic & Pedestrian Safety Taskforce.

Tom Kiely, the town’s operations director and member of the task force, said the bridge closure’s impact on traffic circulation downtown has been “relatively limited.”

He said the bridge closure created an inconvenience to motorists but they “have generally been able to utilize alternative routes.”

“The task force’s observations have not identified widespread disruptions due to the bridge closure,” he said, adding that the task force “will continue to evaluate traffic patterns and consider potential mitigation measures.”

EMS Chief Patrick Riddle said the bridge closure creates up to a 30-second delay in non-priority response times, meaning no lights or sirens. “Under priority response, it is a net-zero change in our response,” he said. “We have not identified any traffic issues that have impacted our ability to provide services.”

Riddle said police officers on patrol are generally the first to respond to emergencies, followed by firefighters, who also are dispersed throughout town, and EMS, which responds from the Police Department on Jesup Road.

“The [bridge] closure is a non-item to us in terms of public safety and delivery of care,” Riddle said. “From an EMS perspective and response time perspective, it’s not an item I would choose to necessarily address.”

Changing traffic patterns downtown, such as making Bay Street two ways or one way in the opposite direction (toward the Post Road) could create a hazard if motorists don’t know about the change, Riddle added.

Police Chief David Farrell said changing traffic directions on Bay Street and Taylor Place, which also is one-way, “invites safety issues at the expense of convenience.”

“We pretty strongly feel any changes would create more problems than we’re managing,” Farrell said.

DPW’s Roberts said, “I think the status quo right now is working … I think, right now, not doing anything is the right move.”

Selectman Wistreich said she was concerned with motorists using the Mancini parking lot as a cut-through and motorists who drive the wrong way on Bay Street. She said parking spaces could be taken off Bay Street to make it wider and safer because customers of The Toy Post on Post Road E. and The Cake Box on Bay Street typically use the parking lot off Bay Street.

Wistreich said the town could also explore renting parking spaces from the nearby Bank of America and also direct motorists to park on Jesup Road since the bridge closure made that a dead-end.

Roberts agreed that the Mancini lot was dangerous because of motorists who use it as a cut-through.

Al D’Amura, a public safety officer at the Police Department, said he could reach out to Bank of America about potentially renting its parking spaces and that eliminating parking spaces on Bay Street was under consideration. He said police could speak with owners of the Mancini parking lot about installing signs and hiring someone to monitor the lot.

First Selectman Christie questioned whether the 12 parking spaces on Bay Street served as a “bit of a traffic calming measure” for motorists who cut through the Mancini lot.

D’Amura said police officers are limited in what they can do at the Mancini lot, beyond citing motorists for reckless driving, because it’s privately owned. “We need to work with the actual landlord of Mancini, find out who the owner is and work with them,” he said. “We will reach out to businesses and the landlord and see what they can do and what they’re willing to do.”

Andy Brophy

Andy Brophy is an experienced Fairfield County journalist. Andy was a staff writer at The Connecticut Post for 10 years. He also wrote for the Norwalk Hour, Fairfield Minuteman, Fairfield Patch and weekly newspapers in Westport, Fairfield and Norwalk. When not reporting, Andy enjoys playing chess and listening to pianist Art Tatum. ^_.