WESTPORT–The Connecticut Department of Transportation is making Westport’s Cribari Bridge “Available for Potential Reuse.”
In a statement made earlier this week, the CTDOT said it “[I]s exploring potential alternatives for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Saugatuck River Swing Bridge (William Cribari Bridge) in Westport under State Project No. 0158-0214.” The next sentence in the statement begins with the word “If.” And, with many Westport citizens opposed to the replacement of the bridge, that is a pretty big “if.”
“If CTDOT, in coordination with the local community, opts for an alternative that includes a full replacement of the bridge, the superstructure will be made available for potential relocation and reuse”
RTM members from Districts 1, 4 and 9 invite all Westporters to a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the future of the bridge and what citizens would hope to see as the future of the span and its impact on Westport.
The William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge carries Route 136 over the Saugatuck River. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a part of the Bridge Street Historic District.
The bridge was built in 1884 and is the oldest surviving movable bridge in Connecticut.
Behind the library, from the levitt to the parking lot, we actually need a bridge there to reduce traffic. That is the hack for downtown parking. Make the state pay for installation.
It pains me to see it go, but if it must.. there is the spot.
Actually, from the police station parking lot to the parking lot is the level & equivalent span over dead man’s creek.
Correction: the Cribari Bridge is the oldest operable bridge of its type in America.
I like the idea of relocating the bridge downtown as a pedestrian bridge spanning the river from Gorham Island or Parker Harding Plaxa to Wilton Road. It could become Westport’s own Ponte Vecchio.
For heavens sake, Larry, you absolutely know better than most the myriad reasons why the chances of that happening are similar to me riding my bike to the moon.
Who is going to pay to move the Cribari Bridge upriver? Seems like a waste of money.
Paying for a parking garage to help the parking nightmare downtown would be a higher priority than moving a bridge.
The merchants struggling to survive would probably agree. The parking congestion with its share of $25.00 parking tickets for exceeding the three hour parking limit is real.
The town agreed to spend a staggering amount of money for a royal palace better known as Long Lots school. Where are the town’s priorities?
CTDOT has suggested that if the bridge is replaced, the historic structure could be offered for reuse elsewhere as mitigation.
However, under federal preservation law, mitigation is considered only after agencies have fully analyzed options that avoid or minimize harm. Offering the bridge for relocation does not address the loss of its historic setting within the Bridge Street Historic District, nor the long-term effects of altered traffic patterns on that district.
Before discussing who might “take” the bridge, the record should clearly demonstrate that in-place preservation alternatives and district-level effects have been fully evaluated.