By Linda Conner Lambeck
WESTPORT– Over the weekend the community was treated to a Candlelight Concert featuring the Staples High School Symphonic Band, Symphonic Orchestra and Choral Ensembles.
On Monday evening, as is tradition, Choral Director Lauren Pine brought nearly three dozen members of Staple’s elite Orphenians choral group to the final 2025 regular meeting of the school board to spread holiday cheer.
Wearing festive hats, earmuffs and even antlers, the students, representing freshmen through seniors, performed several numbers including “Deck the Halls,” “Joy Shall Be Yours in the Morning,” “Winter’s Heart,” “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.”
“Thank you all so much,” Board Chair Lee Goldstein told the group over applause from the board and audience.
I can’t let go of the thought that CDOT could if they wanted to reproduce Cribari with a new bridge that looks like the original in many respects. I don’t know if my further promoting this will add to the dissension, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t know if I’m only “whistling Dixie”. You tell me.
Summary. I know that the current Cribari bridge, 287 feet long, can be rebuilt as two truss spans, each less than 150 feet. If you go on our US Bridge Website you will find one of our models is a “thru truss”, and it would look like that, with some 19th century features. Easily done,
I’ve been using a lot of AI lately with good results so this morning I decided to ask it/him/her if there is a good example of a similar bridge being rebuilt and it found one. I then asked about the cost, and, as they say, if the shoe fits, wear it. So, I copied everything and here it is. I don’t know if there is room to include it all if I were to submit it. The site is in N.C.
“What are the specs of the new swing span at Perquimans County Bridge 8, like length and clearance?
The new Perquimans County Bridge 8 (Hertford S-Bridge) , which opened to traffic in October 2022, features a modern swing span designed to mirror the historic 1929 original while significantly increasing its capacity and clearance.
New Swing Span Specifications
Total Span Length: The movable steel through truss swing span is 196 feet long. ‘[Cribari would be 150 ft]
Vertical Clearance: The vertical clearance was improved from the original 7 feet to 12 feet. [over the water, more than we would need]
Navigation Channels: The swing span provides two 60-foot wide navigation channels for marine traffic. [Probably 2 x 50 feet for Cribari]
Roadway Width: The new structure features two 12-foot travel lanes and 4-foot paved shoulders on each side, a significant increase from the original 10-foot lanes. [same]
Sidewalk: A 5.5-foot wide sidewalk is included on the northeast side of the bridge. “same]
“Overall Project Context
The entire bridge structure, including the fixed spans and the section replacing the former earthen causeway, measures approximately 2,691 feet long and consists of 29 spans. The new alignment is offset 110 feet east of the original bridge location to minimize impacts on historic homes in the Town of Hertford. [probably same] The total construction cost for the Perquimans County Bridge 8 (Hertford S-Bridge) was approximately $57.1 million.
“Cost Comparison and Estimation for Cribari Bridge
Estimating the cost to replace the William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge in Westport, CT, using the same design requires adjusting for length, regional labor rates, and the specific mechanics of the swing span.
1. Dimensional Differences
Perquimans Bridge 8: 2,691 feet total length (includes a long approach replacing an earthen causeway).
Cribari Bridge: Approximately 287 feet total length.
The “Fixed Cost” of Motion: A significant portion of the $57.1 million in North Carolina was dedicated to the 196-foot movable steel swing span and its mechanical/electrical systems.
2. Regional Cost Multipliers
Construction costs in Connecticut are typically 25% to 40% higher than in North Carolina due to prevailing wage laws, material transport, and stricter environmental/permitting requirements in the Northeast Corridor.
3. Estimated Replacement Cost (2025 Dollars)
If the Hertford S-Bridge design (a modern steel through-truss swing span) were applied to the Cribari Bridge today:
Mechanism & Span: The movable span and mechanical systems would likely cost between $35 million and $45 million in the CT market.
Total Project Estimate: Including abutments, approaches, and the removal of the existing historic structure, the estimated cost would likely range from $55 million to $75 million.
Key Consideration: While the Cribari Bridge is much shorter than the Perquimans bridge, the complexity of the swing mechanism remains the primary driver. CTDOT’s own previous studies for a full replacement of the Cribari Bridge (in 2016-2020) aligned with this, estimating costs in the $40M–$60M range; accounting for 2025 inflation and modern mechanical standards, the higher end of that estimate is most accurate.
To smmarize my previous comment, If we apply the N.C. example we an transform the low and seemingly unremarkable Cribafi Bridge to a large and impressive Heroes Bridge within the same cost estimate. This will require a shift in thought among the defenders of Cribari, tne same shift I very recently experienced, as follows:
1. We are going to lose this battle over preservation vs. destruction because the States’s agenda is clearly written and we are in the polite wind-down stage without recognizing it; we simply did not have the unity, political power and influence to fight this battle; most of us are still in the “fair notice of hearings” discussion without recognzing that these hearings are a sham to provide back-up for a decision already made.
2. We can influence what follows by fighting the new battle over what the new bridge will look like, in which our objective will align with the State’s- replacement objective, to the point of defining the replaement in terms of an enhanced replica for the generations that follow, with the enhanced objecive of memorializing all the heroies of Ct, not just one.
3. We have no bargaining power to solve the heavy truck problem; we don’t control the principal streets, but in part a larger bridge will make that concession more tolerable.
4. In sum, “you can’t win “em all”, but scoring about 85% is still a victory.