By John Schwing

WESTPORT — For 141 years, the William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge has endured the onslaught of time and tide, perhaps none more intense than the decades-long debate over its structural safety, its everyday efficiency and its iconic status as a symbol of Saugatuck.

So when residents became aware of state transportation officials’ call this week for public comment on a draft agreement for “Historic Preservation in Transportation Projects,” questions arose about what impact it might have on the Cribari bridge and its future.

None. That’s the short answer from the state Department of Transportation when contacted by the Westport Journal for an explanation.

The draft agreement “will not affect this project,” DOT spokesman Joe Cooper said of planning that could lead to rehabilitation or replacement of Saugatuck’s historic swing bridge.. 

The state already has an agreement regarding historic preservation with the Federal Highway Administration, which applies to any contemplated initiative for the Cribari bridge because it carries state Route 136 (Bridge Street) over the Saugatuck River. These guidelines have been in effect for more than a decade, according to the DOT.

The more expansive draft agreement, if adopted, would also apply to projects overseen by the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration.

To read the draft agreement, click here. To comment on the proposal, click here. Deadline for comments to be filed is 11:59 p.m. Feb 24.

Environmental studies awaited for Cribari project

As for the status of plans for the Cribari bridge — declared “severely deficient” in 2015 by the DOT — environmental impact studies of proposals to rehabilitate or replace the metal span are currently taking place.

The DOT “is in the process of finalizing the Environmental Assessment Evaluation [EA] and Environmental Impact Evaluation [EIE] for their review,” spokesman Cooper said this week.

“Following that review, there will be a notice of availability of the EA/EIE and a public hearing,” he added. “CTDOT will proceed with the design phase when the EA/EIE process has been completed.”

Last year, the South Western Region Metropolitan Planning Organization endorsed a DOT request to restore $4.1 million for the right-of-way and final design phase for the Cribari project in its statewide transportation improvement plan, or “TIP.”

In 2017, then-First Selectman Jim Marpe had asked the regional agency to delete that request for Cribari design money until the DOT completed a comprehensive assessment, including the bridge’s impact on the history of the Saugatuck neighborhood, traffic concerns and design alternatives, together with community input on any plans.

With the funding’s restoration last February, completion of final designs awaits release of the environmental studies.

At the time, SWRMPO officials and First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker emphasized the $4.1 million would pay only for design options and not for any work on the bridge.

The Cribari project — DOT #0158-0214 — is currently described as in the “pre-design” phase on the DOT’s list of “All Active Projects.”

Estimated total costs of the project, depending on a final decision, could be as high as $40-$45 million, according to that summary.

John Schwing, interim editor of the Westport Journal, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.