Last week’s Friday Flashback featured a what’s-old-is-new-again look at the Cribari Bridge.
Specifically: the 1985 campaign to save the then-threatened historic span from the threat of rebuilding, and the tractor trailers that would follow.
The story drew more than 2 dozen comments. Several referenced the temporary bridge that was erected when — a few years later — the bridge was rehabilitated.
(Spoiler alert: The renovation did not alter the structure. The temporary bridge — much praised for its height, and ease of use — was demolished once the project was completed.)
This week, we show you one of the few photos of that temporary bridge. No, it’s not Photoshopped or AI-generated.
Built just north of the permanent bridge, it curved from Bridge Street through the parking lot of what was then the Mansion Clam House (today, it’s the Bridge at Saugatuck restaurant).
Dave Eason — a former co-owner of Mansion — noted in the comments, “It only impacted the extreme southern end of the lot. It actually worked really well.”
Today, that Riverside Avenue terminus has been planted with evergreen trees.
BONUS SHOT: At the lower right of the photo is what was then a high hump on Ketchum Street. During the Gault project that brought (among other things) condos to Saugatuck, the road was lowered.
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So the temporary bridge was high, like 50 or 60 feet high. There was a well known local landscaper who perhaps after visiting Marios would regularly scrape the right side of his car on the original bridge. When the temporary span went up a group of his friends presented him with a parachute!! Lol…
This temporary road was great no waiting for traffic !
When the bridge was there it was a nice alternative to the “steel” bridge. One downside was in the winter, the “downhill” to the stoplight could get quite slick from snow or ice. I did not mind the bridge.
I lived off Hillspoint from 1989-1999.
7:22 trim to Grand Central every weekday.
The temporary bridge saved 10 minutes on my morning drive.
It was really a pleasure.
Tom, that said, if the bridge gets replaced we are screwed. Can you imagine 18 wheelers trying to navigate the Saugatuck streets and turns? I’m all in on keeping the current design..
Dave‼️
No thru trucks signs
$688 fines (06880)
Citizens can submit license plate photos.
Sniper in trees. 🇺🇸
Thank goodness we have the “traffic quieting” Cribari Bridge and related horrid traffic though Amiright?
The Bridge doesn’t cause the traffic… study after study (if you care to deal with facts) shows that… and if you actually are on the ground that is obvious.
Coming from the east (residential Westport) you run into congestion on Greens Farms Road at several spots. When you funnel onto Bridge Street with the traffic from South Compo, and Imperial you hit a snag, but once you pass Imperial it’s rapid.
And 90% of the traffic turns left at Riverside continuing on the I’m-off-I-95-and-headed-for-Norwalk-on-route-136.
When (or if) CTDOT replaces the William F. Cribari bridge, they will make Rt 136 passable for truck traffic, elevating bridges (wanna bet?) and transform residential Greens Farms road into an I-95 access highway linking it to the newly rebuilt Exit 16. (Allowing for an expansion east of Westport’s commercial district which is why the Coalition for Westport boosts the replacement.)
Truck traffic will run from Exit 18 through Saugatuck to both Exit 17 and 16 as has always been ordained and held up by those pesky activist Westporters.
We have known and fought this for more than four decades.
Bill, I don’t think the bridge itself is the problem. Bridge St. and Riverside are what they are, two lanes. It’s volume.
Volume is no doubt an issue but the problem given the volume is less that Bridge St and Riverside are two lanes but that the constriction of those two lanes at the bridge is a quite effective “traffic quieting” measure. Even more effective than the various speed tables around town.
Traffic on Bridge Street east of the bridge regularly flows at 25 MPH (or faster) whether it is eastbound or westbound. But as soon as traffic approaches the bridge, it slows to 15 MPH and often slower if there is oncoming traffic. It is well known that narrowing roads significantly reduces speed.
I recall the consensus being that traffic flowed much more easily when the temporary bridge was in place. What was the difference? Still only two lanes, but they were wider and probably the intersection with Riverside was more effective at facilitating traffic flow.