Matthew Mandell is a Representative Town Meeting member from District 1.
It includes Saugatuck — and the Cribari Bridge.
Late last night, Mandell sent out a Paul Revere-style email. Referring to the state Department of Transportation (DOT), he wrote:
THE DOT HAS GONE TO BID FOR THE DESIGN OF THE (NEW) BRIDGE
I think this comes as news to all of us. We were waiting for a follow up meeting after the December meeting that left most nonplussed.
Here is the bid, due back March 5.
Cribari Bridge (Drone photo/Alex O’Brien)
The question is: How can the DOT go to bid if the Environmental Study is not complete, as well as the Section 106 Federal Historic Study also being incomplete?
Maybe they can, but it seems out of order. It certainly catches us all by surprise. (For a previous”06880″story on Section 106, click here.)
There is also a DOT meeting set for Westport on March 19. I surely had not heard about this one either, but there it was on the site. Click here to see the flyer.
Here is the whole DOT site to read about all aspects of the bridge and project.
This is a bit befuddling for sure.
We wanted to also hear from the public as well. in a different venue than that of a DOT meeting. There has not be something close to a resident discussion since the PAC in 2018.
While there are different views on what should be done, the idea of large trucks seems to be a common thread. We are working on a date toward the end of the month. It will be via Zoom.
(Other RTM districts, hold tight. I spoke with the moderator. Let’s get this one going and have it not be a meeting of the body. Attend if you want of course, and it can expand if needed as we move forward.)
I always say we need to remain vigilant. Thanks to a diligent ally who went to the site to simply take a look at what might be up.