Werner Liepolt and Robbie Guimond live a few hundred yards apart. They are separated by the Saugatuck River — and by what to do about the Cribari Bridge, which links their 2 neighborhoods.
Today, both offer their views on the future of the 143-year-old span.
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Werner Liepolt lives in the Bridge Street Historic District. He writes:
I have worked with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) on the Cribari Bridge project since 2016.
Not against them — with them.
So have several other Westport residents. Many of us served on the Project Advisory Committee as consulting parties recognized by the Federal Highway Administration, representing different groups in town.
I live in the Bridge Street National Register Historic District, which the Westport Historic District Commission and the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office nominated for National Register status in 2017.
1884 Rufus Wakeman House, in the Bridge Street Historic District.
I am not sorry that we worked with CTDOT.
But I am sorry that CTDOT has not worked more closely with the community on one central concern: truck traffic.
Throughout the PAC meetings, consulting parties repeatedly asked a simple question: If the Cribari Bridge is rebuilt or altered, how will the project prevent the residential neighborhoods of Bridge Street, Imperial Avenue, Greens Farms Road, South Compo Road, and Saugatuck Ave nue from becoming a bypass route for trucks avoiding I-95 congestion?
To date, none of the project alternatives presented by CTDOT address that question.
The 143-year-old Cribari Bridge is not wide or high enough to handle large trucks. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
The Environmental Assessment prepared for the project runs more than 160 pages, with hundreds more pages of appendices. Yet the analysis largely assumes that changes in bridge height, width, and weight capacity will not significantly alter traffic patterns.
Many residents believe that assumption deserves closer examination, and that CTDOT needs a No Trucks option.
The Cribari Bridge sits within a federally recognized historic district. Under federal law, projects affecting historic districts must consider not only direct impacts to structures, but also long-term, indirect and cumulative effects on the district’s setting and circulation patterns.
Changes that could alter traffic composition — including the potential for heavier vehicles — are part of that evaluation.
In my petition, now signed by over 1,400 people, I asked for something simple: open hearings before decisions are made, and federal oversight to ensure that the protections applied to historic districts are properly followed.
That request still stands.
The upcoming CTDOT meeting on March 19 (6 p.m., Town Hall auditorium) is an opportunity for residents to ask the questions that have not yet been fully addressed.
One of those questions is straightforward: Should Bridge Street and the surrounding historic district become a route for heavy truck traffic — or should Westport insist on solutions that prevent it?
Whatever one’s answer, the question deserves to be asked — and answered — before decisions about the bridge are finalized.
(Click here to submit comments on the Cribari Bridge to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.)
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Robbie Guimond lives on Riverside Avenue, where he owns a marina. He writes:
After 4 decades at the marina, it’s obvious I value public access to the Saugatuck River, The potential loss of the Cribari Bridge weighs heavily on me.
Over the last 10 years I’ve been deeply involved with this process. It has highlighted various perspectives that deserve investigation.
More traffic analysis is one. I believe the Connecticut Department of Transportation has approached these options from as neutral a perspective as possible.
Even with their past “adaptive reuse” and the less than perfect results, I feel they are looking for the best outcome for the town.
One view underneath the Cribari Bridge (Pier 2) …
After reviewing the Environmental Assessment and literally hundreds of public blog comments, it is clear that losing the historic bridge is unpalatable to the many who are vocal.
However, it is also evident that CTDOT intends to take action.
From my perspective, there are 2 paths forward:
1. No Build. This means the repair of pier 2, along with minor repairs to the truss and other needed areas.
Yes, the electric box will go, but the different heights of the horizontal truss members might have a posted height of around 13′ 4″.
I believe one is sagging to 13′ 7″-ish, thus preventing tall tractor trailer trucks while still allowing our Fire Departments ladder trucks. This option also avoids a temporary span in The Bridge restaurant’s lot, and extends the span’s life by approximately 15 to 25 years with minimal disruption beyond some channel closures.
2. Full Replacement: If CTDOT deems the first option out of the question, a full replacement is the only other reasonable alternative. The current bridge has already undergone many modifications, and further aggressive changes will only diminish what remains of its character and lead to a 13′ 6″ marked height.
… and another (the pedestal the span swings on). (Photos/Robbie Guimond)
While the pros and cons of a full replacement are debatable, one point is non-negotiable: The town administration, with its Representative Town Meeting- suggested Bridge Committee must maintain strict control over every detail of the design — including location, height, air gap, crosswalk improvements at Wilton Road, and Compo Road South’s desperately needed left turn signal — as this new structure will likely stand for the next century.
I am hopeful that either option can lead to a successful outcome, I guess time will tell.
(“06880″‘s Opinion pages are open to all. Email 06880blog@gmail.com with submissions. To donate to this hyper-local blog, please click here. Thank you!)
Pretend you don’t have a dog in the fight and zoom out.
I-95 is 1,924 miles long.
The section between Westport and Greenwich is the most congested of those almost 2000 miles.
We all know about the traffic. It’s not new, it sucked in the 70’s when I first remember sitting in my Mom’s station wagon with rear facing seats seeing endless miles of head and tail lights.
The trucks are coming for the Cribari Bridge. They have to. I love the posts with historic bridge street houses and some fugazzi historic designation (kinda like how we protect historic homes from demolition) but there are plenty of historic homes up and down Riverside Ave too. And TBH, more valuable real estate along the riverfront.
Everyone will do the NIMBY thing. You can predict the comments based on home address. I hope the Town doesn’t pour money into this thing, if there’s money to spend, there are greater and higher uses.
Will be interesting tonight, especially if DOT gives us an idea of what they want from the bridge.
If they do or don’t we still need to give them a clear, concise and direct description of what the Town & Saugatuck want from the bridge. How exactly the Historic look and character must be preserved, how it will deliver good traffic manners, what the actual actual clearance heights for both under bridge when closed for boat traffic and what maximum overhead mclearance will be for over bridge roadway traffic?
Based on the different bridge deconstruction and reconstruction what will be the closure and interruption periods for the completion of the bridge. Will any of the possible bridge rennovations or replacement involve changes to the exact. entrance to or exit from the bridge roadway with approaches?
If DOT moves to completely replace the bridge exisgong structure woll temporary bridge be constructed to provide access to existing traffic flow? Will DOT consider and use newer methods and means to give a faster and more positive construction period?
As obvious from input, endless comments and the poll can and will the bridge be limited to semi size and weights as the major percentage of towns people, businesses and users have said is a primary requirement?
This is the message and direct direction that must be put to DOT on the 19th. If we leave any issuues like these unawnsered, it will just give DOT wiggle room to say they will proceed in their preffered direction because the Town was to ambiguous in their inputs and wants.
The Town of Westport and it’s residents must take charge of the Cribari Bridge’s future!
Most Westport residents that I have spoken to want the bridge replaced, me included. Years ago when we had a temporary bridge it was so much easier to drive over the river.
If I lived in the Saugatuck area I would probably not want it replaced.
I agree, Andrea—the temporary bridge will be a “try before you buy” situation. Unfortunately, by then it will already be well into the design and construction phase. You can use Werner’s link to share your thoughts with ConnDot, if you’d like.
Wow! And I naively thought NO ONE, living on Bridge Street or not, would actually WANT trucks, etc. to come into the neighborhood…I don’t live on Bridge or Greens Farms but INVITING trailer or other large trucks on roads designed for local traffic seems Kinda’ stupid to me.
If there ever was a time for our First Selectman and our state legislators to show up it is now. Think of people trying to make their trains and parents taking their kids to Saugatuck Elementary in the morning. Their lives would be made far worse on a daily basis. A stretch of a couple miles sent to truckers by Waze will not change their trips by much once that route inevitably fills up. (Picture 18 wheelers trying to make the left turn after the bridge!) The effect on our neighbors would be just awful. Add to that the Hamlet project construction. Gridlock.
Our town needs to stand up for itself. No big trucks on the Cribari Bridge. Let’s pay close attention to how our elected officials manage this issue on behalf of our residents.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/204364047@N04/55147948674/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/204364047@N04/55148095385/in/dateposted-public/
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Just last week, and even earlier, trucks have already been using the Cribari. It’s time to connect with your RTM rep and push forward on getting that “no thru” restriction for town roads in Greens farm. Remember, the temporary span will handle all legal loads for the next three to four years!
Robbie is right.
The town controls town roads and can limit trucks from Compo road south the bridge street with signage and can legally enforce. Even Riverside Ave starting from VFW to bridge!!
The seismic activity from large tractor trailers can damage the historic foundations along the roadways.
The administration needs to be proactive and start taking proper steps to give the residents what they are asking for.
The RTM acted on a sense of the meeting, to send a message to the state and our leaders voicing the public’s concerns. You can call it toothless or posturing but it’s better than doing nothing.
Time to create a committee, appoint members of the public, and be the voice of the town. Delegate through democratic style leadership.
Quit avoiding.
Thanks, Andrew. This doesn’t need to be adversarial; we can all work together to resolve the issues, and I’m sure we can reach a compromise.