Last month — before and during the state Department of Transportation public hearing on the future of the Cribari Bridge — residents and Representative Town Meeting members urged 1st Selectman Kevin Christie to form an advisory group.
Today, he did just that.
Christie said that a new Cribari Bridge Advisory Committee would “support the town’s ongoing engagement with the DOT as the state-led process moves forward.”
He did not announce names of committee members, or indicate when and how they would be appointed.
The first selectman noted, “the well-attended public hearing reflected strong community interest and underscored the complexity of the issues involved.
“Traffic, safety, neighborhood impact, historic and neighborhood context, and long-term fiscal responsibility are all legitimate concerns that deserve to be evaluated carefully and in an informed way.”
Residents packed Town Hall for last month’s Department of Transportation public meeting. (Photo/Dan Woog)
While state officials have identified a “preferred option” for the bridge, no final decision has been made. The environmental review process remains open.
Christie said, “the Advisory Committee will bring together technical expertise and community perspectives to help keep Westport’s input grounded in facts and reflective of community priorities. It will evaluate options for the bridge, including structural and design considerations, in the context of community impact, funding implications, and long-term maintenance responsibilities.”
The Advisory Committee will make recommendations to the First Selectman.
However, he noted, “the Advisory Committee will not replace the formal state process or make a final decision on the project. Its role is to support the town’s engagement with DOT by providing a structured forum for coordination, analysis, and public input, with a focus on outcomes that serve Westport’s long-term interests.
“Westport has a real stake in this project for our neighborhoods, our infrastructure, and our fiscal future. This Advisory Committee will build on the Town’s discussions with the DOT by grounding decisions in facts, incorporating community input, and identifying solutions that work for Westport.”
The public comment period on the DOT’s Environmental Assessment is open through April 17. Comments can be submitted online, by email to James.Barrows@ct.gov, or by mail to James Barrows, P.O. Box 317546, Newington CT 06131-7546. Reference Project No. 0158-0214.
Cribari Bridge (courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)
Politician at work – form a committee that has zero power to decide anything!! Citizens will be selected – and those not selected will complain. The committee will debate many different solutions and recommend an answer that is utopian and very unlikely to get implemented – and will take a long time getting to that “result”. The State will ultimately decide what it plans to do, the town will react, put up a battle, and a bridge will ultimately get decided by the State after minor modifications. This latter process will take 5+ years to unfold.
And people wonder why the US’s infrastructure has gotten so bad, especially in the Northeast?!?!
If we are lucky, the committee will host some charrettes to help come up with that utopian solution.
My son Jonathan took this video of the Cribari Bridge opening in 2017. Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFGalPa7VkG7RXSFUytIV3VZrv7_sQjo/view?usp=sharing