Joey Kaempfer is a 1965 graduate of Staples High School.
After working on commercial real estate projects around the world, he moved back to Westport. He lives near Saugatuck Shores, and drives through Saugatuck often. Joey writes:
I have watched and listened to the back and forth about our 143-year-old Cribari Bridge for some time. I have traveled across it in cars, bicycles and by foot on and off for nearly 70 years.
So, as a Westporter, I wish to offer a few thoughts.
First, I understand and completely concur with the idea of not curing the ills of an overcrowded I-95 by running giant trucks through the village.
Second, I have had the pleasure of living in antique houses, and in my business career rebuilding a number of old structures around the world. I do not find the Cribari either charming or pretty, except at Christmas time with its colored lights.
Yes, it’s old, but mere age isn’t really a meaningful reason to retain something that has outlasted its useful life. I say that as someone who is often nostalgic about older buildings, houses, and objects of beauty.
Mere age is not a reason to retain something that has outlived its useful life, says Joey Kaempfer.
I would like to see the bridge, or part of it, moved closer to town as a footbridge near the Library, or as an interesting replacement for the Kings Highway bridge near the medical park formerly known as Fort Apache.
We could then build a magnificent modern bridge in Cribari’s stead. It could be genuinely beautiful, perhaps designed by a remarkably talented architect. (Perhaps Jon Pickard of New Haven, the former head designer at the late Cesar Peilli’s office, or someone like Norman Foster in London, or another notable and brilliant designer.)
I would be delighted to pay the differential cost for this great design over yet another dull river crossing. Such a bridge could help lift up our wonderful town, by showing what startling design can do. I have found great design to be contagious.
One example of a modern bridge design. Joey Kaempfer notes, “Ours would be smaller and more delicate. But great design can lift the spirits of those who see and travel across it.”
The replacement bridge could be slightly wider; be more graciously proportioned; have a simple, modern mechanism to allow taller boats to pass, and still not be designed to allow large, noisy trucks trying to avoid I-95 congestion.
I see this as an opportunity for Westport to keep some history, while creating something accretive to the beauty and charm of our town.
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all. Send submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this hyperlocal blog, please click here.)
What will the Westport Transit District do After their poetry contests have done limericks and haiku?
And don’t forget, they did acrostics
So what is next, in their bag of tricks?
Double dactyls!
This year, Wheels2U — the WTD’s on-demand, group ride, door-to-door service — challenges residents with an 8-line poetic form.
The 4th annual Poetry Contest offers a creative way for people who live or work in Westport to highlight the ease and benefits of the ride-sharing service.
Seven winners will receive gift certificates to their choice of Westport restaurants. The grand prize is $100.
Double dactyl is a rhythmic, humorous poetic form consisting of 2 stanzas of 4 lines each.
Meter: The first 3 lines of each stanza must follow a DUM-da-da DUM-da-da rhythm. The 4th line of each stanza follows a DUM-da-da DUM rhythm.
Rhyme: The last line of the 1st stanza must rhyme with the last line of the second stanza.
Opening: The first line is often a nonsense phrase such as “Higgeldy piggeldy” or “Jiggery pokery”.
Bonuses: Use “Wheels2U” in the poem; additional bonus if one line in the poem is a single six-syllable word.
Here’s one example:
Higgeldy Piggeldy Wheels2U Westport is Ditching the parking lot Drama and stress.
Unprecedentently Simple to book a ride, Join the community’s Transit success.
Wheels2U, at the Westport train station.
And another:
Jiggery Pokery Dine at a restaurant Don’t want to drive after Having a drink.
Extraordinarily Safe and reliable, Home in a jiffy No need to think.
Karina Betfarhad, Westport Transit District co-director, says, “This contest is a fun way for the community to engage with public transit. We see Wheels2U used by commuters, seniors, families and students every weekday. Poetry captures those moments, while reminding people how easy it is to leave the car at home.”
Jiggery Pokery Teenagers needing a Lift to the Library Or to a field.
Indispensability Parents can finally Sit on the sofa and Legally yield.
In addition to the $100 girt certificate for 1st place, 2 2nd-place winners will receive $50 gift certificates. Four 3rd-place finishers will each get $25 certificates.
Email your poems to wtd.pgold@gmail.com by April 7. Use the subject line “Double Dactyl Contest,” and include your name, address and email. Westport residents and those who visit or work in Westport may enter as often as they like.
Winners will be chosen by Peter Gold and Karina Betfarhad, WTD co-directors, in their sole discretion, with the assistance of librarians and English teachers in the Westport Public Schools.
All entries become the property of the Westport Transit District. Entrants give the WTD permission to use their entries without compensation to promote the operations of the Westport Transit District and Wheels2U Westport, including advertising poster at the Westport and Greens Farms train stations and marketing emails.
Jibberty Jabberty Uber is pricey and Taxis are ancient and Hard to procure.
Economical Wheels2U’s cheaper, and Transit efficiency’s Hard to ignore.
Need background information?
Wheels2U provides door-to-platform shuttle service to the Saugatuck and Greens Farms train stations, plus midday service to the train stations, Library, Senior Center and downtown. Rides can be requested using the Wheels2U app.
Fares: $2 via the Wheels2U app.
Hours: Weekdays (commuter): 5:30 to 10:30 a.m.; 4-9:03 p.m.
Midday: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
To learn more about Wheels2U, click here. For more about Westport Transit District’s services for the elderly and people with disabilities, click here
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.
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.
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.
A historic meeting last Sunday addressed a concern among many residents: that when state Department of Transportation officials hold a public meeting tomorrow (Thursday, 6 p.m., Town Hall auditorium; click here for the livestream), they’ll hear such a wide variety of opinions about the future of the 143-year-old span, that they’ll just plow ahead with their “preferred alternative”: a structure high and wide enough to handle tractor-trailers that may use it whenever traffic on nearby I-95 is jammed.
But members of all 4 — representing interests on both sides of the Saugatuck River — gathered at Kneads, a few yards from the bridge.
Part of Sunday’s meeting at Kneads.
Their goal was to present a united front at tomorrow’s session.
They agreed on 3 main ideas:
Traffic — including safety, congestion and pollution — is the primary concern.
The bridge’s history must be considered.
The bridge’s “viewscape” is important.
All 4 organizations then agreed to support “adaptive rehabilitation” of the Cribari Bridge.
That means widening the bridge, making vehicular traffic safer, adding bike lanes and making the pedestrian walkway more safe; rehabilitating (not replacing) the existing truss; repairing and strengthening piers and buttresses, using preservation methods; and weatherproofing and waterproofing the mechanical elements that open when vessels pass underneath.
Cribari Bridge (Photo/Ferdinand Jahnel)
“Adaptive rehabilitation” does not include raising the bridge’s height. The goal is to keep large trucks off it — and off the narrow streets of Saugatuck, and residential Greens Farms Road too. (A full explanation of the “adaptive rehabilitation” plan for the Cribari Bridge appears at the end of this story.)
The Westport Preservation Alliance’s Morley Boyd calls this “a hybrid approach” to rehabilitation. “It retains and respects the character and defining features” of the bridge, and addresses structural concerns, while also respecting the need to keep enormous vehicles off narrow, already clogged roads.”
The 4 organizations have rallied public support before. Save Westport Now has been a political party for over 40 years. The Westport Alliance for Saugatuck sparked opposition to the proposed Hamlet development last year. The Greens Farms Association helped broker a land-use agreement when Westport’s first office complex was developed at Nyala Farm, in the 1980s.
This time, they’re galvanizing support through social media, flyers and lawn signs.
The 4 groups’ flyer. A similar one is headlined “Save Greens Farms From Semis!”
The 4 groups say that “adaptive rehabilitation” is not a novel concept. It’s been done before in Connecticut and elsewhere.
When the DOT rehabilitated the East Haddam Swing Bridge over the Connecticut River, they did not raise it, Boyd says. Instead, they created watertight containers for the mechanics.
Adaptive rehabilitation is also consistent with work done on other National
Register bridges in Connecticut, including the 1842 Bull’s Bridge in Kent and the 1864 West Cornwall Bridge in Cornwall.
The Checkered House Bridge, carrying busy Route 2 traffic over the Winooski River in Richmond, Vermont, is another example of adaptive rehabilitation. After completion in 2013, it won an engineering award. Like the Cribari Bridge, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Checkered House Bridge, Richmond, Vermont.
“We’re 4 different groups, but we came together because this is the moment,” says Greens Farms Association president Art Schoeller.
“There was not a lot of debate or discussion. We understand the need to activate people around a simple message. And we all want as many people to show up on Thursday as possible.”
Information on the Cribari Bridge — including a comprehensive history, engineering details and a list of resources — is available on the Westport Preservation Alliance website.
Save Westport Now offers these details on the the “adaptive rehabilitation” plan. It proposes that:
√ The existing Pratt-through-truss system be widened by splitting the swing spans longitudinally, thus allowing for wider travel lanes and the addition of dedicated bike lane(s) and safer pedestrian walkways.
√ The existing standard-issue guard rail scheme be replaced with a narrow section crash rail system, which is a DOT-compliant retrofit system especially well-suited for use on historic bridges.
√ The new spans be infilled with period appropriate material as necessary.
√ The historic clearance height not be altered in order to shield Saugatuck and the adjoining Bridge Street National Register District from the damaging effects of heavy truck traffic
√ The previously identified pier two support system deficiencies, etc. be addressed, while still ensuring that any reconstructed/replaced elements are consistent with published National Park Service standards for the treatment of historic resources.
√ Any alterations or modifications to the bridge’s present support system be consistent with the current span’s historic scale and nature;
√ All temporary steel cladding be carefully removed from the bridge’s pin-connected through trusses (where vehicle strikes have occurred), and the underlying impact damage repaired as appropriate.
√ After widening and repairing the truss system as detailed above, the entire span be prepped and recoated to match the current color scheme.
It’s that time of year again: People put tax payments in the mail.
And once again: Other people are stealing them, from the mail.
Our friends at the Westport post office say: Hand all important mail directly to the clerks behind the counter.
That’s right. It’s not only dangerous to use your own mailbox, and the one outside the post office in Playhouse Square — it’s also risky to use the drop box inside.
It’s a sad state of affairs. But you’ve been warned.
The only upside: Our postal clerks are the best, and friendliest, anywhere. It’s always nice to have that little bit of human interaction.
Nope! Don’t use the drop box inside the post office. Hand important mail directly to a clerk at the counter!
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From Mediterranean to pancakes to Japanese.
That’s the journey of the 2-floor restaurant at 43 Main Street.
Yuzu has opened its doors, at the Parker Harding Plaza side of the “Tunnel of Love” connecting the parking lot with Main Street. The spot was most recently the Original Pancake House. Before that is was Acqua, preceded by Boca.
Yuzu brings “a fresh take on Japanese cuisine,” featuring “a premium cuisine and omakase experience.” Their goal is to create “a welcoming space where Westporters can gather, and enjoy high-quality dining.”
Yuzu is the newest in a recent spate of Main Street restaurant openings. Just last week Felice debuted, in nearby space previously filled by Mexicue.
But the Westport Library’s annual music, media and more extravaganza includes plenty of non-artists, headlining intriguing panels.
The newest addition is “Coffee with the C-Suite: Creators, Technologists, and Music’s AI Frontier” (Sunday, March 29, 10:30 a.m.).
Executive-level leaders from across music tech, rights investment, AI creation tools and licensing platforms will discuss the seismic shifts redefining the industry.
Speakers include Westporter Sam Hendel, managing partner at Chord Music Partners and Dundee Partners (and co-founder of StartUp Westport); Paul Sinclair, chief music officer at Suno; Daniel Rowland, vice president of strategy and partnerships at LANDR, Danny Newcomb, CEO and co-founder of Incantio. Music industry veteran and Westport resident Dick Wingate will moderate the free panel.
Speaking of music: The Mamas and the Papas, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Doors, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and the Eagles all come to the Westport Country Playhouse on March 22.
Well, maybe not the actual artists.
But their music will sure be there.
“Live from Laurel Canyon – Songs and Stories of American Folk Rock” is an evening of live music and narrated stories of some of the most influential songwriters who lived in Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and ’70s. them.
Great bluegrass comes to the Levitt Pavilion on June 11.
Greensky Bluegrass is the latest addition to the outdoor summer series lineup.
The quintet’s underground die-hard fans pack venues across the country. The group has sold out multiple-night runs at venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman. Tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow (March 13, 10 a.m.). Click here to purchase, and for more information.
The Levitt also added a new free ticket show. Circles Around the Sun — tangibly linked to Grateful Dead history, and “sharing shelf space with post-rock, psych-rock, jazz-funk and good old fashioned psychedelia” — has been booked for June 27. Click here for free tickets, and more information.
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TOPSoccer — the program for youngsters with physical or learning differences — returns for a second spring season.
Blake Serotta — a freshman player at Staples — leads the program, in conjunction with the Weston Soccer Club and Westport Soccer Association.
TOPSoccer is open to boys and girls in grades K-8. It runs Saturdays, 11;30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., from April 11 through June 6 at Morehouse Farm Park in Weston.
The program is run by Coach Felipe of Ole Soccer, and includes fun games, drills, and small-sided games. Each child is paired with a buddy, who stays with them on the field.
High schoolers are welcome as volunteers and buddies.
Speaking of sports: The Westport Swim Club’s first “Candy” meet of the year last Sunday got the season of to a fun, energetic start, at the Staples High School pool.
The intra-squad meet for swimmers in grades 2-8 was a first for many. Candy Meets are a friendly introduction to competitive swimming. Participation, confidence and fun come first (with a little candy as motivation after each race). Staples swimmers volunteer, and help the youngsters learn to cheer for each other.
And on Tuesday, the Staples High School graduate, noted artist/graphic designer/photographer/civic volunteer took the Y’s Women through it all.
He spoke about his engineering studies at the Carnegie Institute of Technology; working at Pepperidge Farm; designing a stamp for the US Postal Service, and his many efforts on behalf of countless local organizations.
And he did it all with his trademark good humor, and great modesty.
Miggs Burroughs (Hat tip and photo/Vera DeStefano)
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Westport Police made no custodial arrests between March 4 and 11.
They did issue these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 15 citations
Failure to renew registration: 10
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 6
Texting while driving: 5
Distracted driving: 5
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 5
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 3
Speeding in a school zone: 2
Reckless driving: 1
Speeding: 1
Traveling too fast for conditions: 1
Disobeying the signal of a police officer: 1
Interfering with a police officer: 1
Passing in a no-passing zone; 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to yield right of way 1
Unreadable license plate: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Disobeying the signal of a police officer is against the law.
Staples High School graduate Jeffrey Ruden and his family have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease.
His mother Carole suffered. That journey inspired Jeffrey and his brother Dave to help others. They have chaired the CT Walk for Alzheimer’s, and Jeffrey served on the CTALZ board for several years.
Jeffrey wishes he had known about CaringKind during his mother’s illness. With over 45 years of experience, they work directly with community partners to develop information, tools, training and support for caregivers.
Now he is chairing an inaugural “Hope Blooms” gala for CaringKind (May 14, Fairfield County Hunt Club).
“Adaptive rehabilitation”? A complete replacement?
Those are the most talked-about options, for the 143-year-old span.
But one “06880” readers is thinking outside the bridge — er, box.
He offers an idea that may seem improbable, perhaps impossible.
But back when Grover Cleveland was president, the idea of a bridge that opened laterally to let Saugatuck River traffic through may also have been considered way out there.
A detail of the Bridge Street Bridge, from Robert Lambdin’s Saugatuck mural.
At this point, nothing should be off the table. So “06680” presents it, for discussion. The reader writes:
What about an entirely new bridge and road next to the I-95 bridge, on one side of it or the other?
It would go from the Saugatuck Avenue parking lot underneath the I-95 bridge (next to Black Duck) to Compo Road South, using Elaine Road.
(Elaine Road leads into Westport Animal Control and the public boat launch under I-95. It is currently one-way; it would have to become two-way to bring traffic onto Compo Road South. The current exit road from the boat launch area loops just north of Elaine Drive; it takes traffic via Underhill Parkway onto Bridge Street, opposite The Saugatuck co-op residences.)
Elaine Road (red balloon), the I-95 bridge, and environs. Click on or hover over to enlarge.
This would alleviate traffic in the Saugatuck bottleneck area on Riverside Drive.
The Cribari Bridge could receive basic rebuilding, as a passenger car or possibly pedestrian-only bridge.
It seems that a temporary bridge will be necessary during the project. Why not make a better positioned permanent bridge?
Aerial view.
Meanwhile, another reader offers a suggestion for construction.
Ray Broady moved to Westport in 2014 from Southern California, with his wife of 55 years, to be closer to their daughter and granddaughter. Ray spent his career in contracting. He writes:
I realize the state Department of Transportation is trying to meet state and federal mandates, with regard to traffic.
DOT is going override the town’s wants and wishes, and move ahead with a big concrete bridge that bypasses historic preservation and careful outcome needs of our community.
We can slow and stop this outcome if we bring to DOT at the March 19 meeting (6 p.m., Town Hall) a viable consensus plan of how the Cribari Bridge can be replaced with a wonderful matching historic-looking truss bridge that is a little wider (not a lot), has better approaches, still provides the opening swing span, will have a slightly taller clearance for small boats when closed, can be built in shorter time versus standard build for a new temporary bridge, and does not disrupt traffic badly during the new bridge final in place finish.
I have come up with a plan of how this can be easily accomplished. The concept is a new historic truss Cribari Bridge replacement.
Several fabricators and builders in the country can build a new historic truss-look bridge structure in 3 separate sections. There are 2 ways to accomplish this.
The East Main Street Bridge in Newark, Licking County, Ohio is 35 feet wide. Two lanes, with bicycle and pedestrian ways, it was fabricated by US Bridge in Cambridge, Ohio.
One is to float construction barges in the river sides near the launch ramp area and under a portion of I-95 overhead, where floating cranes can assemble partially finished structures to assemble the 3 main sections for the bridge.
The other is to construct the 3 new bridge sections on barges at another site, and float them up the Saugatuck River mouth and into position when ready to set them.
These new bridge sections would have top truss sections 13′ 6″ inches above the finished bridge roadway. This would preclude large semi-truck trailers crossing the new bridge.
The new bridge should be reset in a straighter line with the Bridge Street end. This will allow new concrete footings and end approaches to be constructed without demolition of the old Cribari Bridge sections
This will mean little to no lengthy closure of the bridge traffic, and produce a complete new historic-look bridge in a greatly reduced time frame.
The river is scheduled for dredging, including the area under the bridge at both new and existing locations, to create better river depths at low tides.
The new bridge pieces can be floated on the barges, and set on the new footings and approaches. DOT might be excited about this form of construction, as they just finished an “out of the box” bridge replacement using the build and move bridge for exit 17.
By a wide margin, respondents to yesterday’s “06880” Cribari Bridge survey favor “adaptive rehabilitation” of the 143-year-old span. That means improving roadway safety and adding bike lanes, while preserving the 12′ 10″ height to continue blocking heavy truck traffic.
As of 6:45 this morning, 464 readers, or 75% — out of a total of 617 who answered the question — chose that option.
Another 98 (16%) selected “full replacement” (meeting all modern height, weight and flood-resilience standards).
The third option — “no change; leave it as it is” — was chosen by 55 (9%).
Cribari Bridge (Photo/Ferdinand Jahnel)
The survey was unscientific (and a few of the 627 participants did not answer every question). But it offers some insight, as Westport grapples with next steps in a decades-long debate over next step for one of the town’s 3 Saugatuck River crossings.
Readers were given 4 elements to rate as “very important to me,” “somewhat important to me” or “not important to me,” when considering the Cribari Bridge.
The most important, according to respondents, was “the potential for use by large trucks.” That was “very important” to 426 (70%), “somewhat important” to 100 (16%), and “not important” to 85 (14%).
“Safety issues — for example, increasing the width” — was “very important” to 356 (58%) and “somewhat important” to 175 (29%). It was “not important” to 80 (13%).
When considering its future, the Cribari Bridge’s history was deemed “very important” by 277 readers (45%), and “somewhat important” by 257 (42%). Another 79 (13%) called it “not important.”
The fourth consideration was “navigability of the Saugatuck River, including the ability of all marine craft to pass underneath.” 173 readers (28%) called it “very important; 276 (45%) said it was “somewhat important,” and 164 (27%) said it was “not important.”
The Cribari Bridge is the oldest swing span of its type in the nation. It is opened manually, to allow marine craft to pass underneath. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
“06880” readers’ preference for “adaptive rehabilitation” aligns with a sense of the meeting vote taken Tuesday night, by the Representative Town Meeting.
Twenty of 21 RTM members present and voting — 95% — said yes to a bridge that would be wide enough for pedestrian and bike lanes, yet low enough to prohibit 18 wheelers.
The lone “no” vote was cast to reflect a desire for restoration, not replacement in any form. Four members abstained.
The full “sense of the meeting” resolution is at the end of this story.*
The Cribari Bridge. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
The survey asked 3 other questions.
On the issue of whether the town of Westport should buy the Cribari Bridge — which would mean being responsible for renovation and maintenance, without federal and state funding — the majority (369, or 61%) said no. 236 readers (39%) agreed with the idea.
Even more respondents opposed the idea of moving the bridge elsewhere in town, to serve as a footbridge and preserve its history. That idea was opposed by 392 (65%), supported by 210 (35%).
The final question asked: “If the town negotiates with the state Department of Transportation on the future of the Cribari Bridge, which of the following should NOT be up for discussion?”
The most important non-negotiable item — “allowing large truck traffic” — was chosen by 484 (43%).
“Losing the historic look” was deemed non-negotiable by 266 (24%), followed by “keeping height” (172, 15%), “creating a new alignment” (121, 11%) and adding width (7%).
* The RTM “sense of the meeting” resolution” said:
RESOLVED: It is the sense of the Westport Representative Town Meeting that the Town administration should engage with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to ensure that the Cribari Bridge across the Saugatuck river is restored, rehabilitated or replaced as soon as practicable.
Any upgrade should at a minimum maintain or evoke the historic design of the current structure. The finished structure should be wide enough to include pedestrian and bike lanes and a height restriction to ensure that it will not provide access for semi tractor trucks.
(“06880” reports regularly on the Cribari Bridge debate — and everything else in Westport too. If you appreciate our coverage, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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