Tag Archives: William F. Cribari

Cribari Bridge: 4 Decades Later, Same Controversy And Conundrum

Posted on October 26, 2026 | 6 comments

What’s next for the Cribari Bridge?

Good question. The 133-year-old swing bridge — the only one of its kind left in the country — is not getting any younger.

Of course, it was pretty old — close to 100 — in 1985.

Over 40 years ago — when Microsoft released Windows 1.0, Symbolics.com was registered as the first .com domain name, Nintendo launched Super Mario Bros., and Coca-Cola introduced “New Coke” — Westporters were talking about … what to do with what was called the Bridge Street Bridge.

(Its namesake, William F. Cribari, was then an energetic 66-year-old, directing traffic onto and off of the bridge. He lived another 22 years — dying almost 2 decades ago.)

Roger Leifer unearthed a fascinating story from the Westport News. (That was our local newspaper. The Cribari Bridge outlasted it too.)

The piece began: “State officials say an environmental assessment relating to plans for replacement of the Bridge Street Bridge is expected to continue for the next few weeks.”

The state proposed replacing it with a “stronger, more modern bridge which could accommodate tractor trailers. The current bridge has been deemed ‘structurally deficient’ and has a 7-ton load limit.”

The project would cost $6 million or more. State and federal governments would fund the replacement.

Once upon a time, the Bridge Street Bridge was strong enough to support trolleys.

The proposal was “vigorously opposed by a large number of Westport residents, particularly those living in the Saugatuck area. Residents claim that a larger, wider bridge will lead to increased car and truck traffic in the area, as motorists try to bypass the increasingly congested Connecticut Turnpike and the Norwalk toll.”

(That toll booth, just west of Exit 17, did not outlive the Cribari Bridge either. In fact, they were gone that same year of 1985.)

Added traffic would “destroy” the neighborhood, residents said, while a new bridge would “remove a picturesque landmark which is part of the ‘tradition’ of Westport.

Opponents claimed the bridge could be brought up to proper structural standards for $3 million — and be strong enough to accommodate buses and fire trucks. The 7-ton limit precluded them from using it then.

State officials countered that it was “impractical to restore the bridge, given its deteriorating supporting structure and its limited width and height.

Opening the Cribari Bridge requires hand cranking. 

A DOT proposal for a bridge with a vertical clearance of 16 feet — 3 higher than the current 13 — and 56 feet wide, 26 feet more — would allow a third lane, for improved traffic flow.

The DOT’s acting manager of the Bridge Design Unit, Daniel Coffey, said that the state intended to proceed with the replacement, despite Westporters’ objections.

He added that as part of the environmental assessment, DOT officials were reviewing “historical factors.”

Classic view of the Bridge Street Bridge. The latest major work was one in 1993.

Because it is on the National Register of Historic Places, officials were required to consider the historical status of the bridge, when debating restoration and replacement.

First Selectman William Seiden “reluctantly accepted the basic concept that the old bridge has to be replaced,” the Westport News said, “citing practical and financial considerations.”

Seiden noted that state and federal governments would not pay for a new bridge, unless it was strong enough to allow tractor trailers to cross.

“The first selectman said if the town wants to build a weight-limited bridge, it would have to pay for itself,” the story concluded.

(“06880” has followed the Cribari Bridge controversy since we began posting, in 2009. We’ll keep doing it, for years to come — thanks to reader support. Please click here to donate. Thanks!)

 

6 Comments

Posted in Looking back, Saugatuck

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Unsung Heroes #294

Posted on July 19, 2023 | 25 comments

Traffic gets a bad rap in Westport.

But Bob Weingarten thinks the officers who direct it are heroes.

He writes:

The entire Westport police force should be recognized as unsung heroes. Mostly unseen, they drive through our neighborhoods, provide accident assistance, and protect us day and night, among too many other tasks too lengthy to list.

But I propose we recognize 2 individuals many of us drive by and see almost daily, who control and enhance traffic movement at 2 locations.

They may not be the only traffic agents who handle these 2 intersections. But they were on duty last week, so I took photographs to recognize and thank them.

Gerald Waldron and Aleta Franklin, at work. (Photos/Bob Weingarten)

I found the first agent who controls the lights and traffic flow at the intersection of Post Road West, and Wilton Road and Riverside Avenues (Route 1 & 33) around noon. Gerald Waldron works in rain, cold and (especially in the last few days) extreme heat.

The other agent, Aleta Franklin, provides traffic control especially during the afternoon rush hour at the Cribari Bridge in Saugatuck, when Westporters arrive back at the train station after work. There is also lots of traffic in both directions from Riverside Avenue.

Interestingly, the William F. Cribari Bridge was named for a previous traffic agent.

Westport Police Lieutenant Jillian Cabana notes, “those are difficult posts even without the unforgiving temperatures we had last week “

So please join me in thanking all the officers of the Westport Police Department, and complementing these 2 specific traffic agents for assisting in the control and flow of traffic at these important intersections.

(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com)

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25 Comments

Posted in Police, Saugatuck, Transportation, Unsung Heroes

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Traffic Cop, Traffic Light: The Sequel

Posted on May 25, 2021 | 4 comments

Police Chief Foti Koskinas feels Westport drivers’ pains. He hears their pleas for a traffic cop on Riverside Avenue, at the Cribari Bridge. The Westport Police Department is on the case.

But there is another side to Westport’s traffic woes too.

Driving habits have changed dramatically during COVID, Koskinas and public safety officer Al D’Amura say. Though Westporters have returned to work, all but 1oo or so of the Saugatuck and Greens Farms train station parking spots are empty every day. Those folks drive instead.

The situation is the same at every train station from Greenwich to New Haven. That’s why I-95 and the Merritt Parkway have become parking lots.

Looking for every bit of help, drivers turn to apps like Waze. Offered an alternate route, they take it.

Which is why we see more and more backups on Riverside Avenue. As well as Wilton Road, Cross Highway, Long Lots Road — anywhere Waze says is even slightly better. It’s a problem at I-95 exits 17 and 18, and Merritt exits 41 and 42.

When William Cribari and other officers were posted at what was then called the Bridge Street Bridge, Koskinas says, they facilitated 100 to 200 vehicles to and from trains.

Traffic is no longer timed to trains, Koskinas explains. Moving traffic off the bridge in the morning, and through Riverside Avenue in the evening, sounds like a great idea.

But Waze and traffic apps would immediately sense the smoother flow — making the alternate route off I-95 even more appealing to highway drivers.

A traffic officer will immiediately take over the Riverside Avenue post made famous by William William Cribari (Photo courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)

Still — starting immediately – there will be an officer on Riverside by the bridge, in the late afternoon.

“We’ll monitor the situation, to see if it helps or hurts,” Koskinas says.

“We may find that as much as people don’t like waiting through 4 or 5 light cycles, it’s better than having 300 more cars coming through Saugatuck. We don’t know what we’ll find for sure. We’ll study it.”

That’s not the only new traffic post in town. An agent will be posted from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Post Road/Wilton Road/Riverside Avenue intersection.

Actually, it’s not “new.” As a young officer, Koskinas once manned that corner.

Facilitating traffic there impacts other lights on the Post Road. For example, waving through more cars from Wilton Road might cause more of a temporary backup through the already congested downtown area.

“We understand the importance to merchants, and everyone,” Koskinas says. As with Saugatuck, he and D’Amura will monitor the situation closely.

As for another suggestion from an “06880” reader — installation of a light at the top of I-95 eastbound Exit 18 — Koskinas says, “we fully support it. It’s come up before.” His department — in collaboration with the Board of Selectmen — will make that recommendation to the state Department of Transportation.

Sherwood Island Connector is a state road. There will be engineering studies, and budget issues. It could take a while.

So for now, you might want to get off at Exit 17. A traffic cop there will move traffic along.

Or maybe he’ll inadvertently invite other I-95 drivers to join you.

4 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Police, Saugatuck, Transportation

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[OPINION] Traffic Cop Needed At Cribari Bridge

Posted on May 23, 2021 | 24 comments

For the past 8 years, Rick Rosencrans has commuted to work from I-95 Exit 17 in Westport, to Exit 7 in Stamford. Recently — as the pandemic has eased, and the drive has gotten longer — he’s had time to think. Rick writes:

For 8 years I have watched traffic patterns on I-95 ebb and flow, often based on the day of the week, time of day, construction projects and accidents.

During the early months of COVID, and into this past winter, traffic was light. My pre-COVID 40-minute commute turned into a 15 to 20-minute ride, door to door. Yet while the shorter commute was nice, I’m not selfish enough to think the trade-off was worth it.

Fast forward to late winter and this spring. While many offices and businesses between Westport and New York still work with limited staff, traffic seems to have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

I assume that since the train station parking lots are hardly used, many of the people who have returned to work now commute by car instead of train.

On my daily Stamford to Westport return trip — particularly on Friday afternoons — traffic seems worse than ever. Due to Waze, Google Maps and natural instincts, many drivers get off at Exit 17, head up Charles Street, turn left on Riverside Avenue at Tutti’s, make a right on Bridge Street, and continue on to Greens Farms Road towards Exit 18 and points north.

This backs cars all the way up on to the exit ramp, and often on to the right lane of northbound 95.  It can take 25 minutes to get from the ramp to the Cribari Bridge in Saugatuck, a distance of about 1 mile. 

Saugatuck, on a rare day with little traffic. It often backs up on Riverside Avenue, from Exit 17 to the Cribari Bridge.

The streets of Saugatuck were not meant for this volume of traffic. But one impediment makes the situation even worse.

With no “No Right on Red” sign by Dunkin Donuts, bridge-bound cars idle in front of the firehouse and Saugatuck Sweets, while traffic flows from the bridge into Saugatuck.

I have no problem with the sign, during normal hours. But what I have observed over the years is that a  traffic officer at the Riverside Avenue/Bridge Street intersection, safely waving drivers to make a right on red, has a significant effect on the overall traffic flow.

I would guess that an additional 15 to 20 cars could be waved around the corner of Bridge Square during each cycle of lights. That would also allow for adjustment in the timing of the lights so that cars coming from the other direction on Riverside Avenue have more time allotted to make a left on to the bridge.

The William F. Cribari Bridge. A police officer could wave more cars onto it, during rush hour.

We need a traffic officer at the intersection on weekday afternoons, and perhaps at certain weekend times when I-95 is backed up.   

Once upon a time, there WAS a traffic officer — every day — at that intersection. He was visible, efficient, and very, very theatrical.

His name was William F. Cribari. And yes, he’s the guy they named the Bridge Street bridge after. 

Bill Cribari, at work (and play). (Photo courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)

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Meanwhile, “06880” reader Gary Shure has a solution for another traffic chokepoint, a couple of miles east:

During rush hour there is often a long backup at the northbound Exit 18 ramp (Sherwood Island connector). It goes down the whole ramp, continuing onto the right lane of the highway itself.

It would be so easy to fix. Just put a traffic light there, timed to be green 80% of the time for people getting off 95.

Right now, the 4-way stop sign puts everyone getting off the highway on an equal footing with the occasional perpendicular vehicle on the connector.

Furthermore, with a light you could have 2 useful lanes on the ramp: the left lane (only for left hand turns), and the right lane (for left turns, and going right).

Exit 18, at the Sherwood Island Connector.

24 Comments

Posted in Police, Saugatuck, Transportation

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Friday Flashback #143

Posted on May 24, 2019 | 14 comments

Years ago, the Bridge Street Bridge was renamed to honor William F. Cribari.

“Crobar” spent many years as the ever-smiling, often-dancing, always-vigilant traffic cop at the intersection of Bridge Street and Riverside Avenue.

But that was not his only post.

He was equally effective — though with less choreography — at the heavily trafficked Post Road/Main Street crossing.

This was a typical scene around 1985. Ships restaurant (now Tiffany) drew a steady crowd. So did the rest of downtown.

But Crobar was clearly in charge.

(Photo/Al Bravin)

14 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Friday Flashback, People, Restaurants

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Friday Flashback #119

Posted on December 7, 2018 | 7 comments

The William F. Cribari Bridge has been in the headlines lately.

For one thing, its future — replace? repair? rehabilitate? — is very much up for debate.

For another, it’s the holiday season — when Al’s Angels’ lovely lights bring smiles to everyone who crosses the span. Even if they’re stuck in traffic on it.

Color photography had not yet been invented in 1910 — the year this “colorized” photo may have been taken.

But the bridge was already more than 20 years old.

And William F. Cribari — the cop who spent years directing traffic at the west end of the bridge, and for whom it was named after his death in 2007, age 88 — had not yet been born.

(Photo courtesy of Seth Schachter)

NOTE: The postcard calls it a “draw bridge.” The Cribari Bridge is, of course, a swing bridge.

7 Comments

Posted in Friday Flashback, Saugatuck, Transportation

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Unsung Heroes #32

Posted on January 24, 2018 | 7 comments

If they wave us through, we love ’em.

If they put up a gloved hand to stop us, we hate ’em. Especially if they stop us just as we get there.

Or if we’re in even more of a rush than usual.

A typical North Avenue scene.

But Westport’s traffic cops deserve our thanks. They’re this week’s Unsung Heroes.

In the words of alert — and grateful — “06880” reader Lauren Barnett, who nominated them:

“They assist with, and add calm and order to, the madness and mayhem of parents and teenage drivers outside Staples High and Bedford Middle School at dawn, and in the frigid cold, each day.”

Lauren gives a shout-out too to “those officers who stand out in the cold night by the bridge and Rizzuto’s to direct anxious commuters safely home from the evening trains in Saugatuck.

“I wish I knew their names. We all should.”

Interestingly, the William F. Cribari Bridge (noted above) is named for a much loved — and very theatrical — traffic cop. He owned that well-traveled corner for years. Each day, he brought order, grace — even humor — to it.

Bill Cribari, at work (and play). (Photo courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)

That’s the thing: We may love them, tolerate them, or curse them.

But when they’re not there, we sure miss them.

(Want to nominate an Unsung Hero? Email dwoog@optonline.net)

 

7 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Education, Police, Saugatuck, Unsung Heroes

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