8:30 PM Traffic Becoming a Norm for Northbound I-95 Travellers due to Beachside Avenue Construction
Traffic was brought to a screeching halt tonight just after 8:30 PM, which is when State Police purposely slow the traffic in order to protect the single-lane highway transition just past exit 18. The traffic is no longer a new experience, as most weeknights this is the case for drivers making their way northbound after the 8 o’clock hour. Traffic downtown and on Route 1 quickly picked up at the usually quiet period of time in an attempt to bypass the construction.
Winter Day Exercise
A visitor to Longshore Club Park got their exercise in today with cross country skiing alongside Julian Brodie Road.
State’s Assessment of Saugatuck Bridge Says “Replace the Bridge”; Full Report Forthcoming
Press ReleaseFirst Selectman Jim Marpe announced today that Connecticut Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Mark Rolfe has contacted the Selectman’s Office to advise that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is completing the Environmental Assessment (EA) of Bridge No. 01349, a/k/a William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge (Cribari Bridge) and will release the report in mid-March.
Deputy Commissioner Rolfe further indicated that the EA’s conclusion and the DOT’s recommendation is to replace the bridge with a new on-alignment structure which meets Federal Highway Administration standards rather than preserve the existing structure. This recommendation was one of five design alternatives that were developed by the DOT and the Cribari Bridge Project Advisory Committee in May 2019.
Mr. Marpe noted that in October 2020, at his request and given the uncertainty of the State’s plans, the funding for the DOT’s rehabilitation or replacement was removed from the Western Connecticut Council of Government’s (WestCOG) Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Consequently, the DOT’s recommendation will be subject to further review and approval.
During the discussion, Commissioner Rolfe offered an alternative to replacing the bridge in the form of transferring its ownership from the State of Connecticut to the Town of Westport and re-routing Route 136. This approach would ultimately require the use of Town funds to operate, maintain and repair the bridge.
The Selectman’s Office will make another announcement as soon as the EA Report and Recommendation is finalized and available to the public.
Westporter Attends Super Bowl LV in Tampa as Ambassador & Technology Manager
Westporter Joey Bairaktaris (r) stands with Jackson Mahomes (l) - little brother to Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II - before today’s Super Bowl LV game began.
Bairaktaris, who works for Gillette Stadium’s New England Patriots Guest Services team, is at today’s game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida working as an Ambassador and Technology Manager for Super Bowl LV. He may be one of the only Westporters at the stadium today with attendance numbers cut due to COVID-19.
Super Bowl LV will have the smallest attendance ever, according to NBC Sports, with only 25,000 attendees. Over 7,000 of those attendees are vaccinated front line workers who were awarded free tickets to the big game; all spectators were given hand sanitizer and are mandated to wear masks throughout the entire game.
Joey Bairaktaris is the triplet brother of Westport Local Press Executive Editor Jaime Bairaktaris.