Community James Bairaktaris Community James Bairaktaris

Cribari Bridge Continues to Open as Summer Tradition Carries On

The William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge opened this evening to boat traffic, an occasion that happens several times each week throughout the summer as taller boats require passage to the upper Saugatuck River marinas. The opening requires the team work of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Westport Police Department, who close the bridge to traffic while specially trained DoT personnel operate the bridge’s controls. Formerly manually operated, an electric motor now rotates the bridge - opening and closing it in five minutes. Traffic was stalled in the area for just under ten minutes while two vessels made their passage home for the evening. WestportLocal.com photo

The William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge opened this evening to boat traffic, an occasion that happens several times each week throughout the summer as taller boats require passage to the upper Saugatuck River marinas. The opening requires the team work of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Westport Police Department, who close the bridge to traffic while specially trained DoT personnel operate the bridge’s controls. Formerly manually operated, an electric motor now rotates the bridge - opening and closing it in five minutes. Traffic was stalled in the area for just under ten minutes while two vessels made their passage home for the evening. WestportLocal.com photo

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Community James Bairaktaris Community James Bairaktaris

Trying to Manage Rush Hour

A Westport Police Department Traffic Agent frees the backup of traffic this evening at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street. Traffic was slowed to a stop from the Cribari Bridge until the intersection of Greens Farms Road and Hills Point Road, with Post Road East also feeling the brunt of today’s new normal traffic pattern. Traffic was moving soon after the agent’s placement at the heavily used intersection. No major accidents were reported in the area, with one minor accident occurring just before 4:00 PM on I-95 Southbound, according to the DoT.

A Westport Police Department Traffic Agent frees the backup of traffic this evening at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street. Traffic was slowed to a stop from the Cribari Bridge until the intersection of Greens Farms Road and Hills Point Road, with Post Road East also feeling the brunt of today’s new normal traffic pattern. Traffic was moving soon after the agent’s placement at the heavily used intersection. No major accidents were reported in the area, with one minor accident occurring just before 4:00 PM on I-95 Southbound, according to the DoT.

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Westport Police Department, Community Guest User Westport Police Department, Community Guest User

Selectman’s Office Releases Financial Analysis of Police Department’s Tesla Model 3 

From Sara Harris, Selectman’s Office Operations Director

The Town has received a report generated by the EV Club of CT providing a financial analysis of the Westport Police Department’s Tesla Model 3.  In December 2019, the Westport Police purchased a Tesla Model 3, fully customized it for law enforcement, and put it into service in February 2020 as a pilot program. This first-in-the-nation Tesla Model 3 squad car is being celebrated for exceeding performance, cost savings and environmental benefits estimates.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas said, “What initially attracted us to the Tesla was how it compared to our traditional fleet vehicles in terms of performance, 5-star crash ratings, and collision avoidance technology. While the Police Department has been using plug-in hybrids for parking enforcement for several years now, this was the first fully electric car to be used in active duty. We needed to confirm our estimates on things like mileage per charge and how the vehicle would stand up overall in the challenging environment of police work. And of course, we were tracking expenses. The purchase price of the Tesla was higher than the Ford Explorer, but we hypothesized that we’d recoup that expense in lower fueling and maintenance costs for the Tesla.”

According to First Selectman Jim Marpe, “Westport is leading the way with electric vehicles and charging stations.  Our town government is also leading on the municipal front.  The decisions to invest in electric vehicles and infrastructure are strategic, data-driven, and smart. I applaud our forward-looking police department and the partnership of the department and the EV club. This is part of how Westport will meet its commitment to being net-zero by 2050.”

Charles Sampson of the Westport Police, who managed this project stated, “Feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve have been contacted by at least 50 other police departments – from all over the world – with questions about our experience. I know many of them have gone on to purchase Teslas for their fleets.”

Barry Kresch, President of the EV Club of CT said, “I offered to do this analysis for the police because it is a such a visible and tangible proof point that EVs can be cost-effective, and that the decision by the Westport Police to move forward with the Tesla Model 3 pilot was financially, as well as environmentally, sound. The presentation I built for them visually demonstrates the economic case for using EVs in public sector fleets."

Click here to access the report
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