| Saugatuck River Bridge | |
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Saugatuck River Bridge |
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| Official name | Bridge No. 1349 |
| Carries | Route 136 |
| Crosses | Saugatuck River |
| Locale | Westport, Connecticut |
| Maintained by | Connecticut Department of Transportation |
| Design | Wrought-iron swing truss |
| Total length | 289 ft (87.5 m) |
| Construction end | 1884 |
| Daily traffic | 15,700 |
| Coordinates | |
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Saugatuck River Bridge
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| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1884 |
| Architect: | Union Bridge Co. |
| Architectural style: | Pin-connected swing bridge |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 87000126[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | February 12, 1987 |
The Saugatuck River Bridge is a bridge in Connecticut carrying Route 136 over the Saugatuck River in Westport. The bridge, built in 1884, is the oldest surviving movable bridge in Connecticut and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] The total length of the bridge is 87.5 metres (287 ft) with a deck width of 6.1 metres (20 ft) and a minimum vertical clearance of 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) above the river. The bridge carries an average of about 16,000 vehicles per day.[3] In 2007, the bridge was named the William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge.[4]
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In 1746, a ferry was established to carry traffic over the Saugatuck River near Westport, and around 1807 it was replaced by the first bridge as part of the old Connecticut Turnpike. By 1857 the need to replace this bridge was apparent, and the town spent a total of $22,500 in 1869 to build a wooden bridge in its place.[5] Within the ten years it took to pay that bridge off, shipworms had rendered it nearly impassable, and Westport had to build another bridge over the Saugatuck. Five years later, in 1884, the town contracted with Union Bridge Company of Buffalo, New York, to build a wrought iron bridge. Union Bridge Company was the only company to submit a bid for the job.[5] The new bridge cost $26,700, not including $362 to remove the shipworm-infested remains of the 1869 wooden bridge.[5]:6 The bridge is the oldest surviving movable bridge in Connecticut.[2] The movable bridge allows waterborne traffic to easily pass, which was crucial to the area's economy at the time. The bridge consists of a 144-foot-long (44 m) fixed approach span on the eastern side, and a hand-cranked movable span. Both spans are pin-connected Pratt through truss designs made of wrought iron.[2]
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on February 12, 1987.[1] According to the 1986 NRHP nomination:
Saugatuck River Bridge is significant on a national level as a rare surviving example from the first generation of movable iron bridges. ... The firm that built it, the Union Bridge Company of Buffalo, New York, was a leading, if short-lived, pioneer in swing-bridge construction; its spans followed the designs of company president Charles Kellogg and his son Charles H. Kellogg. The bridge is also significant in the history of Westport, because it illustrates the important role of maritime commerce (particularly the shipment of onions) in the town's economy during the 19th century..., a role of sufficient importance that the town took on the additional trouble and expense of erecting a bridge that would not limit water-borne traffic.[6]:6
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