The Jesup Road Bridge Is Out: How Westport's Library Corner Works This Fall

"Most Westporters never even realized there was a bridge on Jesup Road at all," 06880 wrote on October 1. That was 18 days after seven inches of rain made the span too dangerous to use. The blog called it "really just a tiny bit of road a few yards from Imperial Avenue." It sits at the foot of Jesup Road, where the street meets Imperial.

That tiny bit of road has been closed since the September 13 storm. It is closed to people on foot as well as cars, according to the Town of Westport's September 30 notice. The current estimate for a replacement is about 18 months. Over that stretch, the Library and Jesup Green will mostly be reached through two short side streets off Post Road East. How those two streets are set up is the decision in front of town officials this month.

A shortcut measured in feet

The bridge carried Jesup Road over Deadman Brook, a tidal waterway. It was built in 1952. Public Works Director Larry Roberts told the RTM it is not a historic structure, though it sits inside a historic district on Jesup Road, Westport Journal reported on October 9.

The bridge was small, but it connected a lot. It was "an important link between police headquarters, the Library and Levitt Pavilion, and Imperial Avenue," 06880 wrote on September 30. In its October 1 piece, 06880 described the bridge as a way to reach the Library and Levitt Pavilion without using the Post Road. Police and EMS headquarters are just up the hill, so it was also their fastest route to most of town east of the Saugatuck River.

The town has measured that emergency effect. First Selectman Kevin Christie reported that EMS test runs found no significant change in response times. Calls to Imperial Avenue took about 30 seconds to one minute longer, and some other locations showed no measurable difference, according to Westport Journal's September 23 coverage. Emergency vehicles lost less time than the alarm in September suggested. The bigger change is how everyone else reaches the Library corner, because the Post Road side streets now carry that traffic.

Two short streets now carry the Library corner

With the bridge closed, the downtown approach to Jesup Road and the lower Library lot comes down to two streets. As of October 9, both run one way.

1. Bay Street runs from Post Road East past Design Within Reach and the Cake Box to Jesup Road. Traffic is one-way away from Post Road East. Cars park on both sides of a street 06880 described as narrow to begin with.
2. Taylor Place connects the lower Library parking lot at the foot of Jesup Green with the Post Road, between Tonic & Green and Tiffany. Traffic is one-way toward Post Road East.

So for now, Bay Street is the way in from the Post Road and Taylor Place is the way out. 06880 readers suggested making both streets two-way. Bay Street would lose its parking. Taylor Place would lose a few 15-minute spaces and a delivery zone, or it could get two exit lanes, one for left turns and straight traffic and one for right turns.

The town has taken up both ideas. Roberts told the RTM he would present plans to make Bay Street and Taylor Place two-way at a Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday, October 14, though the agenda would need to be revised first. The two changes are not equally simple. According to Roberts, a two-way Bay Street would only need new signs and striping. Taylor Place ends at a traffic light and pedestrian crossing on Post Road East, so changing it brings in the state Department of Transportation.

That makes Bay Street the change that could happen quickly. As of this writing, both remain proposals. Neither has been approved or put in place.

Why a small bridge takes 18 months

The timeline surprises people because the bridge is so small. Most of the delay is paperwork, not construction. Here is where things stand as of October 12:

Early coverage gave a range of 12 to 18 months. By October 9, Roberts had settled on 18 and called it "an expedited timeline." The reason is the design. The new bridge has to be wider so Deadman Brook can flow under it more freely, and it needs what Roberts called "hardier abutments." Since the brook is tidal, each of those changes means longer reviews before permits are issued. The design request reflects this. It asks for surveys, hydraulic analysis, environmental review, design, permitting and bid support, not only drawings.

Money sets the order of work too. Roberts estimated construction at more than $3 million and said the town knows of a state grant that would cover half. "When all is said and done, it's important we get at least $1.5 million," he said, according to Westport Journal. He also explained that grants are not paid back after the fact: "We can't build the bridge first and then get paid back for it." RTM member Nancy Kail asked whether paying the full cost locally would speed things up. Roberts answered that design, engineering and permitting "will take about the same amount of time" either way.

Christie described the town's approach in 06880's September 30 report:

"We recognize the importance of restoring this connection as quickly as responsibly possible. We are moving engineering, permitting and funding forward in parallel wherever possible, with a focus on delivering a replacement that is safe and more resilient."

What could change before the new bridge opens

Two things could change the Jesup Road corner sooner than 18 months.

The first is a temporary crossing. According to the Town of Westport's September 30 notice, officials were looking at a temporary bridge or some other interim access. Westport Journal reported the same day that Roberts said a prefabricated bridge was still possible but limited by space, since Imperial Avenue is only about 15 feet from the damaged span. He had no cost estimate. That was the most recent detailed update on an interim crossing, and the October 9 report did not come back to it.

The second is removal. The town can take out the damaged bridge before any grant money arrives. Roberts said it may do so, because a collapse could block the brook underneath. Taking the old span out would not reopen the road, but it would be the first visible work at the site.

The design of the permanent bridge has also started to take shape. RTM member Larry Kleinman asked whether it could be built elsewhere and brought to Westport for installation. Roberts said that was under consideration and pointed to the new Cross Highway bridge, which is made of precast concrete sections. He added that the bridges on Cross Highway and Kings Highway North have stone veneers, and "that's what we will strive for with the Jesup Road bridge." If that holds, the new crossing over Deadman Brook will look more like those two bridges than the plain 1952 span did.

October 28 at both ends of Jesup Road

Two events land on Wednesday, October 28. At 11 a.m., design proposals for the replacement bridge are due at the Town Hall finance office, Room 313. They are opened half an hour later over Zoom. That evening, the Westport Library at 20 Jesup Road hosts its BOOKED for the Evening fundraiser with Debbie Allen. The Library's calendar shows the building closed to regular visitors that day and opening at noon on Thursday, October 29. Anyone planning a library trip that week should allow for both the closure and the later opening.

Some basics are still not public as of October 12. The town has not published an official detour map. None of the coverage so far explains how to reach the Imperial Avenue lot or police headquarters, or whether a footpath offers pedestrians another way around the bridge. No interim crossing has been announced. The next updates on the corner are likely to come from the Selectmen's decision on Bay Street and Taylor Place, and from whichever design firm the town picks after October 28.

Meghan Wall keeps track of the town decisions behind changes like this one across Westport and Wilton. If you're thinking about a move and want to understand how the next 18 months could affect where you shop, park or commute, let's connect.