Bridge Over River Pequonnock, And Haywire Harkins

Mayor Bill Finch and Congressman Jim Himes were joined today by a bunch of local officials at Knowlton Street and Crescent Avenue as demolition begins on the hulking upright leaves of the Congress Street Bridge.

This is a nice public relations hit for the mayor and congressman. The bridge represented a flashpoint in the 2008 congressional campaign when Himes conducted a press conference to illustrate a symbol of urban decay lacking priority by incumbent Chris Shays. Rule number one: never crash an opponent’s press conference, especially one so unknown at the time. Well, Shays did just that protesting to reporters and confronting Himes that demolition of the bridge was never conveyed as a priority by city leaders. Shays did Himes the biggest favor you can do: turning an ordinary story into a big one.

I wasn’t at Himes’ press event, but Maura Keaney, Himes’ campaign director, didn’t waste any time calling me and others who were not there. “Hey, Lennie, guess what just happened?” Oh, yeah. How could an experienced pol like Shays do such a thing, turn the bridge into a reelection barricade? Well, how could Shays say the fundamentals of the economy are strong? Add these gaffes to the campaign of a well-financed opponent running on the same line as Barack who led the 50-year storm in Bridgeport and they were enough to lead Himes to victory, including 80 percent of the vote in Bridgeport.

The mood of the electorate is quite different from November of 2008. They were pissed at Republicans. Now it’s Dem incumbents on the ropes so Himes hopes removal of the bridge symbolizes the work he’s doing on behalf of the city. The bridge is also something the mayor can point to as getting stuff done as he heads into reelection next year.

The bridge will be removed as a result of a few million in federal stimulus dough as well as Community Development Block Grant funds. The cost to build a new bridge is a far different story with estimates upwards of $40 million. The larger issue from the stuck-open bridge is response time from fire headquarters, located right next to the bridge, to the East Side. But when you remove blight it often becomes out of sight out of mind. Fire personnel have other bridges, although not as close, to respond to the East Side.

News release from State Senators Musto and Gomes

SENS. MUSTO, GOMES PRAISE START OF DEMOLITION WORK ON CONGRESS STREET BRIDGE

Bridgeport – State Senators Anthony Musto (D-Trumbull) and Edwin Gomes (D-Bridgeport) today welcomed the start of work this week to demolish the old Congress Street Bridge over the Pequonnock River in Bridgeport .

Once a moveable bascule bridge, the Congress Street Bridge was closed in 1997 due to deterioration of its structural and mechanical components. It was originally constructed in 1911, spans 419 feet and was locked in the open position more than a decade ago to allow marine traffic to pass.

“A critical link between the heart of Bridgeport and the East Side of the city has been broken for far too long,’ Senator Musto said. “It literally left a river between a firehouse and neighborhoods on the other side. That open bridge became a symbol of division and decay, and today marks the beginning of the end of that symbol. Our next goal, even more important, is to rebuild.”

“For over a decade, this broken bridge has divided our city,” said Senator Gomes. “Not only has this alienated the East Side with downtown Bridgeport , it has posed a safety problem in our city. I’m glad the city is taking the first step in tearing down this eyesore, and I’m hopeful that with federal support we can get to the next step, which is building a new bridge.”

Funding to demolish the bridge was secured through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Comprehensive Appropriations Act of 2009 and a Community Development Block Grant.

Harkin Up Wrong Tree

Can someone please tell me what’s in the water in Lordship? OIB has lots of Stratford readers. Maybe they can tell us. You wanna know why I call Stratford Bridgeport East? Because of  chicken little, sky is falling pols like Mayor John Harkins. A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement to transfer an acre of land to extend a safety zone at the city-owned Sikorsky Memorial Airport located in Stratford. The agreement included a developer who wants to transform the old Army engine plant into a movie production center, and stipulation that the acre cannot be used to further airport expansion. It’s a safety issue. Sounds reasonable.

Harkins whined to the Connecticut Post that the town was cut out of the process. Really? How many years was this in discussion and Stratford pols did what Stratford pols do best when it comes to the airport: whine, obstruct, meow, rant, curse, cry, wimper. Hey, Harkins you want some cheese to go with that whine?