Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

We’re Not Doing a Great Job of Keeping Trucks Off the Merritt: Cameron on Transportation

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Hardly a week goes by that an over-height truck and a low-slung bridge on the Merritt Parkway have a close encounter of the worst kind: a collision. The King Street bridge in Greenwich has been hit 150 times in the last decade, 24 times last year alone.  Despite $1.8 million in warning devices installed to prevent these strikes, they keep happening. All of the bridges on the Merritt Parkway, originally built to a minimum standard of eleven feet at the abutments, are too low for trucks.  In some places the bridges are even lower due to roadbed re-grading. The road just wasn’t designed for anything but passenger cars. Trucks aren’t the only vehicles banned from the parkways.  So too are RV’s, cars towing trailers, buses, hearses (in funeral processions) and all commercial vehicles.

Darien Library
Wes Haynes Merritt Parkway Conservancy

Talk on Merritt Parkway: ‘History and Future of a National Treasure’ Tuesday at Library

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Please join us for a discussion on The Merritt Parkway: History and Future of a National Treasure. We’ll learn about the origin, construction and impact of this historic road that changed the design of American roads and life in Fairfield County, the challenges it faces, and what needs to be done to ensure its future as a safe and beautiful drive. — an announcement from Darien Library

The talk will take place from 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 16 in the Community Room of Darien Library. About the Presenter

Wes Haynes is executive director of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy, a non-profit, member-supported organization committed to the protection and stewardship of Connecticut’s largest and most heavily used cultural resource, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a federally designated Scenic Byway. A native of Stamford, Wes’ long career in historic preservation has included senior staff positions with the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Preservation League of New York State, and New Jersey Historic Trust.