The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-03-18
More Merritt Road
Structures Needed
Sixty Bridges Finished or on Way; Most Built to Garry
Parkway Over or Under Intersecting Roads

Although O total Of exactly OF
bridges Of various types have al
ready been constructed or are now
under contract on Connecticut's
new trafac boulevard, the Merritt
Parkway, ct least AZ more structures
carrying the parkway over streams
and over or under intersecting high
ways and railroads will be necessary
before the big highway is COM
pleted from the New York state
lire to the Housatonic River, High
way Commissioner John A. Macdon-
aid stated today.
Last year saw the completion OF
six highway grade separation struc-
lures and three bridges crossing
streams, while is highway bridges
and six more stream spans were
placed under construct. Plans for
many Of the At bridges yet to be
erected are either completed Or well
advanced, and the record estab-
1ished last year for the total num-
Der OF structures placed under con-
tract will be greatly exceeded IN
1887, the commissioner said.
Bridge building Is playing q
greater part In the construction OF
the Merritt Parkway than It has In
the building Of any other road IN
the entire Connecticut highway
system. There are two reasons for
this, Commissioner Macdonald ex-
planned. The FIRST Is that through.
out the greater part Of Its course the
new parkway, paralleling the Bos-
ton Post road on the north, Is be-
ing built through virgin territory
whert no east-west road existed be-
fore, and that consequently there
were no existing stream and rail-
road crossings, which could be re-
tanned In the plans. Each Of these
crossings required the erection OF
new structures. The second reason
Is that the plans called for o mod
ern boulevard to accommodate
through trafi1c, making 1t necessary
to pass the parkway over or under
hte many intersecting north-south
highways In order that parkway
traffac might flow unimpeded by In
tersections.
Separation Of the grade Of the
parkway from that Of the north
south highways crossing 1t accounts
for the larger part Of the necessary
bridge construction. OF the 90 spans
now completed or under contract, 81
Of them have been built or are be-
ing built to eliminate Intersections
with other roads, Is are stream
crossing and four are railroad grade
separations. Moreover, OF the Al
bridges yet TO be constructed, II will
be OF the highway grade separation
type. This leaves only four stream
crossings and two railroad crossings
still to be made by new bridges.
Crossing the streams and railroads
Is q matter Of necessity: separation
Of highway grades, q matter Of safe
ty and convenience for motorists.
The very first construction project
undertaken on the Merritt Parkway
was the building over the railroad
tracks In the Town Of Stratford ON
what Is now known as the Barnum
AVSIlUS G14bSkA6IOAAs 444Ao WAO AV :
signed 70 form part OF the connec-
ton between the Merritt Parkway
and the Boston Post road at the
west end Of the HouSatonic River
(Washington) Bridge. Contract for
the work was awarded In Septem-
Der, 1882, the only bridge opera
tions conducted on the parkway In
those years.
In 1894, contracts were awarded
for four highway grade separation
structures and seven stream cross
ings. The highway bridges were
white Plains Road In Trumbull:
Round Hill Road. 0lenville Water
Company. and Riversville Road IN
Greenwich. The stream crossings
were the Greenwich Water Com
pany, four crossings OF the east
branch OF che Byram River, and