Carney, MacLachlan and Linares Attend Bridge Dedication Ceremony

WESTBROOK – Shoreline legislators, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner, local officials and residents all came together on Thursday, October 5, at the Clubhouse North Yard Pilot Point in Westbrook for a bridge dedication ceremony.

State Senator Art Linares (back row), State Representative Jesse MacLachlan, Noel Bishop, First Selectman of Westbrook; James P. Redeker, Department of Transportation Commissioner; State Representative Devin Carney, (l to r front row) Tom Callinan and Sid Holbrook met in Westbrook on Thursday, October 5, to attend the bridge dedication ceremony.

During the 2017 legislative session, Carney, MacLachlan and Linares put forth a proposal to officially name two bridges in Westbrook.

House Bill 5573, An Act Naming A Bridge in Westbrook “The Singing Bridge” sought to give the bridge over the Patchogue River in Westbrook a permanent name. This historic landmark was constructed in 1925 and had no official name up until now. Due to the sound generated by motor vehicle tires passing over the grid deck, residents nicknamed the bridge “The Singing Bridge.”

House Bill 5679, An Act Naming A Bridge In Westbrook The “John H. Wilson Bridge” sought to honor John H. Wilson, who passed away in 2015, and was the founder of the Westbrook Historical Society and a veteran of the Korean War.

Both proposals were heard at a public hearing on January 30, 2017 in the legislature’s Transportation Committee and later passed into law during the 2017 legislative session.