Preservation on its Merritts

I was delighted to see this recent article in the New York Magazine on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut -- not only is Merritt a pleasure to drive (most of the time), but it remains more or less in historic form. I also really enjoy unconventional preservation challenges, so highways are right up my alley.

The article notes, correctly, that a historic highway is a delicate thing, and it's often undone incrementally with good intentions. A signal upgrade here, a widening there, and suddenly a historic route is unrecognizable as a snarl of traffic or a maze of Jersey barriers.

The Merritt, though, is most distinguished by its historic bridges, which are somewhat likely to be protected if the awareness exists. It's tempting to widen a bridge. It's also very expensive, very complex, and very inconvenient. And if the bridges are also recognized as the architectural gems that they are, perhaps that will be sufficient to aid in their preservation.