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CONTACT:    Linda Hoza, Connecticut Forest & Park Association

Coordinator, Merritt Parkway Trail Alliance

203.371.9925 or 203.685.1100 (cell)

SIKORSKY BRIDGE BIKE & PED PATH OPENING TO BE HELD MAY 5

Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Merritt Parkway Conservancy and Merritt Parkway Trail Alliance to Co-Host

Stratford, Connecticut – On May 5, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association

(CFPA), the Merritt Parkway Conservancy (MPC) and the Merritt Parkway Trail

Alliance (MPTA) will co-host “Sikorsky Bridge Bike/Walk Day,” an event to celebrate the opening of the bicycle/pedestrian path on the new bridge spanning the Housatonic River between Milford and Stratford.

Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele will lead a ribbon-cutting formally opening the path at 11:30 a.m. at the Stratford end of the path near Ryders Lane.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Albert A. Martin will officiate. Other participating dignitaries include Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Amey W. Marrella, Milford Mayor James L. Richetelli, Jr., and Stratford Mayor James R. Miron.

“This has been a team and community effort from the beginning and the Department is delighted to underscore its commitment to integrating biking and foot travel into Connecticut’s transportation system,” said Deputy Commissioner Martin. “This beautifully reconstructed bridge is very much enhanced by the inclusion of this path, allowing us to accommodate and support bicyclists, walkers and runners. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association, the Merritt Parkway Conservancy and the Merritt Parkway Trail Alliance deserve tremendous credit for helping bring us as far as we are today and making this path a reality.”

Activities planned for the opening celebration include an antique car show featuring a Locomobile built in Bridgeport in the 1930s. This and other antique cars will be on display and make hourly bridge crossings. The Milford Fife & Drum Corps and the Coastal Chordsmen, an a cappella barbershop chorus, will provide entertainment. Bicycle safety demonstrations will be presented by the Stratford Police Department and Rent-A -Ride will provide rental bikes.

The event will also commemorate the opening of the Merritt Parkway Lobby Museum, home to both a 10-foot map of the Parkway which highlights nearby attractions and points of interest and a slide presentation tracing the history of the Merritt Parkway.

Parking will be available at Ryders Landing Shopping Center and at the state commuter lot located at Exit 53 of the Merritt Parkway in Stratford. On the Milford side, parking will be available at the Boy Scout Headquarters on Wellington Road at Exit 55A traveling north and Exit 55 south on the Merritt.

For additional information, contact Linda Hoza at 203.371.9925 or 203.685.1100.

Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA) is the oldest private nonprofit environmental organization in Connecticut. It established and maintains Connecticut’s Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System. The Merritt Parkway Conservancy (MPC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to revitalize and celebrate the Merritt Parkway. The Merritt Parkway Trail Alliance (MPTA) advocates the creation of a safe, continuous, non-motorized trail along the entire length of the Merritt Parkway.