"One can build a concrete highway anywhere … But the Merritt Parkway is different. More than any 'futurama' at the World's Fair, … it shows what the highway of the future really should look like—a highway where the eye is filled with beauty and the mind with peace." —Bridgeport Post, 1938
Known as the “Queen of the Parkways,” the Merritt Parkway was built to attempt to cope with America’s new obsession with the automobile that sprouted in the 1930s. It represented a leading idea to build roads that took urban dwellers into rural America, and was designed to provide drivers and passengers with a peaceful, scenic drive to revive the senses, instill an appreciation for nature, and uplift the spirit with its change of pace from modern urban life.
To ensure this goal, the parkway was designed with intricately detailed architecture and eye-pleasing landscaping. Architect George Dunkelberger designed the nearly 70 overpasses and underpasses that characterize the parkway today. As you travel the parkway, take a closer look at these Art Deco-style steel and concrete structures that lend a unique 1930s feel to the parkway. Sculptor and artist Edward Ferrari designed many of the ornaments that embellish these bridges. Keep a keen eye out for the bust of a Pilgrim or Native American or a set of elegantly curving wings adorning the parkway’s overpasses and underpasses. The parkway does not have shoulders and traffic moves quickly, so please don't slow down or try to pull over to admire the architecture of the overpasses. Instead, take a side street to the top of a bridge spanning the parkway, and contemplate the intricate work that was put into them nearly a century ago. The bridges are highly regarded now, but at the time faced criticism from locals who wanted stone bridges built. Little did the locals know that the overpasses and underpasses would bring so much recognition to the parkway nearly a century later, which includes being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
On your drive, notice your vivid, natural surroundings. The parkway is well-known for its awe-inspiring landscaping. During parkway construction in the 30s, landscape architects worked with construction crews to dig up trees obstructing the construction route and replant them along the parkway. New trees and shrubs native to the area were planted along hills and on the “landscape dividing strip” to provide pleasant views for travelers. Today, the original landscaping has grown over into a lush thicket of forested area. Drive along the parkway at your leisure, and enjoy the bounty of flora that exists along the parkway due to the passionate efforts of landscapers.
Congressman Schuyler Merritt, for whom the Parkway is named, said at the groundbreaking ceremony, “This great highway is not being constructed primarily for rapid transit but for pleasant transit.” Head to the Merritt Parkway to see what Merritt meant. Sit back and experience a peaceful, pleasant drive as you view the uniquely ornate bridges and remember the history behind these magnificent structures. As you follow the road’s soft curves through Connecticut’s flourishing greenery, you’ll gain a newfound appreciation for the history of this treasured byway.
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