Connecticut's Arrigoni Bridge Gains Notoriety Via U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service has issued four new Presorted First-Class Mail stamps featuring striking photographs of bridges - including a bridge well-known to Connecticut travelers, but less so to people across the nation.

The four structures, as described by USPS, range from modern to historic, pedestrian to car-carrying, and all are important landmarks in their communities.

The Bridges stamps are intended for business mail users and are sold in self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000. Use of these stamps requires a special permit and a minimum quantity of 500 letters. 

The stamp art features four bridges completed between 1938 and 2022: the multi-span steel through arch Arrigoni Bridge connecting the Connecticut municipalities of Middletown and Portland; the S-curved cable-stayed Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Council Bluffs, IA, and Omaha, NE; the steel truss Skydance Bridge topped by a public sculpture in Oklahoma City; and the basket-handle twin arch Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge connecting Bettendorf, IA, and Moline, IL.

Bridges are among the oldest structures created by humans, USPS explains. In ancient times, simple slabs of stone spanned slow moving rivers. And in modern times, concrete and steel are used to cover vast distances. While the materials and designs have evolved from utilitarian structures to engineering marvels, bridges remain integral parts of American life, with over 600,000 bridges in the United States.

The construction of bridges is a way to reinvigorate communities economically as well as create landmarks of regional pride, USPS points out. Many modern bridges are designed for use by cyclists and pedestrians as well as motorists, capturing the imagination of human possibility. Whether simply improving transit or vibrantly lighting the night with color-changing light displays, bridges remain vital connectors drawing together people, cities and the nation.

Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, used existing photographs to design the stamps, now available for qualifying businesses to purchase. According to published reports, the picture used for the stamp was taken by Moodus resident Joe Gowac in 2019, using a drone.

Arrigoni Bridge (also known as Middletown-Portland Bridge) crosses the Connecticut River and connects Middletown to Portland, Connecticut.  The roads that cross the bridge are Route 66 and Route 17.  Approximately 30,000 cars cross the bridge every day, according to the website of the Mystic Stamp Company, which outlines the bridge history.

Construction of Arrigoni Bridge began May 1, 1936, and it was open to traffic August 6, 1938.  At the time, it was the most expensive bridge built in the state of Connecticut.  (It cost $3.5 million to build).  Arrigoni Bridge spans a distance of 1,200 feet and is suspended by cables from two, 600-foot steel arches.  It was designed by William G. Grove of the well-known engineering firm Robinson and Steinman.

Charles J. Arrigoni was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1933 to 1936 and the State Senate from 1937 to 1940.  He was a leading advocate for the building of the bridge, and the completed structure was named after him.

In 1938, the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded Arrigoni Bridge the title of “Most Beautiful Steel Bridge.” 

As an Art Director for United States Postal Service, Ethel Kessler’s primary goal has been to educate and delight consumers and stamp-collectors with “America’s Story”. To date, more than 250 stamps have been art directed under the leadership of Ms. Kessler and released by the US Postal Service, according to USPS. The stamp made its debut this past summer in Portland, at an event coordinated by local community organizations at one end of the Arrigoni Bridge and held at a local school.