And although this spectral landmark puzzles most passers-by, longtime West End residents recall it as more than an odd relic.

Erected in 1992 when Bridgeport was dubbed "the murder capital of Connecticut," the yellow arches are symbols from the city's turbulent struggle to control violent crime more than a decade ago.

Deborah DeStefano-Archilla, who moved with her family to Clinton Avenue about 15 years ago, recalled what life was like in her neighborhood when the arches were erected.

"The night we moved in, there was a shootout in front of our house. A young boy was shot," she said. "There was a lot of drug dealing on the street, and prostitutes hung out on the corners."

About a year later, she said, the arches were put up over the sidewalks on either side of Clinton Avenue near State Street and and also by Railroad Avenue. At the same time, a concrete barrier, similar to the Jersey barriers used to divide highways, was set on the street, along with a large planter with a holly tree, she added.

Maple trees were also planted along Clinton Avenue to improve the streetscape, she recalled.

Zane Yost, an architect and urban planner, said the two pairs of arches, along with the barrier and the planter, were installed as part of the Phoenix project to curtail drug traffic and outlines residential areas for law-abiding citizens.

Bridgeport in 1992 recorded 63 homicides, a record high for the city and more than any other city in the state that year. Many of the deaths were linked to drug dealing.

"Walking over the sidewalk on Clinton Avenue, you pass through an arch that serves as a gateway," Yost said. "We put in the arches because we wanted to define territory in the neighborhood as an aspect of controlling drug traffic."

Yost, the guiding hand behind the barrier project, said many barriers were also installed along walkways on the city's East Side to impede trafficking in illegal drugs. The drug trade sparked robberies and shootings, he said.

The barriers, installed with City Council approval, were named after the legendary Greek bird that rose from its ashes to live again. They were also deployed in places like Dayton, Ohio, Tampa, Fla., and Sacramento, Calif.

Thirty-seven Phoenix barriers, encompassing 13 blocks and 13 street intersections — including the block-long section of Clinton Avenue — were placed in areas with a high incidence of drug dealing, prostitution, robbery, shootings, homicides and other serious crime.

Over the next four years, crime in Bridgeport fell markedly citywide and in the affected areas, leading to a debate over whether the barriers should remain in place or be removed.

Advocates, including Thomas Sweeney, who was then police chief, argued the barriers should stay, citing crime statistics.

Others called the barriers eyesores that eroded property values and contributed to neighborhood blight. Some said they impeded travel by emergency vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances.

Following the debate, Yost advocated spending $10,000 on planters to beautify and save the barriers, but city officials had them removed.

The arches on Clinton Avenue remain as reminders of the project.

DeStefano-Archilla said the quality of life has improved on her section of Clinton Avenue in the past decade, but added drug dealing may still pose a problem for the neighborhood.