Letter to the Editor: Fort Sidney Road Bridge

Dear Editor,

Disclaimer: I am not a bridge builder nor do I claim to be one, but I’ve worked in manufacturing long enough to know when I see progress, or lack thereof.

Since I am unemployable, I’ve had plenty of time to walk the dog past the Fort Sidney Road Bridge down the walking trail. I’ve also had the inconvenience of finding an alternative route when I want to go to Bomgaar’s.

I read in the newspaper where construction had to be halted on the bridge because of unforeseen fiber optics cables. I’m not an expert, but when I want to do some digging I call the “Diggers Hotline” around my home. Does this nifty little tool not exist for large companies and large projects? Shouldn’t a company figure out what’s in the ground before they start a project?

So, the construction company decided to move to the other bridge that has absolutely no traffic on it to finish it first. Does that make any sense to anybody? I’ve got an idea. Why doesn’t the company get the fiber optics problem figured out, and then move its equipment back to the bridge with all the traffic on it. I know heavy equipment takes time to move, but it’s less than a quarter of a mile between the two bridges.

The thing that has me the most curious is seeing if the city planners have the foresight to make that road four lanes instead of two. In five years, they will probably be tearing out the bridge again to accommodate all of the traffic with the new hospital and the school that will eventually be built.

We’re told the bridge will be completed sometime in November, but as a gambler I would take that bet. A person would think the city council would’ve learned their lesson from the 10th Street debacle. Maybe they should check references, and impose fines for work that can’t be done in a timely manner. The Golden Gate Bridge was built in four years, and at this rate so will two, little bridges.

John Bahr

Sidney