Hooray for a bridge to somewhere
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The city officials and contractors involved in the replacement of the Harris Overpass deserve a pat on the back for a job well done.
The bridge opened at 10 a.m. Friday, on budget and about a month earlier than promised.
The new beige concrete structure with stylish support piers and ornamental streetlights is a distinct aesthetic improvement over the old riveted, steel girder bridge that it replaced.
Kudos to all the cool heads involved in the standoff at the drugstore in Syracuse. Otoe County sheriff’s deputies, Nebraska State Patrol troopers, a state conservation officer, employees and customers alike did their part to avert the escalation of a dangerous situation when a gunman burst into the store and demanded drugs. It’s also worth noting that a camera-toting robot played an important role in locating the gunman in the store. Having the right tool is important. Your tax dollars were at work.
The project shows how basic city infrastructure can turn into a classy upgrade.
The bridge will be an attractive gateway for eastbound traffic to the capital city’s downtown and Haymarket District, and for westbound traffic to West O businesses.
Because the old overpass was deteriorating, the $18 million project qualified for federal bridge replacement funds.
Closure of a trafficway as busy as the Harris Overpass, which handled 26,000 vehicles a day, has an unavoidably detrimental effect on businesses. The businesses deserve empathy for the hardship they have endured during the past 11 months and best wishes for a quick rebound in revenue.
One difference between the old bridge and the new that drivers will notice immediately is the absence of the jarring thump-thump-thump that was a hallmark of the old bridge. The old Harris Overpass had 14 expansion joints; the new has only two.
Although some have complained that metered parking stalls were lost in the project, city officials said the city added new metered stalls in a lot near the Creamery Building to compensate for the loss in the new configuration, which they said was necessary to preserve access to loading docks, etc.
The new bridge also is more pedestrian friendly, with a 10-foot-wide sidewalk compared to one six-foot-wide sidewalk on the old bridge.
In short, the only stakeholders in this project who have reason to complain are the pigeons, who loved to congregate on the thousands of roosting spots in the old overpass. They won’t be missed.
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Looks great wrote on October 11, 2008 7:10 am:
potentially icy conditions. I use the bridge a lot and I appreciate that
feature. Keeps us all safe. KUDOS to the City! "
Good job wrote on October 11, 2008 8:01 am:
Erik wrote on October 11, 2008 9:49 am:
insult wrote on October 13, 2008 2:40 am:
Good work on the bridge by the way. "