4147-4205 Broad River Bridge Columbia, SC -
Columbia
This Broad River Bridge, part of Three Rivers Greenway, has caused more destruction to the park than the construction of this bridge. It's the most time consuming project I ever heard of! Slowly, every year for 3 years, they have taken away walking parts of the 2 trails down to 1 trail and then no trails followed by NO PARK OPEN! We have had wrecks with one resulting in death as a car went over the bridge into the rocks after being hit from behind. There was another wreck a few months before on the same bridge. Stimulus money paid for this thing which shows the federal government can't run anything or engineer a very NOT at all complicated bridge project properly. Each year they have done so much destruction as they have spent over 3 years on rebuilding both sides. The last straw was closing the park down! If anything, we needed the park roadway raised above the water not even with it or below it causing flooding. Then they could have paved it even if it was cement but not gravel that scratches cars and makes dust for people who suffer from respiratory issues, such as asthma. This bridge has caused road problems around our neighborhoods and taking away a handicapped ramp that's steel and cement hanging up in the air; it can't possibly be used again. Our 2 trails were shut off and removed. We are cut off from downtown's Riverfront Park. Our Diversion Dam is no longer a place to watch birds of various varieties nor able to watch them come in to eat. The special fish channel that is no where else to be found anywhere is closed off from the forest rangers to give tours and tell the story about how and where they travel nor able to see them in the viewing window. This bridge has become MORE dangerous than when it was said it was in need of repair 5 years previously when they held a town meeting.
Workers are standing around doing little or nothing as drivers pass by going to work and going back home. One side gets done while the other side just sits with no work done on it, and then they start again. We get a spring rain early 2012, and the flooding issue almost sends a crane sitting on a rubber barge starts tilting towards the bridge almost taking out the entire bridge! How wonderful it would have been to have had no bridge COMPLETELY gone! And they promise 2013 or 2014 as the time it will be finished...a total of 4 -5 years!!
