After attending a few meetings and reading some letters of
concern about the Hospital Road river crossing, my opinion will be
based on 30 years of work around these rivers.
Dear Editor:
After attending a few meetings and reading some letters of concern about the Hospital Road river crossing, my opinion will be based on 30 years of work around these rivers. I worked for the Public Works Department for 20 years, and I remember helping put in the Hospital Road crossing. Back then, it was much easier – the crossing was just five or six feet deep.
Now, after the mining, the crossing is between 14 feet and 16 feet deep. Before the mining, the material (sand and rock) was there and county equipment and labor fixed the crossing at almost no cost each year.
After the mining, the drop in depth combined with high water causes waves four to five feet high. This creates so much force, I believe a bridge in this area would not last. Union Bridge was almost destroyed. The county had to spend a lot of money to save it by pouring a lot of cement around the piers. At the Hospital Road crossing, a few acres were washed out leaving a house dangling over the edge of the riverbank. This cycle is coming back.
I remember three bridges being destroyed on Panoche Road. It just goes to show we can’t control Mother Nature. High waters in places with a lot of gravity are impossible to control.
That’s what the Hospital Road Crossing is.
Many times I heard “it is only federal or state money.” Regardless, it is taxpayers’ money. Building a bridge on Hospital Road crossing that will last will be costly. I heard a low crossing would cost $800,000. Even if we spend $1 million, it would be a good investment. Something done well might last for 100 years.
This is earthquake country, and in a large quake Union Bridge may be destroyed. In that case, a low crossing on Hospital Road would be very handy for a quarter of what it would cost to build a bridge.
A project like this should be well studied so we are aware of the consequences. Making decisions like this based on blah, blah, blah can be disastrous.
In my opinion, this should have been done 50 years ago and should have included Nash Road. I feel people have been treated unfairly in this area.
Amadeu Lima,
Hollister
