New Wasena Bridge Appears To Be Open

Here's a view of the bridge from the Wasena Park side.^

(Doubleclick photos to enlarge.)

It's a straight shot across now.^

The wait for the opening of the new low-water bridge at Wasena Park appears to be over and it occurs, as promised, in early May--very early May.

The new bridge is more open to flowing water its sides and appears to be slightly higher than the one it replaced, which dated from the late 1930s and was built by Wiley Jackson as a way to get into the center of what is now a park, so he could dump construction debris (at least that's the story I know and I'm sticking to it).

The old bridge served as more a dam than a bridge when water was high and it captured debris floating downstream. The new bridge is part of a flood reduction project, though a bridge downstream is like the old low water bridge that has been replaced here and still clogs up the river during storms.

This bridge is not yet open to automobile traffic, but while I was there just a little while ago, I saw both pedestrians and bicycle traffic cross easily. That means the five-mile stretch between the Wasena Park parking lot and the sewage treatment plant is open again, giving us an opportunity for a 10-mile bicycle loop. Yoooooooo. And might I add, Hooooooooooo.