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For want of a crane, bridge still in hiding
Strike delays Camarillo plan to reinstall path structure
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More from CamarilloThe 50-foot pedestrian bridge that vanished last month in Camarillo and was scheduled to reappear two weeks ago at its familiar perch near Adolfo Road and Mission Oaks Boulevard hit a detour on its way home — a work strike by Southern California's mobile crane operators.
The prefabricated bridge was removed last month with a crane because of peeling paint that had been improperly applied by the bridge's manufacturer. It has since been repainted and is ready to be reinstalled at its spot near Calleguas Creek, but without a crane to lift it into place, the bridge is stranded in a Ventura warehouse.
"Our contractor needs a 70-ton crane to put it back in place and because of the strike, the delay has been unavoidable," said Ken Matsuoka, the city's principal engineer.
Originally installed in April, the marooned bridge crossed a drainage ditch and was part of a popular jogging and bike path stretching from Upland Road to Mission Oaks Boulevard.
Full access to the paved bike path has been closed to frustrated residents for months because of the faulty paint job and subsequent removal of the bridge.
City officials worried that repainting the bridge on its home turf would send paint debris into the creek, creating a potential environmental hazard, said Matsuoka.
He said people are always calling and asking about the bridge, and "we understand their frustration."
The crane operators' strike ended Aug. 15 and Matsuoka expects the bridge to make its way back to Camarillo by the end of the month — unless there's another unexpected delay.
When it arrives, the entire bike path will be opened to the public.
Posted by verizon on August 23, 2007 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hallelujah - the bridge has been returned. I rode across it early yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Looks good - however, the gaps at each end, between the wood surface and the cement bank, are large enough for a bicycle tire to become wedged. Pity the poor child who's tire becomes stuck in the bridge.
Posted by Camman on August 24, 2007 at 11:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So for months, the South side gate on Adolfo has been locked while the North side gate was open. Now that the bridge has returned, the South side gate is open and the North side is locked.
Who are the morons that are in charge of the gates???
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