Vince Taylor
45310 Pacifica Drive, PO Box 37,
Caspar, CA 95420
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August 27, 1998
Karen Tatman
California Department of Transportation
PO Box 911
Marysville, CA 95901
Fax: 530 741-4390
Dear Ms. Tatman:
I strongly object to the plans being made
for the new Noyo Bridge in Fort Bragg. I have read a letter that you
wrote to my wife attempting to justify the design that is being proposed.
You are missing the point: we who live here do not want a bridge that is
going to take away yet more of our vanishing views of our wonderful coast
and harbor.
As a public agency, Caltrans needs to
serve all the needs of the public, not just the needs for vehicle
transportation and increased safety. Man does not live by automobile
alone, nor is safety more important than beauty. What your agency needs
to do is find a way to build a bridge that meets the desires of those who
live here. You are the technicians, not us; so use your skills to find a
means to satisfy our desires for retaining the precious views or don’t
build the new bridge. Better to wait until technology or legislation
can provide us with the type of bridge we want than to create a
monstrosity that will dominate the entrance to Fort Bragg for fifty to 100
years.
As I have said, I am not a technician,
but let me suggest a change in your bridge plans that might alleviate the
view problem: place the safety required 32” railing on the inside
of the eight foot shoulder, toward the center of the bridge from the
shoulder. The shoulder and sidewalk will then be protected from
automobiles and provide much safer space for bicycles and pedestrians,
respectively. Because it is protected from the automobiles, the sidewalk
would not need to be raised above the level of the roadway. Place an iron
railing similar to the one on the existing bridge on the outside of the
sidewalk. The result would meet the required safety requirements and
preserve the feeling of an open view from the bridge.
This is just one possible arrangement of
spaces. Perhaps the “shoulder” for bicycles could be made narrower,
especially on the harbor side, since it is protected from the
automobiles. Or perhaps the bicycle lane could be combined with the
sidewalk, with the combination somewhat wider than the sidewalk. A
shoulder for the automobiles is certainly not needed on the bridge of this
size. Certainly none exist on the other bridges in this area.
The point is to not let the engineering
conventions and safety “standards” generate a monstrosity. Use your
imagination, skill, and research to create a bridge that will be a joy to
behold. If your engineers can’t create one, have them search around the
rest of the country for outstanding designs. I know they must exist.
Thank you for your attention. Please let
me know the date and time of the planned meeting in Fort Bragg. Also,
please send me a copy of the plans for the bridge.
Sincerely,
Vince Taylor
CC:
Representative Virginia Strom-Martin
Senator Mike Thompson