Well it nearly happened! Today we had a bridge in crisis. Good old faithful was opened and wouldn’t close again and because of this the Speewa Punt was getting a work out, along with the bridge at Nyah.
So it seemed we might have been in for a new bridge earlier after all …
… but alas they fixed it, and the inconvenience only lasted around 7 hours. Bugger!
Yet true to form, a supporter of 4B used this crisis as an example of why we don’t need another lift bridge at 9A. Yet we nearly didn’t have a bridge at all today. Given the technology we have at present and given that the 116 year old Bridge failed whilst undergoing maintenance, one has to wonder why such a conclusion could be drawn that way at all. After all, using that analogy, an abacus is in the same league as a modern computer. Surely technology has advanced enough that modern lift bridges would be more reliable than 116 year old technology?
But wait there’s more as then the most amazing comment came out that “4B will be cheaper to build”. Now I don’t mind admitting that this one nearly threw me . After all this statement came from the same armchair engineer who stated not so long ago that the roundabout at Karinie Street wasn’t big enough to handle a B Double. Guess what it does, and it does it admirably.
So surely these same armchair engineers and cost analysts can move over and allow the professionals to actually;
a: build a bridge that is economical to build
b: is functional for the community that links both townships on each side of the river, is away from residential areas, is capable of handling the much larger trucks to come in the next 20 to 30 years, is more cost effective, will happen in my grandchildren’s lifetime (and God willing, my lifetime), impacts less on the lifestyles of residents, aids the development of Murray Downs and Swan Hill, and relieves good old faithful bridge and allows her to be retired and venerated for the years of tireless service she has given to the community of Swan Hill.
And then surely we can start lobbying for the new bypass and out of town bridge after we get 9A. Who knows, if we are loud enough it may happen earlier rather than later. So let’s stop being negative and just “Build the bloody bridge and get over it”.
Of course this is the sentiment of the web and not necessarily the view of the majority of members.