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Red "Dirt" or in this case "Green Mountains". |
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Thursday, 16 August 2007 |
Bridges...for many of us that word conjures up the travesty that occured on August 1 in Minneapolis on Interstate 35W. Our deepest condolences go to those who have been affected by this situation.
 Before the incident in Minnesota I was on a mission to find out the status of our local bridge at Milll Creek in the LaSal Mountains because it directly affects the route our thousand plus cyclists will ride for the Moab Century Tour. I spoke with Civil Operations Manager Nick Ruba who is in charge of the bridge project to get better insight as to what the job entails and the likelihood of it being finished by October 6th.
The Mill Creek bridge wasn't that old, it was built in the 80's but the Federal Highway Administration deemed the bridge inadequate and contracted with Adams and Smith to rebuild it. Demolition began in May. SPOILER ALERT.....even though the bridge is on schedule with a completion date of November 1, Nick doesn't think it will be completed a month earlier in time for the Moab Century Tour. "...for us the difficulty has been the location and access", said Nick.
Even though it seems like the road closure is an inconvenience it will be beneficial to all forms of traffic in the future. We have seen other road improvements for cyclists around Moab. The reconstruction of Highway 313 (road used during the Skinny Tire Festival) heading to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park is one example where broad shoulders, bicycle pull-outs and bicycle traffic signs were created. Our federal, state and local governments have taken notice of alternative transportation and the importance it has on an active community like Moab. Next on the books is the Colorado River Bridge beginning fall of 2008 complete with pedestrian and bicycle lanes. This is great news for all of us who have crossed the narrow bridge while large RVs, trucks and trailers speed by.
It seems the traditional route up the "Big Nasty" that we feel consternation and love for will not be in the cards this year, but in the long run it is certainly worth knowing we will have a safe and functional bridge that will sustain our 15 lb bicycles. And don't you worry, the alternative route is just as stunning and challenging as the LaSal Loop road.
Complete details of the route will be highlighted in next eNewsletter edition.
- Karen Guzman-Newton, Event Coordinator
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