A6

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

4 Comment(s)

A tragic accident at suppertime Tuesday showed many just how much they missed the Morrissy Bridge.

Enlarge Photo

The Miramichi Bridge was closed for close to three hours while Miramichi Police Force conducted its investigation into the pedestrian vehicle accident. A young girl was hit by a van as she crossed the highway.

And with one bridge closed, all traffic had to be rerouted via the Centennial Bridge. So if you were on the Newcastle side headed to Chatham, it meant a drive down the King George Highway and across the Centennial Bridge. If on the Chatham side, it was a drive down Water Street or across the bypass to the bridge. Then a driver had to get through two sets of traffic lights in Douglastown. Many cars were blocking the intersections adding to the frustrations of many. Traffic was at a crawl at some points.

The unfortunate closure showed many how important the little steel bridge was and we guess, is, to the city and its traffic flow. Many made use of the bridge, even if they bemoaned having to do so. It was the bridge we all loved to hate.

Are we a city that needs more than two bridges? Many could argue yes and others would argue no.

In Saskatoon, a city that in some ways is very similar to Miramichi, has seven bridges within its city limits. And yes, while its population is ten times the size of ours, the fact the city has a river running through it makes it very alike to us.

That city has built its tourism around the bridges. They are known nationwide as the city of bridges and walking and bike trails and city parks line both sides of the river. All are connected, one to another, allowing a person, if they want to, to walk from end of the city to the other and cross the river at any of the bridges. At one bridge, a train bridge that is still in use, a steel set of stairs allows a person to climb up and get a bird's eye view of the river and the city.

We ask if this may be an idea for Miramichi to embrace to build on its tourism potential. The river is already a key component in many initiatives. The Miramichi Open River Eco-museum is a perfect example. It has taken sites and made improvements to them, thus making their attraction to tourists more viable.

Could the Morrissy Bridge play a role in that attraction? It is unique and is one of the few steel bridges left in the province.

On the next page readers will see a letter from Professor Douglas Shanahan. He wants the bridge to be saved. In a phone call to the newspaper the morning after the accident, he said the Miramichi Bridge closure was a perfect example of why we needed to save the Morrissy Bridge.

So is the argument to save it a valid one? Or has it served its purpose and is it time to move on? Do we need it to assist with traffic flow in this city?

Many would argue we do. Others say we don't. So who is right and who is wrong.

Only the powers that be can make that decision. Or is it the citizens of this city who should decide? Mr. Shanahan thinks that is who should be deciding, not the government.

The government knows what has to be done to fix it and they've told us. It will cost millions to bring it back to the safety standard required for vehicles to cross it again.

Is it worth it? Or should that money be used for other worthy projects in the city?

The argument could go on and on with many arguing for it to be saved and others who say it shouldn't.

We say at the end of the day, the decision has to be one that has been made by looking at the whole picture. That includes safety, traffic patterns, and tourism potential.