Big Bridge Post

I've been on the road, visiting family in the Carolinas. I took the photo at left from the walkway on the new Cooper River Bridge which carries US Highway 17 from Mt. Pleasant to Charleston, South Carolina. Note the remnants of the old spans which are being taken down. I walked across the new bridge with my sister-in-law and nephew on the wonderful pedestrian lane that, while not a part of the original design, was added to the project after a public outcry. Would that our Tappan Zee Bridge had such a great feature. Let us make sure that the replacement bridge that is being planned for the Tappan Zee has a pedestrian and bike path. And while we're at it, one of the replacement options that feature light and/or heavy rail should be selected. If the people of South Carolina were truly far sighted they would have made dedicated public transportation lanes (road or rail) a part of the new Cooper River Bridge. Greater Charleston's expansion has reached the point that rail transit is needed to prevent future congestion and control sprawl. Note that Charleston appears on the American Public Transportaion Association list of cities for which light rail has been proposed. Bottom photo: A CSX freight heads south from Scarborough Station on Metro North's Hudson Line with the Tappan Zee Bridge in the distance.