By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
The third bridge, located between Forrester and Doyle Street, could potentially create limited visibility at the intersection of Doyle and Pine Street. But city officials say it is too early to say whether Doyle Street will have to be flipped from northbound to southbound, as Clark Street was to alleviate the visibility problem created by the new bridge at that street.
Construction on the final bridge began on Thursday, Aug. 15, and is estimated to be complete by March 2002.
When the first bridge, located between Vinton and Clark streets, was completed, the solid stone rails obstructed views of drivers exiting Clark Street onto Pine, resulting in the change of direction of Clark Street from northbound to southbound.
The second bridge, located between Boyd and Heron Street, didn't produce similar problems since houses separate the street from the bridge giving drivers more time to view oncoming traffic.
After the first bridge was completed in April, Long Beach commissioner of public works Rob Raab admitted at that time the bridge design was a poor configuration. And, he added, the single-span design which calls for the elimination of the support columns in favor of steel girders was built to make it safer for boat traffic and for aesthetic reasons.
Now, the height of the second bridge sits roughly six inches lower than the original design. The third bridge will be constructed in the same manner. Originally, the city planned to coat the bridge's rail surfaces with a rough surface to deter minors from walking on top, but that was not included on the bridges.
The city is conducting and on-going evaluation of the bridge's modifications, traffic patterns and will keep the pubic informed of our findings, a Long Beach city official said.
During the construction of the first bridge, resident Shirley Landsman claimed her house was damaged and brought a $500,000 lawsuit against the city and Bi-County Construction Corp. of Medford. Since then, Bi-County has approached at least one homeowner who lives near the third bridge to inspect her home before construction was to begin.
Canal resident Hope Goodman, whose house sits next to the bridge on Forrester Street, was told by Bi-County construction officials that her house was fairly well constructed, and construction officials handed her a card if she had any problems, she added.
Construction noise is currently one problem she's having to live with. She has even felt her house shake, she said, but it's to be expected. The noise is driving me to the booby hatch. The noise is driving me nuts.
Meanwhile, near the second bridge, Nick Martino of Boyd Street said no damage was caused to his house by any of the work. In fact, he said, during construction part of his fence had to be removed but was immediately replaced when construction was completed.
