Trapped!!!!

Well, I have lots of time to play in the garden now. One of the 2 bridges to the sea islands here was seriously damaged and has been closed for what they estimate is 3 months. Hopefully the SC DOT will recognise that is not a good thing. As of this morning a normal 10 minute trip is taking a whopping 4 hours. Obviously we are not going anywhere. More time to pull weeds Yaaayyyyy.

Wouldn't you know we sold our boat last week; bad timing.

Oh my goodness! 3 months may certainly be too much of a good thing! Anything we can do to help? Obviously if I had a boat...but can't help you there. Can we send things to plant?

What a nice offer but no more plants for me for a while I am afraid. The bridge that was damaged was the *new* bridge. The old one, a 1950's era, two lane swing bridge over the Intercoastal waterway is not in the best of shape and all the extra traffic including previously banned trucks won't help. This might be the time to spend a lot of time out of town visiting family and friends.

Ardesia, Just curious since I am a boater who will be traveling south on the ICW sometime around October - was it a bridge that would block ICW boat traffic?

It's beautiful here in New Bern this week, could use some rain but things are perking right along. The Captain has been working on his pond, and he built an 8x8 raised bed for me so I am turning it into an herb garden (hopefully).

Entlie

Entlie, by October it had better be fixed!!!! LOL

Both bridges cross the Beaufort River. The damaged one is the high fixed bridge so I don't think it will hinder most boat traffic.

Right now they are saying the old swing bridge will only open, on the hour, evenings and mid day. No openings during rush hours. However, I suspect they might try and change that to no openings at all.

Still no rain here either. Your herb garden sounds like a fun project.

Good luck ardesia. First the garden spitting, now this! I keep hoping for rain for you, now it's rain and now your bridge is out. I'd ask "What next?" but I'm afraid, very afraid.

LOL (guess I'll have more time to spit now)

I actually work for the SCDOT maintenance office here at HQ in Columbia (lately I'm not sure I want to confess to that, LOL). They've been running around working on this, but most of the "activity" is down the hall. You'd think the barge operator would have known better. In any event, hopefully this will get resolved sooner than later. I know it's got to be a major inconvenience to folks in the area.

If I get any updates, I'll pass them on.

Oh John, do keep us in the loop and I'll bring you more than a Plumeria. Gingers, bananas, hibiscus on the way. LOL

We are all panicked about the old bridge holding up to the increased weight from the extra cars and the big trucks which had been banned for more than 20 years. I know your DOT guys have a bridge maintenance engineer on site but if that bridge fails (and it does often) we are really up that proverbial creek.

The worst problems are, of course, at rush hours. We went to the grocery store last evening and there was no traffic at all. I suspect stores, Dr's, etc. are just going to have to change their hours until this clears up. And, one of these days folks are going to have to realize that the overdevelopment on the barrier islands is not too smart. Good grief, what is there were a hurricane chasing us????

So is the only alternative route over on that bridge going into downtown Beaufort? I'm not very familiar with the area and am looking at it on Google Earth. Am I even looking at the right bridge here?

Yes that is the one. It is an old swing bridge that rattles and rumbles under normal circumstances when it open and closes.

Newspaper says that the tug operator stopped and lowered the crane after being advised it had hit the bridge. Local boaters who had encountered the tug/barge upriver, between here and Charleston, say the operator was unusually surly and rude on the radio in telling them to stay out of his way.

I hope he gets what's coming to him. Man must have lost his mind - you know he surely knew the clearance of both crane and bridge.

What's scary is that those beams moved up to 2 feet. Kind of amazing the bridge is still standing.

It's going to be like Lord of the Flys out there. LOL.

You know the Hilton Head bridge got hit not to long ago. I always wondered what would happen if that bridge had to close because there is no second bridge. Durning the summer there is something like 100,000 tourist on HHI and probably 10-15,000 people who work on HHI but live off island. The tourist would have to go or we would simply run out of food and booze pretty quickly. I guess a temp bridge or something. Ferries won't work unless some big ones showed up in a hurry. It would be an experience.

Worst case scenario, they'd shut down the channel to all boat traffic and put a military bridge in place, one that floats right on top of the water. Not exactly a "good" fix, but it would work, especially if a hurricane or something was coming.

Things are looking up here, they will be closing one lane of 21 to southbound traffic for 2 hours in the morning so first shift folks can get to work on time. Also, they are limiting the truck weight by making the big ones transfer stuff to smaller trucks. All makes sense and everyone appreciates all proactive actions right now.

And, everyone is carpooling and offering to buy groceries, etc. for others. It all helps and it is actually pretty nice to see everyone working together. Late day traffic is very light because everyone who can is staying home - for a change. Just glad we are retired and can afford to stay put. My kids from VA are coming in tonight so we told them to leave late so they will arrive after the return rush hours.

Thanks for the input John.

That's good news Alice. Hopefully things won't be too bad for you guys.

If you do have any questions/concerns, please always feel free to DMail me and I'll try and find the answer.

Thanks John, I might do that.

Corey, HHI would need food, booze AND golf balls! :-)

So glad to see that your plight has NOT damaged your great sense of humor! Keep us updated.

True on the golf balls.

tgg, I am trying......:-))))

...

John, the hard work the DOT has put in has paid off. Just thought you might like to know the new traffic patterns are working very well today.

Things backed up badly last night on the other side of the bridge but I suspect that is because our local officials (bozos) refused to re-schedule or re-locate a Criterion Bike Race downtown.

We just were advised that they are also opening one lane on the damaged bridge for a few hours a day and that ambulances and fire trucks can use it anytime.

Glad to hear it's getting better. I just found out we have a new permanent Director now too, so that should help bring focus to problems like this. As you can imagine, it's been a 'circus' here for some time with everything that's going on. Good to see we can still work out problems that arise.

As a former state employee, I KNOW what you mean. LOL

LOL. We have two ways of doing things. The long way and the really complex, very difficult, it's going to cost too much, why are we doing this again, longer way. *grins*

Hey, I know that route! LOL

The PSA poping up on my TV is starting to annoy me. Sounds like a plan though.

I haven't seen the PSA but I can tell you everyone is relieved that with only small adjustments this will be do-able. I know some folks who were having daily chemo who had to miss their treatments Mon. & Tues. Being able to get back today was a huge relief.

Of course, the downtown stores and restaurants are starving with those roads closed off. It is sad but what we are learning about traffic patterns now will surely help with a hurricane evacuation someday.

Guess I spoke too soon, things are all backed up here again. I can't figure out why but I have to take my grandkids to FL in the morning and I am praying it is not backed up then. Don't want to sit in the car with a 2 yr. old and a 6 yr. old any longer than necessary.

It doesn't make sense that things ran smoothly one day and not the next. We seem to be back to the 4 hours waits. :-((((

Four hours in a car with 2 and 6 year olds...now that's really trapped! Not moving...ow!
I'll keep my fingers crossed that things are moving steadily tomorrow am. Thought about you as the rain started here about 2 am. It's gotten cold again, too.

One neighbor had to park at a McDonalds today and walk several miles to Dr.s appt. Another is in an outright tizzy because her daughter is getting married in town tomorrow. Remember that song "Get me to the Church on Time"?

We have had to change our plans, son and daughter in law wanted us to bring the children down to FL so they could see the new house which should be finalized tomorrow, but things being the way they are they will just come home here instead and bring lots of pictures. Sweet GD has been picking out which of my hibiscus she wants for her new garden. Hmmmm