The new multi-million-dollar bridge between Land Park and the Sacramento River is creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The new bridge is part of Sacramento’s Del Rio bike and pedestrian trail, but the city says the concrete crossing over Interstate 5 is not safe. Now, it is barricaded and off-limits to the public.
"It's kind of sad when you expect to ride your family on the bike and you want to go down all the way to the river, boom it stops you right there," said Kristina Rogers, the president of the Land Park Neighborhood Association.
Officials from Sacramento public works says it was so badly built it needs to be torn down.
"The city is doing the right thing to essentially keep the public safe," structural engineer Kit Miyamoto said.
Miyamoto says that demolishing the bridge is the safest thing to do.
"Essentially, the city is saying the way the contractor built part of the bridge, it can be very dangerous," he said. "It can collapse."
Miyamoto said that without the proper amount of concrete or rebar, structure systems can be very dangerous. If the bridge is not torn down, cracks will appear on the surface and excessive deformation will show.
It is unknown how much demolition would cost, who will pay for it, and how long it will take.
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Source: CBS, MSN
