THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412020016
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
Without any stretch of my imagination, I offer the following points in response to Wynn Powers' letter (Nov. 19) about the steel bridge openings:
Operators of watercraft, unlike motorists, cannot simply apply the parking brake and shut off the engine(s) while waiting for a bridge. They must constantly maneuver their vessels to offset the effects of winds and currents. Compound this situation by keeping several large vessels waiting in a narrow waterway and the difficulties become obvious.
Pleasure craft are in fact required to keep a schedule. The restricted openings of the Great Bridge bridge and lock plus the Centerville Turnpike and North Landing bridges require timely arrivals.
The Great Bridge bypass, a high-level, fixed bridge, was built to receive the backups at the other bridges. Why not use it?
The Berkley Bridge, on a dead-ended waterway, has a vertical clearance of 48 feet and rarely has to open for pleasure craft.
We should all remember that bridges were built to make it easier for motorists to cross waterways and not to serve as obstructions to marine traffic. After all, motor vehicles have alternate routes, watercraft do not.
JAMES BEAUCHAMP JR.
Virginia Beach, Nov. 22, 1994 by CNB