COLUMBUS — Amidst no fanfare, the East River bridge on Highway 90 in Columbus is fi nally open. What took over three years was the bridge that initially looked like a carnival ride and lawsuits later opened with neither a hill to climb nor a ride to ride. At first, when the beams were placed on top of the pillars, the beams looked like the hills of Fredricksburg. The beams were manufactured with slopes that did not fit. Even after all the beams were installed, numerous fail-safes were overlooked, and it was apparent they were not designed and manufactured correctly.
Plans are to keep the old steel bridge and recondition it like the North River bridge on Highway 71 and preserve a part of history.
