City, County and Neighborhood News

Local News

Off The Rails

Off The Rails

The city’s condemned bicycle bridge over Interstate 5 and Riverside Boulevard insults a local icon. Recently poured substandard concrete embarrasses a 52-year-old monument.

I’m talking about the railroad bridge next to the doomed bike span.

These days, the old rail bridge is defaced by graffiti and brutalized by construction framework related to the new span next door. But there’s nothing wrong with the old freeway overpass.

Board Games

Board Games

Last summer, a Laguna Beach woman decided to kick people off the sand near her oceanfront home.

“I’m not joking around,” she screamed. “It’s not harassment on the beach, it’s harassment in my whole property. Get out of here! Now!”

She dragged a rope across the beach, marked an imaginary boundary and continued to shout. Beachgoers packed up and trudged away.

Spot Fix It

Spot Fix It

Walk the dirt trail along the lower American River. Underfoot is cobble, buried in soil and held in place by decades-old tree roots.

Added in the 1950s, the smooth stones have protected the riverbank from erosion for more than seven decades. Cobble is a far cry from riprap, large angular rock and rubble used to protect shorelines.

“Cobble is very effective and still holding in place,” says Bill Avery, a biologist and Sacramento State professor. “Roots plus cobble are almost invincible. You’ve got extremely powerful erosion protection.

“It does not need to be covered with angular riprap exploded out of a quarry.”

Share via
Copy link