You are looking at the Dam/Bridge across the Trinity River, where the Trinity Trail leads out of Gateway Park.We are on the south side of the river in the picture, looking northeast towards that spot I've mentioned before, where the gas driller pipeline Trinity River water suckers left a muddied levee in their wake.
Well, today turned treacherous in the muddy levee zone, but the treachery had nothing to do with anything about the Barnett Shale.
For several weeks, recently, the Trinity River was flooding over the Dam/Bridge. You may remember me showing you a picture of that. Well, as you can see, the river has gone down, you can now cross the Dam/Bridge.
At EXTREME risk.
The flood left a layer of slippery mud. Very slippery. Some moisture precipitated today, likely increasing the slipperiness. I realized it was slippery about 20 feet on to the Dam/Bridge, but I kept on going. It got worse. But I kept on going.
By the time I made it across the Dam/Bridge I decided I would not use it to return to the other side. Instead I used the Beach Street Bridge to cross the Trinity River to get to the north side.
Crossing the Trinity on the Beach Street Bridge had its own treacherousness. There is no sidewalk leading to the bridge. There is a very narrow mud path between the edge of the road and a railing. Cars pass about 2 feet from a hapless walker. When you get to the bridge there is a sidewalk. A very narrow sidewalk.
Why are so many sidewalks on so many roads in Fort Worth so narrow? Should this not be some sort of code enforced thing? I've never seen a grown city with such sad sidewalks, or out right lack of sidewalks in heavily pedestrianed areas. I should go out and about and take pictures. It's appalling.
Anyway, signs need to be put up warning people about the slippery, mud-covered Dam/Bridge. Or block it all together. Or clean it up.
It was bad enough walking. I was totally appalled when I realized I'd biked across that Dam/Bridge many more times than I've walked it and had I been biking it today, I have no doubt I would have lost control of my bike and gone flying over Trinity Falls, likely never to be seen again.
After I got off the Beach Street Bridge I walked to where I could view the spillway, looking for any signs of a bike. I saw none.
I'm not exaggerating. This was extremely dangerous today. A very bad thing.
Earlier this year, I went to a bike/ped coordination meeting at NTCOG. At it, the FW bike/ped coordinator stated they NOW consider five feet the width standard for sidewalks. Of course, that doesn't fix the older ones such as the one you used. I also didn't hear they were planning to spend money on the existing sidewlks, just that there are many miles of them.
ReplyDeleteSteve A----There are so many miles of skinny sidewalks in Fort Worth. I don't think I've ever noticed this anywhere else. They are so akinny 2 plus-sized Texans can not get by each other without one getting off the sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteI wondered the why so narrow question while living in New Orleans. One bridge in particular that gave me the heebie jeebies, was the Huey P. Long. Four lanes of tight compacted really high and terrifying bridge driving with none other than a rail road track running between them. The bridge was originally built to hold only two lanes of traffic...well, when the population expanded, instead of expanding the bridge they just took the two lanes and made them four.
ReplyDeleteCT2---
ReplyDeleteI got the heebie jeebies yesterday when it crossed my mind how fast I ride down the slope to the dam and then lean to make a fast right turn. If I had done that yesterday I would have been very lucky to not get seriously injured.
Lucky or not, I'd been there to nurse you back to health, or at least find you a good house nurse. Do you suppose if you'd been seriously injured, would the city be responsible for your medical bills?
ReplyDeleteCT2----Well, it's a Fort Worth bridge. It was left muddy and a hazard. It should have been cleaned up or closed. So, yeah, I'm thinking if I woke up from the coma I'd be on the phone to Mr. Lawyer arranging to send some paperwork to the City of Fort Worth.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your offer to nurse me.