Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 15, 1993 TAG: 9304150460
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ACT NOW
HEY, BUDDY, you wanna buy that bridge over there?What, you're thinking, do I look like a sucker?
Naw. We're not talking the Brooklyn Bridge, here. This is a serious offer. This bridge is really for sale. By the state. Advertised in the newspaper, and everything.
It's the Pembroke bridge over the New River in Giles County. It's a rather pretty thing, an old steel-truss bridge - one of only 20 left in all of Virginia - set in some stunning scenery. And the price couldn't be better: Nothing. Zero. Zip. You want it, it's yours.
So, you're thinking, do I look like I was born yesterday? What's the catch?
Oh, you're sharp. There is a slight catch. You just have to agree you'll take care of it. That's fair, isn't it? You're getting it for nothing, remember.
You'd probably want to use it just for foot traffic, though. It's not really safe for much else. There's a new bridge going up 50 feet upstream to carry the trucks and cars on Virginia 623 across the river. But you'd get all the pedestrian traffic, guaranteed.
How unsafe is it? Well, Giles schools had to quit sending a 66-student bus over the bridge and go to a 54-kid bus. But that's still pretty heavy. And it's not like carrying vehicles is the only use a bridge can have. People are talking about recreational uses. A boat ramp already is planned along that part of the river. Consider the possibilities: Boutiques lining either side. Roller skaters. A crowded boardwalk!
Did we mention that this bridge is historic? It's 75 years old. Virtually ancient. Big tourist draw.
If you're interested, better act fast. The state transportation department is eager to give up its responsibility for the bridge, and the Department of Historic Resources is making noises like it's interested in taking ownership.
There's room for "partners in management" for the venture, though. The fact that it'd take hundreds of thousands of dollars just to paint the span pretty much ensures that.
Hope you're interested. This looks like an opportunity for some kind of private enterprise, for someone with imagination - for someone other than taxpayers. We didn't just fall off the turnip truck.