CONTINUED: "MIA BROAD RIVER ROAD BRIDGE AND END OF RIVERFRONT PARK" PROBLEM FROM ANONYMOUS 10 AND 14

Dear Andrew, Ted, and Other Commentors,

If it was you or someone else, I appreciate the pictures on this Broad River Road bridge so much. I just found these pictures not knowing they were here or how long (maybe 2 years). I wish there were newer ones, too, were on the "ClickFix" web sight. There needs to be an update of pictures and comments. They are still on this site if people read the older comments under "MIA BROAD RIVER ROAD BRIDGE, COLUMBIA CANAL" under Andrew's comments. It has a blue colored web address. In it, the bridge looks almost finished but it has lost 3 lanes!!! I hope people go see them BUT that the new ones show how scary it really is and how dark after it becomes night time! The park use to light up the river and road.

I know you said you thought it would open May or June 2013, but the part of the road/bridge side going into town seems to be still "Missing In Action!"

When is the last time you were there to see this from both sides?

It seems as if it will never re-open. I can't believe it's been 4 years!

There are more people with houses for sale now than I have ever seen especially Atlantic Drive in Huffman Heights Subdivision with 13 for sale signs! No one can drive on Atlantic, turn right, go down Bentley Drive, and turn left to go straight into town or across Broad River Road into Skyland Estates! I'm seeing more houses with for sale signs there, too. Greenville Circle has more for sale or empty. Homes use to be rarely for sale. If they were, they were elderly estates, and they sold the same day or 2 days later. They just sit from frustration of how the roads around are stopping people from going where they want and trying to avoid a lot of traffic.

Have you read all my posts since 2011?

We still can't walk to the end of Riverfront Park's Diversion Dam with that expansion of a special fish channel with tours 5 years ago. We can't walk down to Riverfront Park from Diversion Dam houses and condos and apartments in neighborhoods on the long hillside part of Broad River up to the BP. We can't even walk past the Broad River bridge but just to the bridge when we could access the park!

And they still have the bottom path by the river (not upper Columbia Canal one) torn apart and closed off. I'm not sure even if the park is still down. The damage done to this side of Riverfront Park will be expensive to fix.

We'd all be open here when parts of Cayce and the amphitheater closes from too much rain. They have to keep closing it down and cleaning it up and repeating it over again.

Thanks for your contributions to this "Broad River Road Missing in Action" problem. May others who care and can do something about it finally do so. You all can see the area it affects and the long time it's been going on.

The loss of the handicapped fairly new ramp in the middle of the bridge was damaged. That left it impossible for them from houses, condos, apartments, and duplexes to go to this park. I remember so well the picture in the State Newspaper as Mayer Coble cut the ribbon at the ceremony for those needing a way into the park. Then no one could go as the road across the Broad River bridge found our end of Riverfront Park with Diversion Dam and birds coming in for food twice a day left the rest of us out.

Doesn't anyone remember the horrible chain car accident on the bridge as one was sent over the bridge cliff straight down into the rocks and river?

How long does it take to use Stimulus #1 money to start this work and still be going on 4 years later? It doesn't make hospital workers very happy to have to drive this twice a day!

You'd think this was some tall span bridge with lighting...but it's not. Why don't they add that? At night there are no longer any lights to be seen on what use to be two trails to walk. Even the end of this Riverfront Park no longer has lights for a while when crossing as being dangerous as well. People just want to move out and find an area less dangerous along that whole stretch of hill to the BP Station. They are locked into not able to seeing cars in 3 lanes to get into the left turn at the light to get onto Greystone Blvd. On the other side at the end of Skyland Drive cars are trying to cross over oncoming traffic to jump onto the other side to hit Greystone Blvd. I had to get a blue taxi for a doctor's appointment on Valentine's Day when all of a sudden I had the scare of my life! The driver drove behind the Asian restaurant alley and flew across 5 lanes to head towards the bridge to Richland Hospital! We were almost hit.

The one trail to walk the Broad River route was shut down a long time ago. It's like they closed our end of Riverfront Park where we use to walk at lunch time from work downtown on dirt roads and a path in an unprotected area where gangs frequented. That park from what I understand was walked for over 25 years even though there was no such thing as a Greenway or extension of Riverfront! People just wanted to make it 3 miles to the Diversion Dam and rest for 15 minutes or 1/2 an hour watching the birds and fish and water coming down.

Walkers couldn't wait to arrive there to spend time just to relax at the scenery without benches and a rest room. All sorts of breeds of birds would be there, too.

This bridge was supposed to be complete in May 2013 when the project started in 2010 but now they're saying Spring 2014

Still we have NO timeline and more danger!

Where does it say Spring 2014?????

Who is responsible for this monstrosity?

Does anyone in City Council care to give us any answers to the questions that are asked on here several times in different manners on these problems concerning the bridge, traffic, and deaths?

Does the DOT have any answers?

What about WIS-TV? When is the last time they had a story on this on-site? They should place videos on here on each sites several problems.

I wish I knew how to do a "youtube" on this for people to see what's going on!

Don't even ever think about getting a taxi for fear of you and your passengers lives! Drivers cross behind an Asian restaurant and cross 4 lanes going downtown in the opposite direction that could be head on wrecks by the driver gunning the engine in hopes no one crashes.

Even if a person knows about this the last 4 years and are NOT driving dangerously, 4 lanes go down to 1 on a 1 lane bridge instead of 4 total lanes for bi - directional traffic across it!

Problems involve almost a mile of roads or make - shift roads in and around the whole area because of this bridge.

It has ruined roads in sub - divisions and many condo and apartment home complexes.

Since WIS - TV is listed at the top of this page as "reported via" why aren't they commenting on this?

We keep getting answers of completion March or May or June 2013 by guest reporters here and now then Spring 2014. What is the real date?

Is it being made of gold?

Are they building bridge spans? NO!

Are they going to place nice lights as the ones going from Cayce to USC? NO!

They've made it into a plain old bridge!

They should add those amber street lights.

There is a Three Rivers Greenway Park there that doesn't flood, such as in West Columbia or the Vista area! Ours connects to Riverfront Park. It had a handicapped ramp in the middle of it for those who needed it here.

There were 2 trails: Columbia Canal and Broad River plus Diversion Dam where birds come in to eat and a special fish channel built for tourists and locals to learn about their travel on weekends.

GIVE THE REAL DATE!

WIS-TV SPOTLIGHT THIS FOR A DAY!

SOMEONE MAKE A "YOUTUBE" OF ALL THE PROBLEMS! (SEVERAL!!!)

PLEASE FINISH UP THIS BRIDGE NOW!

IT'S 4 YEARS LATER WITH COMPLEX TRAFFIC ISSUES INVOLVING 2 SUBDIVISIONS, CONDOS, AND APARTMENT COMPLEX HOMES ACROSS BROAD RIVER ROAD BOTH SIDES FROM THE BROAD RIVER ROAD BRIDGE UP PAST GREYSTONE BLVD.!!!

40 Views and ONLY 4 votes with no more than 4 comments!!! It's time to come see this fiasco in the morning traffic crowd, lunch time, and after work traffic. Maybe you should drive it yourself.

WHY AREN'T THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED?!

WHERE ARE THE PERMANENT PICTURES AND VIDEOS ONCE ON HERE?

MIMI, the Reporter, are you from any tv news programs?

I keep asking for answers and coverage for almost 5 years now.

Why doesn't WIS-TV investigate this?

A simple bridge should NOT take 5 years to re-build without any spans or nice street lights like Blossom Street Bridge.

We are cut off (including handicapped ramp) from the Greenway Parkway at Diversion Dam. So much money was invested into this historical Columbia Canal area with 2 trails, connections to Riverfront Park and Columbia Canal and Broad River trails, and special fish channel.

This set of more problems than I can list here still exists! We are working on our 5th year here to get answers.

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE IN CHARGE TELL WIS-TV AND WE, WHO LIVE HERE AND HIGHLY USED TRAFFIC AREA OF BUSES AND AMBULANCES AND FIRE TRUCKS AND POLICE, WHY WE DON'T HAVE THIS DONE, YET!?

It's NOT a span bridge nor have any fancy amber lights like downtown's Blossom Street Bridge!

There are several issues involved here and listed as several different issues.

Pictures use to be on here and were removed....WHY?

Those of you who have followed this MISSING IN ACTION: BROAD RIVER BRIDGE AT COLUMBIA CANAL AND RIVERFRONT PARK DIVERSION DAM ENTRANCE have reported how dangerous this has been from a death and injuries when a car was slammed from behind sending it crashing over the rocks and straight down into the river!!! It use to be the "holiday walker suicide bridge"!!!

We almost lost this bridge last year when a heavy rain began shifting a crane on a barge sideways (ready to fall on the 2 of 4 lanes...still 2 lanes ONLY) take it out!!! Suppose it had happened, then what would have happened to other bridges and the interstate and towns of Columbia and West Columbia have gone to?

Wouldn't Columbia, SC make the national news as it does many times when something happens here!?

How would several bridges torn up by a crane taking out Broad River Road Bridge affect people trying to get into town or out of town and also West Columbia residents? Plus college students at USC living in West Columbia apartments and houses or those who travel for work be greatly inconvenienced?

This certainly wouldn't be convincing those to open and run businesses to come build the capital city again see this as welcoming...being it would make the national news.

This long drawn out Stimulus #1 project has destroyed our park as part of the Greenway and what was once a new once needed handicapped bridge entrance for the many apartment homes, condos, houses, and rental homes residents no longer able to get to the ramp and into the park leading to the Diversion Dam and the opposite direction of 3 miles to Riverfront Park!

We had 2 trails...1 on the Columbia Canal and the other on the Broad River. What a destruction this has become!

And what else could happen at this "bridge of danger" in the 600 block of River Drive? People feared driving this old dilapidated bridge for many years, but it was where they lived and worked or went to doctor appointments at Richland Palmetto Hospital or were hospitalized or sat in the ER for 4 - 6 hours. Now those here are really more frightened than before!

THIS IS AN ALL EMERGENCY BRIDGE ROUTE!

We neighbors on both sides of Broad River Road hear sirens constantly from our subdivisions. Neighbors can easily move out of their rentals deciding to get away from this traffic mess and dangers 1 - 1 1/2 miles before and on and after the bridge.

Houses NEVER sat empty for more than a few days without those fighting to pay more than asked to move into Skyland Estates and Huffman Heights. The last 2 years it's becoming a place for foreclosures from buyers who can't sell to get away from this bridge and road problems!

What did you do with my comment just now?

I AM A REGISTERED USER!!!

I have not even been able to vote on my issues or others I answered for hours that you sent me today.

NO CHANGE...GOING ON 5 YEARS