Stony wrote; "I'm curious where HARB is on this. Why didn't they ask the bridge reflect the style of the neighborhood, rather than a China-men's nightmare?

Who decided that neighborhood needed a little Chinese ambiance?

That bridge really does stick out like a sore thumb."One of my last tasks as a HARB board member before i resigned, was to recommend against the design of this bridge, most of the HARB board was in agreement. The OECD did remove some pillars on the ends of the bridge, but wouldnt remove the Pergala in the center. Some design firm came up with this, and blueprints were already drawn before it came to HARB. The HARB approval was expected as a rubber stamp. City Council does not take HARB seriously, most members get fed up and eventually quit due to this.

OMG! This is almost unbelievable! Never mind the bridge being lit up like a tanning booth, both day and night ..... wait 'til you hear what I seen and heard tonight!

Tonight started out like most nights ... except it is Friday and I had to run to the bank around 6PM. It was dark and I passed the Bridge to Nowhere. It was different tonight. The lights were much dimmer. I only saw four lights lit on the bridge. Perhaps mentioning the waste of electricity on BT got someone's attention. True story.



Then, later that night ... It started out quite usual ... my nightly walk around town. I decided to walk past the bridge again to see if perhaps the dimmed lights were still on or if more were lit up. I was curious.

As I came around the bend on Pine Street ... lo and behold ... I saw a UFO seemingly docked on top of the bridge! It was at that point I realized that rather than it being an oddly shaped bridge in Bradford ..... it was a landing pad or landing dock for spacecraft! Last night I wondered if the extremely bright lights weren't meant to communicate with people from another planet or in outer space .... I was right!

It IS a docking station! THAT is why it cost so much money to build, and why it had to be so strong! And that explains the excessive lighting system! It had to be seen from billions of miles away! To signal the mother ship!

As I got closer ... I started to wonder or ask questions in my head ... and to my surprise I started getting answers! They DO communicate by mental telepathy! I just had to think the questions and I got the answers.

Obviously one of my first questions was "why land in Bradford of all places". Then they answered "we come from a planet in a solar system far far away. We do not have nepotism where we come from. Nor do we have any in any galaxy near our home planet. Your planet is the closest planet that has abundant nepotism. And your town has more nepotism than any other town on your planet. What better place to observe and learn"?

Then, in a flash they were gone .... before I had the chance to ask .... make that 'think' "why do you want nepotism on your planet"?

But that DID answer a lot of questions here in Bradford ... the style of the bridge .... the lights .... the expense of the bridge ..... lots of questions were answered!

I never considered "nepotism" a desirable asset....... something anybody would want in their government or even on their planet! Where I come from it has a very negative connotation. It's seen as a bad thing. But not in Bradford ..... and wherever this space craft was from!

Now this all makes sense ... lots of questions answered .... and now I'm figgering out some of the people who work at city hall!

It’s all fitting together!

Bradford is the nepotism capitol of the whole darn universe!

Who'da thunk?

Darn it! I forgot to ask "them" about the oddly placed fire hydrant!

It's not a real hydrant, it's a puppy-port-a-potty.

To be accurate, it's a pergola and you'll find them associated with very traditional architecture in New England and other places. But I agree that sitting in the middle of the bridge it looks very out of place. Usually you allow some kind of climbing vine to grow over a pergola so maybe in another year it will look a little better.

Stony, you are constantly asking why NASA doesn't use water to power it's rockets due to it's make up of fuel (hydrogen) and oxidizer (oxygen.) Perhaps this is a civilization that has done just that and the hydrant is a refueling port.

It is living proof that you cannot put lipstick on a pig! I think a guitarist on the bridge in the evening would bring a nice touch as romantic couples stroll across. They can fantasize that there in a quaint New England town that did not have a $700.000.00 increase in its budget totaling over 8 million dollars leaving each resident with over $1100.00 owed for the year. It is a love story!

BTR, who said anything about trying to be accurate?

And you can see what you want, I and others in town see a stupid looking bridge that definitely looks out of place. And apparently HARB thought so. BUT the public didn't get a vote in the matter. The "powers that be" just hired someone to design it and they apparently went to HARB and said basically "here is what we are building, APPROVE IT"!

It WOULD have been nice to design and build a bridge that resembled the original bridge that crossed there back in the day. One that was more "historically accurate".

And as an environmentalist, and a Bradford taxpayer (who may end up help paying they electric bill), I would have voted for a more subtle lighting system. One that was more environmentally friendly and economical.

Obviously the goal here was to use as many kilowatts as was possible, even at the risk of blinding bridge crossers and causing them to fall over the side!

It's a dam bridge for Pete's sake, not a tanning booth! You shouldn't have to wear tanning goggles to hike a walking trail at night!

No, you CAN lipstick a pig .... BUT you still have a pig ... with lipstick on it! AND you know what that attracts? Weirdos! Witness- Bradford!


...... Hey! I can play guitar and write songs! ........

"I'd like to do this next song for the Andrew sisters"! LOL!


Hey, you gotta admit ... a UFO landing site can be a big tourist draw! Brilliant idea!

Yesterday I saw them pouring what appeared to be concrete over that soft squishy gravel ramp. Maybe that soft squishy gravel was intended to be a base for the concrete to uncouple the concrete from the constantly moving earth in this part of the country. Now I cannot be sure of this, so I will not assume, as others have done here, that I know what I am talking about.

I do have to question your ability to trip over a fire hydrant though. Stony, I understand you do alot of walking in this city. It can also be stated that we have our fair share of fire hydrants. Many of these hydrants do happen to be incorporated into the sidewalks. My suggestion would be, if you find that tripping over a bright yellow fire hydrant to be an ongoing problem, make an appointment with your eye doctor.

I am really surprised that you don't have a problem with the large rock at the end of the bridge in the middle of the traveled path. It isn't much larger than the fire hydrant, but it is a natural color that could easily blend in to the surroundings.

Now, as for the bridge design, even if it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, I agree that it doesn't blend well with our downtown area. It is very possible that is the look they were attempting. The problem is the lack of other arts and crafts style architecture in that area.

When was HARB given authority to oversee bridges?

You always want 4 inches of gravel under 4 inches of concrete with a sidewalk. It helps with drainage and keeps it from cracking when the concrete settles.

Well it's asphalt not concrete. But it's don't matter as long as they covered up the soft gravel with something! LOL!

Yes, the "fire hydrant in the middle of the path is nothing compared to the big rock!

The hydrant is there in case the bridge ignites from the excessive lighting .... but why the rock?