Okay whiners, so the barrier blocking west-bound traffic when the newly, expensively, protactedly restored historical Mystic River Bridge is raised has been stuck four times since the Bridge reopened a couple of months ago. Hey, suck it up and enjoy a nice reroute up Allyn street or Rte 27 that turns your 10 minute jaunt over to the bank or CVS into an afternoon excursion. Geesh. Get over it.
Engineers make mistakes. Hey, so do rocket scientists, but theirs go "Poof" and don't linger around to remind them like wobbly barriers that stick and impede progress at the peak of the summer busy season.
In hopes of cheering the designers of the malfunctioning barrier, I offer this solace: not one, NOT ONE, car has plunged into the Mystic River while the bridge has been up since the installation of the barrier. Come to think of it, not one has plunged into the Mystic River since the bridge was built in 1920, but I digress.
Think of the lives saved! All too often we focus on the inconveniences in life, and don't stop to look at the benefits. Sometimes it's a stretch, I admit.
I include a photo of the hazardous situation we faced before the restoration, back when a sleepy or incoherent driver could ignore the flashing red lights, the ringing bells, the closed barrier arms and sail right into the estuary. So much better now, no?
