Requiem for a bridge

Fond memories for the sleepy neighborhood that is no more

October 2006

(Note: The following was written for the Sonoma Valley Sun, but was never published. The reason given was that it wasn't pro-automobile enough.)

There it is, all shiny and new, multi-laned, striped and solid. The champagne has popped and fizzed and bubbled over, and the traffic nightmare is gone. The new Ig Vella/Riverside Drive bridge has come to save our motoring souls.

Remember the old bridge? Narrow and curved, it was more fit for Medieval oxcarts than the crush of automobiles that plied it daily. A labyrinthine footpath flanked its southern side, with giant "Walk Your Bike" signs admonishing from either end. When riding from El Verano to Sonoma, I often avoided the path entirely, preferring to squeeze tightly alongside the cars.

And then that old bridge was gone, and the detour signs went up... and a new, even narrower bridge appeared next to where the old one lay. This bridge didn't have a ribbon-cutting to welcome its arrival; it wasn't named in honor of any local luminaries. I suppose it was something of a secret bridge. After all, it wasn't a bridge for cars, so that cut out pretty much everyone traveling around Sonoma. It was a bridge reserved solely for those of us who preferred self-propelled transport: pedestrians and bicyclists.

This was a humble, friendly bridge. Located just south of the construction work, the span provided a viewing platform for both the work and Sonoma Creek below. It was a place to nod hello to fellow conspirators in our little anti-petroleum plot. And it totally transformed the neighborhood.

Sure, right now most El Verano residents are celebrating the end of the half-hour commute to get to a place that's just right over the creek. But it won't be long before some of them miss the peace and quiet.

Ah, the good old days of... when? A week ago? Those were the days, indeed. Riverside Drive and Petaluma Avenue were sleepy little back roads then, where dogs and cats could freely roam the neighborhood — heck, they could have even laid down to rest on the double yellow line. Children could wander along the shoulders, or play on the side streets, free of fear from being mowed over by the constant onslaught of racing vehicles. And bicycling was a joy, not a dangerous chore.

Those days are no more. Riverside Drive and Petaluma Avenue are thoroughfares once again, shortcuts out of town. Sure, it's great to have the construction work done and the traffic snarl over with, and it's wonderful that the new bridge has wide sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides.

But, for a while, El Verano was a peaceful place. The new bridge is nice, but I'll fondly remember the secret one.


Former Sun Features Editor Ray Sikorski returned from Montana to collect the rest of his stuff, and couldn't help himself from writing one more thing.