Salmon River Road is an accident waiting to happen. On any given day, and especially on weekends, the traffic consists of heavy trucks, bicycles, farm vehicles, motorcycles, tourists in RVs, people on horseback, commuters in their cars and SUVs, pedestrians, horse-drawn carts, and the occasional deer and coyote.
This is happening on a road with no bicycle lanes and where pedestrians sometimes have to wade through knee deep weeds to get off the road and avoid traffic.
And even worse, stretches of the road consist of rough patches on patches on patches of asphalt. Numerous potholes were left unfilled through the spring and well into summer.
The two bridges on either side of Silver Creek have been “repaired” quite poorly. The bridge to the north of Silver Creek underwent significant work in the past year, with some traffic stoppages planned conveniently right during the morning commute. Those repairs left the bridge a challenge for shock absorbers, with the southbound lane especially giving several jolts to unsuspecting drivers who dare to cross it at or even slightly under the posted speed limit.
The bridge just south of Silver Creek saw the entire rotting deck replaced just a few years back. The new deck is already rotting, with some holes in the middle that one could literally stick a leg through, or watch the river go by underneath. Given the popularity of the road for motorcyclists and cyclists, it’s surprising that no one has come to grief there yet, but that is only a matter of time.
Through all of this, where are the people who are supposed to ensure public safety – the maintenance company, the regional district representatives, and so on? I suppose we’ll hear that the problem is being studied, or that something is in the works, and the like. Or we may be told that it is not a serious issue, despite the petition going right now to have the road repaved.
But the fact of the matter is that the road is dangerous now. It needs repairing, now. Much of the road needs resurfacing, now.
The bridges need replacing with something more suitable to traffic, now. And while they’re at it, the road needs bicycle lanes to protect bicycles and pedestrians, now.
How many accidents or deaths do we need before it’s fixed?
Rick Shea