[at-l] Bridge the Kennebec!

[Snodrog5 at aol.com (Snodrog5@xxxxxxx)]

Contracting for a canoe ferry is a temporary, and expensive, solution to the 
challenge of providing safe passage on the AT across the Kennebec.
So let's do something permanent, that's also a cost effective improvement.
"How much would it cost to bridge the Kennebec?" Not "several million" as 
someone wants you to think. The tab for Pochuck's mile of boardwalk and 140' 
suspension bridge was $800,000. Much of the ground work concerning design issues 
has already been done, and could be applied up here too. The beautiful 
footbridge across the Tocca on the Ben MacKaye Trail was built for much less, and 
might be a good model to consider in Maine.
"Would a bridge be out of place on the AT in Maine?" Not really, it'd be a 
throwback to the days when the West Branch was crossed by a cable footbridge 
before Abol Bridge was built. Myron, Earl, Ed, and Grandma all crossed over it. 
It's an old school idea.
"Isn't the Kennebec canoe ferry all about hikers?" Nope. There were rowboats 
in place way back in the day when the only reason to cross at Cartunk was to 
get to Pierce Pond camps. The original AT was placed there to take advantage of 
the preexisting boat crossing.
"What would the ATC say?" They'd say yes, if they followed policy. Safety's 
the major reason. A bridge would be open 24/7, and if white blazed would 
eliminate all excuses for life endangering fords. The ATC has an environmental 
clause for bridging too, where trail damage to river banks is a reason for 
bridging. 
"Hey, the ferry place is really wide!" You ford at the wide spot, because 
it's shallowest there. You build bridges at narrows. Just upstream the Kennebec's 
only half as wide. There also a place where a midstream island might be used 
for a mid-span tower. 
And with the savings of at least $14500 a year, forward thinking people can 
see that a new bridge is an economical choice.
Hey, if we can build the Pochuck project to eliminate a road walk, we can 
build a footbridge to save lives and money!
TJ
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