A major part of the Highway 44 construction project in Redding is the replacement of the overpass/exit for some of our biggest tourist attractions — Sundial Bridge, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, the rodeo grounds and the Redding Convention Bunker.
CalTrans and the contractors have done an admirable job of keeping traffic flowing while updating the Dana-to-Downtown stretch of highway, restricting complete road closures until late-night hours. We’ve got another round of such closures coming up next week as work crews open the new Sundial Bridge Drive exit ramp and demolish the old overpass.
The new overpass looks nice, with a subtle metal mountainscape woven into its siderails, and it’s got to improve the terrible traffic jam that results whenever there’s a big event at the convention center. But will it be enough?
It’s always seemed crazy that there isn’t more access into the Turtle Bay. Redding Police do what they can, but everyone knows to expect a big wait to go home after a concert. And after the big Fourth of July celebration? Forget about it.
I understand the area’s geographical restrictions — river, highway and cemetery all in the way — but surely there’s some way to have another connector to city streets. If nothing else, we should be worried about emergencies. What happens if, God forbid, a fire breaks out on the Fourth of July? Do we all flee on foot across the Sundial Bridge? Do we swim for it?
Maybe there’s more to this than I know. Maybe there are secret emergency exits. But if so, why can’t we have more regular exits, too?
Fill me in, readers. What’s the scoop on this situation? What am I missing?
Meanwhile, expect Highway 44 to be closed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. every night next week, Monday through Friday, at the Sundial Bridge overpass. There’ll be detours, but best to avoid the area if you can.
- Hey, anyone else see the Blue Angels flying over the city on Tuesday? I happened to be outdoors just as one of the jets passed. It seemed to be going slowly, as if the pilot was trying to keep the noise down. The precision flying team is in town for Air Show 2009 this weekend at the Redding Municipal Airport. Advance tickets are on sale at Raley’s locations ($10 for adults, $5 kids). For more info, click here.
- DVDs We’ve Seen: “Bottle Shock,” a pleasant indie film about a real-life wine competition in the 1970s that got Napa Valley recognized throughout the world. Stars Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman.
- DVD I Watched on the Dreadmill: “State of Play.” Kelly had already seen this journalism/political thriller starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren, so I watched it in installments while working out. Pretty good twisty thriller, if you have a healthy suspension of disbelief. Real journalists will find particularly laughable the way Crowe continues to be lead reporter on the big story, despite the fact that the subject of the story is his best friend/college roommate, he’s been sleeping with the guy’s wife and everybody knows it, etc… One such conflict of interest would get a reporter pulled from the story, if not sent home altogether. Crowe even gets to write the lead after someone shoots at him! The target never gets to be the byline, folks. It don’t work that way. Also, not even reporters, some of the least fashionable people on the planet, wear their hair like this:
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
