Bike and pedestrian bridge opens over Lake Hodges

One of the nice things about working from a home office is the opportunity to go out for a walk whenever I want, without a boss wondering where I'm going or asking co-workers where I am.

Couple that with many areas of San Diego County being bike and pedestrian friendly, and it makes for a nice and healthy career.

There is one area up in North County that has been notoriously unfriendly for pedestrians and bicyclists, and that's the area where Interstate 15 goes over Lake Hodges. For pedestrians and bicyclists, it was either a very long detour around the lake, or a perilous crossing with traffic on the Interstate 15 bridge. The detour might work if one is not in a hurry, but many people who live in the Lake Hodges area work on the other side of the lake.

A new 990-foot-long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge over Lake Hodges opened on May 15. The new bridge is a "stress-ribbon" bridge, "an unusual type known for its slim, elegant profile" and apparently is now the longest stress-ribbon bridge in the world. Apparently a stress-ribbon bridge is just like a suspension bridge except that its cables are inside the deck, with the internal cables "stressed to reduce the amount of sag and sway."

Here are some facts about the new bridge:

1. Named the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge (I bet it become known simply as the Lake Hodges bridge).
2. David Kreitzer is a former county planning commissioner and supporter of the San Dieguito River Park (Hmmmmmmm. I wonder if he was the anonymous donor).
3. Cost $10.5 million, paid for mostly by state and federal grants.
4. Anonymous donor paid $400,000 in March 2009 to cover the final payment.
5. The deck is 16 inches deep -- have no idea what that means -- and 14 feet wide.
6. Has 493,000 pounds of steel, 110 miles of tensioned steel cable, 1,344 cubic yards of concrete, and 87 precase concrete panels.
7. The bridge is open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.
8. There are benches at two points on the span to relax, rest, and enjoy the lake view.
9. Horses are not allowed on the bridge.
10. Fishing is also banned to prevent accidents involving fishing lines, pedestrians, and bicycles.

I plan on going to visit the bridge soon and will bring back some pictures. Meanwhile, check out this cool web site that documented the construction of the bridge.

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