THE BRIDGE AT 4TH AND KING
AND MUNI 3RD STREET LIGHTRAIL

Supervisor Bevan Dufty and Jake McGoldrick often hear what is being discussed at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) committee meetings. Watching and participating often times the dumb, inept, arrogant Supervisor from District 10 - Sophie Maxwell. She really does not know what is going on but pretends she does. When the MUNI 3rd Street Lightrail was in its infancy Sophie Maxwell belonged to the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) linked to the project. Somehow after all the charades and all the discussion and promises that were made to the community - the CAC faded into oblivion. Typically of Blacks such as Sophie Maxwell - she will not take any responsibility but will be very quick to blame others. Others on the CAC have faded - now and then one will appear to say something - but now if I am around. It is a shame that some folks will sell out their community and those that were on the MUNI Lightrail CAC did. Now we have a $600 million plus MUNI 3rd Street Lightrail more or less complete but two key bridges are still being retrofitted. The first bridge between Cargo and Marin Streets on 3rd Street has serious problems. The problems can be fixed but as the bridge is being built today - we will have very serious problems a few years after the bridge has its Band-Aid and Flimsy Retrofit in place. My real concern is the bridge at 4th and King. It is going no where. Originally the SF Department of Works (DPW) with Ed Lee the now City Administrator once the Director of DPW bid on the job. DPW could not handle it so they gave it to Mitchell Engineering - Mitchell Engineering found the job too difficult to handle. Huge cracks in the foundation and pilings of wood under the foundation - require specialized engineering - none of which Mitchell Engineering has. Long after the MUNI 3rd Street Lightrail is in place - the Lightrail will not be able to cross the 4th and King Bridge and in doing so will not be able to connect to any of the pompous plans that MUNI has in its plans. One would think some serious planning would go to build the bridges that have to carry the weight of the trains and cars but more the vibration and heavy traffic. Once again MUNI has failed us and Sophie Maxwell as well as Bevan Dufty and Jake McGoldrick are - mum. The Board of Supervisors and Hank the President knows of the matter - but what can he do? He talks the talk but cannot and will not walk the walk. I heard Mayor Gavin Newsom talk about MUNI Lightrail as part of his spiel to sell Biotech and bring business to San Francisco. Once again the Mayor misspoke and he may have done that because no one is telling him the truth. The cronies that surround him should have Vince Harris or Dennis Tsai give the Mayor a sound presentation and explain to the Mayor how screwed up DPW is and what led DPW to give this ill planned 4th and King project to Mitchell Engineering. Now how will the train cross the bridge at 4th and King? Plans are afloat to build a huge ferry that will await the train every time it comes to 4th and King and ferry it across. It will be the first in the world but San Francisco can always come up with the most innovative project and deliver it on time. A firm from Mongolia that has a lot of experience in building bridges is undertaking the project. They have a lot of huge rivers in the Mongolian Desert and when they heard that hilly San Francisco needed some help - they were quick to come to our rescue. Michael Burns had no problems accommodating the Mongolians. After all most of MUNI's assets belong to a Bank in Germany and we San Franciscans think we really own our buses and trains - but it is not so. The Europeans own us and soon they will own the infrastructure and everything - else. Just ask MUNI for their fiscal records and you will be shocked that European Banks own most of the bus, lightrail trains, and almost anything of value that MUNI has on its books. I am waiting for the day two years from now when we still will not be able to cross the bridge by MUNI Lightrail. By the way I was only kidding about the Mongolians they have no expertise in building bridges. I was very serious about the European Banks owning our MUNI assets. As for dumb folks like Jake and Bevan who run their mouths some sort of contraption should be able to silence their mouths to a minute - just like the amount of time they give for Public Comment. Sophie Maxwell can speak because her head is empty - nothing much comes from or out of it. As for MUNI Lightrail - let us keep our toes and fingers crossed - it will cross the bridge and if it does not - Mayor Gavin Newsom will see that it does. If he needs some billions the Gettys will give it to him.

top - back