THERE’S A NEW BRIDGE IN TOWN

It has been a very rainy year in Costa Rica and sometimes things happen when it rains. In early August there was storm and the “thing” that happened was that the small bridge over the Chucuyo River collapsed. For some reason the river changed course slightly and the footing on the Monte Azul side of the river was washed away. The bridge fell into the river. This was a homemade 1 lane bridge made out of a semi trailer chassis with thin metal panels laid on top. It was never meant to carry heavy or wide vehicles. In fact, I have always admired the sign that someone put up advising drivers to use caution (see photo). The sign says “PUENTE SOLO PARA CARRO PEQUENO” which translates to “bridge only for small car”. The most interesting thing about this sign is that it is nailed to a tree on the far side of the bridge. You cannot see or read this sign until after you have crossed it, hopefully not in a large heavy car or truck.

Luckily, the metal pieces of the bridge did not get washed away but were salvaged from the river using a backhoe and some cable. Normally, one would think that the municipality would be in charge of repairing this bridge. This would eventually happen if you were willing to wait that long. There are 5 houses on the other side with no other outlet for cars. The occupants of these houses had to walk an extra mile using another similar homemade bridge to get to the same place of the fallen bridge.

In early September there was an attempt to build a new bridge using some metal beams from a neighboring community. Unfortunately, these beams were too short. In addition to undermining the old bridge’s footing, the river also decided to take away about 3 meters of shoreline.

Last week the neighbors were at it again. This time it was cutting up scrap pieces of metal and soldering them to the old bridge’s under carriage. This was the chassis of a semi trailer. The crew welded additional 2x4 beams to the ends to make it long enough to span the new distance. Next came the back hoe to drop this structure into place. The most interesting part is the bridge decking. It is simply a local tree that has been cut down and milled into planks that are placed on the metal carriage. These are not nailed, screwed , bolted or fastened to the structure in any way.

The final touch was for safety. A hand rail was placed on each side of the new bridge. This is thick wire cable that has been fastened to trees at both ends. The result: a new foot bridge. No more cars crossing this one. It is only 2.5 feet wide. I have walked this bridge. It is a bit intimidating the first time but definitely an adventure.

I really admire the ingenuity, tenacity and resourcefulness of the people of Costa Rica and especially in the countryside. There is no waiting for the municipality or the government to do something. If you want it done, call the neighbors and it will get done. I love living in a small community in the country.