An Infamous Bridge

In 1987, I wrote to Councilwoman Joy Picus regarding the infamous wrecks that occur at the bridge on Saticoy near Balboa. I reminded her of the empty promises to widen the bridge that we have heard for so many years. In April, she answered my letter with another proposed improvement to take place in the future.

On May 22, in-mid afternoon, yet another major wreck occurred at that notorious bridge. This time a car, in attempting to pass on a one-lane bridge, ran into the path of an oncoming 10-wheeled truck-trailer. The truck driver managed to avoid the driver and in the process tore out the fence alongside the creek and plunged more than 20 feet into the dry creek. By some miracle he was only slightly injured. The truck, trailer and whatever contents are a total loss. Some insurance company will pay. You and I know that we pay for these wrecks in our obscenely high insurance rates! There was dry pavement, daylight, etc., and this wreck should never have occurred except for the city’s procrastination.

Debris from the wreck in December--the roof rack of the van that decapitated a small pickup truck--is still leaning against the city’s fence on the southwest side of the canal.

It is my opinion that the City of Los Angeles is partially responsible for many of the wrecks at this infamous Saticoy bridge, including this one in which damages will run into six figures.

KAREN E. MAERZ

North Hollywood