Save beloved bridge

A new, wider bridge is now under construction in Newton County on Arkansas 7 east of the current location, and plans call for removing the old span. Why keep it?

Anyone whose heart beats faster when nearing the Buffalo River south of Harrison knows that one must slow down when crossing the Pruitt Bridge. How else to get that first tantalizing glimpse? Will the level be up or will that bony shoal make the chute beneath the bridge a bumpy ride? Will the water glow with mystical bluegreen translucence or will rains have washed in mud, turning the waters into high, frothy latte?

And after a day on the river, the sight and sounds of young people laughing and leaping from the rocky bluffs into a deep pool below the bridge is a last memory to savor on the ride home.

The bridge is narrow and aging, and perhaps too old for today’s heavy traffic, but it could enjoy a long life yet, allowing visitors to stroll across a traffic-free walkway, and marvel at the river from a bird’s eye perspective. For folks with disabilities, this could be one of the few opportunities to view the water from above, to linger a while and perhaps watch paddlers passing beneath. Hikers and horseback riders would doubtless appreciate the option of crossing well away from vehicles, too.

Not every bridge needs or requires a second act, but given the broad appeal of our first national river, none deserves preservation more than the sweet, still graceful, Pruitt Bridge. Want to have a say? There is a petition through Change.org (tinyurl.com/pruittbridge); or call Steve Womack’s office.

LIN WELLFORD Green Forest