By Bill Rauch
Mother nature has so blessed the Lowcountry with beauty that sometimes we who are fortunate enough to live here view as commonplace that which is spectacular. Sometimes we need someone to show us, to remind us.
That happened to me last week driving south on S.C. 170 on my way to Savannah for a dinner. It was on the Broad River Bridge approach. It was almost sundown, and I happened to look to my right where the parking area of the Broad River boat launching ramp was full of cars (without trailers) parked looking out across the river.
These people – many probably sweethearts – had gotten into their cars and driven there to watch the sun set over the river. Neurologists say the blue light off the water signals to our pineal glands to release melatonin which induces calm and suggests preparation for rest.
At the same time, they say, the warm colors of the sunset activate the mesolimbic dopamine pathway which brings to us a sense of pleasure. Moreover, the presence of moving water suggests to our subconsciouses cleaning, rebirth and new beginnings. Who doesn’t want all that?
As I continued the drive across the bridge, I couldn’t help noticing – as I’m sure we all have seen – all the wasted space on the bridge. Its designers included full-sized breakdown lanes on both sides, areas that rarely accommodate a broken-down vehicle, but that mostly feature pick-up truck bed litter, discarded Kentucky Fried Chicken boxes, Parker’s cups, and chunks of trucks’ retread tires. What if the bridge surface were to be redesigned – as the Woods Bridge was 20 years ago – to accommodate not just vehicles and litter, but walkers, runners, and bicyclists too?
I was mayor when we pushed through the Woods Bridge redesign. It was a campaign promise of mine to accommodate the runners who wanted to “run the bridges.” What it took more than anything else was the support of the state senator who was at that time Scott Richardson, who incidentally lassoed up there in Columbia the final crucial chunk of the funding package. Thank you again, Senator Richardson. It has been a huge success.
People come from many miles to park and then walk, run or bike across the Ravenel Cooper River Bridge in Charleston. There are undoubtedly places closer to their homes where they could walk, run or bike. But they choose to come to the bridge. Do they want to run up the incline? Some fitness freaks probably do. But I suspect most of them come looking for the calm and cleansing the expanse of water brings to them. They don’t hear the sounds of the cars and trucks. They wear earbuds. It is what the eyes tell the brain that’s important.
Just a thought. Dinner in Savannah was excellent.
Bill Rauch was the Mayor of Beaufort from 1999 to 2008 and has won multiple awards from the S.C. Press Association for his Island News columns. He can be reached at TheRauchReport@gmail.com.
