In the 1957 film "Bridge on the River Kwai," a group of captured British soldiers are forced to build a railway bridge over a jungle river by their Japanese captors. The prisoners work relentlessly to build the bridge, whistling as they work.
There are no jungles in Merced, and no prisoners of war, but there is a much smaller bridge spanning an eminently less grand waterway. And that bridge could definitely use the help of a troop of whistling British soldiers.
The footbridge that crosses over Bear Creek alongside the BNSF Railway crossing where 25th Street dead-ends at the creek may still be standing, unlike the bridge in "Bridge on the River Kwai," but Merced's bridge is in need of a hard scrubbing.
Tip List sent two reporters to the area in search of another piece of reported decay, but the bridge was hard to ignore. Tip List's team found a bridge with a liberal covering of white and black spray paint. And there was debris and garbage around the area, as well.
When we called the city to inquire about the bridge's tattered state, Mike Conway, the city's spokesman, told us the city sends crews along the bike path every Tuesday to clean up trash.
As for the graffiti, he said the city contracts with Merced County Action Network to clean up vandalism. They are scheduled to clean up the graffiti on the bridge today, said Conway.
Maybe the crew will be whistling as they work to paint over the graffiti. At the end of "Bridge on the River Kwai" the bridge is blown up. It looks like that solution won't be needed on Bear Creek.
If you see graffiti that needs cleaning up call 385-8807.
WHAT IS WRONG: graffiti mars the footbridge near the BNSF crossing of Bear Creek.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE: the vandals.
Tip off the tip list!
If you see something broken or in need of repair in your neighborhood, call the Sun-Star Tip List reporter, Jonah Owen Lamb, with your tips at (209) 385-2484 or e-mail jlamb@mercedsun-star.com.
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