Crime & Safety

Rain, Wind Knocks Metal Plates Loose from Bridge

New clips, extra screws put in to keep panels in place.

Three metal plates that came loose from the underside of a bridge over Ynez Road are more secure now, a spokesperson said.

Abbott Vascular, the company charged with maintaining the bridge, sent a crew to fix the panels that came loose Friday, said Kathleen Rinehart, the company's spokesperson.

They started repairs around 8 p.m., said Sheriff's Deputy Melissa Nieburger

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Several clips broke in the heavy rain and wind, so workers replaced them and added screws to keep it from happening again, Rinehart said.

The bridge crosses over Ynez Road just south of Overland Drive and connects Abbott Vascular's facility to the east with the one to the west.

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One panel swayed in the wind directly over traffic Monday until a crew fixed it at 8 p.m. The other two were fixed, but ajar in one corner.

The sheriff's department got a call reporting the loose panels around 5:30 p.m.

A deputy blocked the lane under the panel with a patrol car keeping vehicles from driving under it.

Initially, a deputy reported the medical facility lacked the equipment needed to do the repair.

The medical company's crew managed to round up the equipment it needed, Rinehart said.

Four clips secure each panel, the spokesperson said. Also, each panel is attached to the bridge by hinges in case the clips fail.

"There was no danger of them ever falling," she said.


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