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By Diana Bowley of the News Staff - ROCKWOOD - Snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts in this small community will see the dividend of their hard work when a 90-foot steel bridge is lowered into place this Saturday over Moose River. It is expected that federal, state and local officials will be on hand to observe the project. The bridge, a collaborative effort between Rockwood's Blue Ridge Riders All-Terrain Vehicle Club and the Blue Ridge Snowmobile Club, will be moved into place Saturday morning by Cianbro Corp. The 90-foot steel span will be delivered to the location by Can Am of St. Gideon, Canada, the manufacturer. The $100,000 project began about a year ago after Plum Creek asked the clubs to cease use of a one-lane bridge on its property because it was unsafe, according to Eugene Ritchie of Rockwood, who helped spearhead the project. A sharp curve on the north side of the bridge created a blind spot for snowmobilers and all-terrain vehicle drivers. The sharp curve prevented drivers from seeing the traffic on the road used for timber harvesting. Ritchie said Plum Creek provided land 70-feet downstream for the new bridge in a much safer area. "By putting this bridge in, we can stay off their roads and be out of the traffic," Ritchie said Wednesday night. Club members who rallied to find a solution were successful in obtaining a $50,000 federal grant and two state grants that require local matches. That local match of about $20,000 still must be raised, he said. The all-terrain vehicle club has about 50 members, and the snowmobile club has about 70 members. Some, like Ritchie and his wife, Maria, are members of both groups. Asked how the groups plan to raise that much money, Ritchie simply said, "We'll do it." Anyone who wants to help the club can send a donation to Eugene Ritchie, P.O. Box 181, Rockwood 04478. |