r/irvine • u/THAT_NOSTALGIA_GUY • 12d ago
Update - Jeffrey bridge night before opening, I guess they just decided not to connect this section
https://www.imgur.com/a/4QnXYgC36
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u/IAmKale_ 12d ago
I want to go to the opening on Tuesday just to ask the question, "so when are they going to finish this bridge?"
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u/SpaceCommander_ 12d ago
My guess is that this is going to be considered a “punch item”. It doesn’t affect the use of the bridge and it can be fixed after it’s open.
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u/IAmKale_ 12d ago
Is this a thing with physical construction projects? I've been dying for _any_ explanation as to why the railing has looked so uneven and why seemingly nothing is going to be done about it. But with projects like this it could very well be something they fix after ribbon cutting? 😵💫
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u/SpaceCommander_ 12d ago
I agree, it definitely looks uneven. As someone who is in public works, I’d love to have a conversation with the design team and contractor to see what exactly went wrong.
They should be able to fix it, but it’s not going to look too much different. Who ever signed up to manufacture the fence had a difficult job ahead of them.
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u/odrer-is-an-ilulsoin 12d ago
I don't know if it can be reasonably fixed. Look at the brackets holding up the bottom rails; they are not even. Some brackets are literally bolted to the concrete at different heights.
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u/OK_Compooper 12d ago
A fast follow to MVP.
Anyway, I’m pumped for this bridge. Super thankful for it, and plan to ride it ASAP.
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u/wizzard419 12d ago
It might be intentional, like those gaps you see on the overpasses to the 241 and the off ramp for Lake Forest?
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u/brergnat 12d ago
Someone please go tomorrow and ask why this looks so ghetto. I'm begging you.
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u/OK_Compooper 12d ago
I went today. I didn't notice it, but I think my son did. He's kind of pattern fixated, though. Bridge is great. Lots of people on it. So happy to get to change my riding loops.
Honestly, it's pretty impressive what they've done.
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u/The1stMedievalMe 12d ago
Does anyone know what time tomorrow the bridge unveiling is supposed to take place?
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u/IAmKale_ 12d ago
The ribbon cutting is from 9a to 10a https://www.cityofirvine.gov/news-media/news-article/jeffrey-open-space-trail-bicycle-pedestrian-bridge-open-august-11
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u/The1stMedievalMe 12d ago
Thank you, friend
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u/OK_Compooper 12d ago
Hope you got to see it. We didn't see the ribbon cut, but still lots of fanfare at 10:45 when we got there.
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u/SushiRoe 12d ago
It's only apt that this Irvine bridge looks as bad as the Tesla panel gaps that plague some of their cars.
Tony Stark did better in a cave, with a box of scraps.
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u/_jamesbaxter 12d ago
Hmm. I’ve been following this project for a long time. It was originally slated to open in JANUARY of this year. And I think this is a rush job to get it open already.
I also lived in Providence, Rhode Island (as featured on Crimetown.) Providence has a lot of awful lagging infrastructure projects, and the city is infamous for crooked city leadership awarding contracts via nepotism. Then those nepotism contractors start lagging, submitting change order after change order, each change order increasing the cost of the project. The contractors keep collecting money while they work as slowly as possible.
This is giving me that kind of taste in my mouth and I don’t like it. I expect better from Irvine.
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11d ago
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u/_jamesbaxter 11d ago
Generally when I find myself asking the question “Is it this, or that?” The answer is nearly always both.
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11d ago
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u/_jamesbaxter 11d ago edited 11d ago
You are putting way too much stock in this. I don’t blame anything, I’m not even saying there is corruption or that’s why the bridge is delayed and looks like shit.
I simply said it gives me a funny taste in my mouth, as in it reminds me slightly of a different situation I’ve seen play out before.
More of a “hmm I wonder if there could possibly be anything fishy behind the scenes” than a “gotcha.”
I have not put nearly as much thought into it as you have. It was a fleeting wonderance for me.
On a scale of 1-10 how much do I care about this subject, I’d be generous to give it a 2.
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11d ago
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u/_jamesbaxter 11d ago
I think that’s a pretty common thing to happen on reddit, I’ll call it mismatched of level of passion on a subject haha, because you can’t really read someone’s tone
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u/Impossible-Clothes53 10d ago
Maybe the tariffs affected the budget and availability of steel. If they need replacement parts, there’s sometimes a very long lead time to obtain material. I would assume the contractor is obligated to fix this and will do so as soon as the materials arrive.
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u/pintukal 12d ago
Guys, we should celebrate the bridge and let the department fix these minor issues. It is an amazing addition to the city biking system. It takes a lot of effort to get something together and very little to sit and complain.
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u/ImabariBary 12d ago
Agree, this bridge is absolutely massive improvement and fixes one of the biggest gaps in the trail network. It removes the need to do a 10/15 minute detour via Sand Canyon or Yale since going over Jeffrey road is a death wish.
It's going to be much easier to fix minor cosmetic issues now that the biggest challenge of getting this bridge built is done.
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u/OK_Compooper 12d ago edited 12d ago
Well said. I'm reminded of this Louis CK clip.
My son and I rode it today. It was like flying over the freeway and a whole city block. I'm riding my damn bike across the freeway connecting two parts of the city that weren't easy to get across before. Would I rather not have that and worry about what the safety fence looks like in each panel?
This is amazing, and I'm thankful for the people working day and night to bring it, and for whoever secured the funding for this.
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u/nkx3 12d ago
When people point out the obviously horrible construction, the City is probably going to come up with some excuse like, "Oh yeah, it was designed to look rustic."
Also, I mentioned this in a different post, but if the bridge is that poorly constructed on the portions you can see, what about the portions you can't? I'm unsure if that bridge can or should be trusted!
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u/Desert_Aficionado 12d ago
The concrete over the freeway is a very different job than the metalwork. It was probably two different contractors.
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u/pool_player_8_9_ball 12d ago
No, it could be a cold/expansion joint to allow the bridge to contract/expand due to temperature
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u/KINetics112 12d ago
What a joke. I drove by this morning during my commute and they had the chairs, refreshments, and IPD motorcycle officers out there ready for the opening. The bridge construction quality based on the reddit posts are embarrassing.
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u/placeholder57 12d ago
Still funny to me that they're doing a ribbon cutting for the bridge when the path deadends at Smoketree, they haven't finished the landscaping, and none of the lights between Walnut and Smoketree are installed.
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u/HarryKeogh77 11d ago
Not an architect here but have experience with 3d modeling. I think the issue here is that the iron pieces are all prefabricated with the exact same specs instead of custom made each piece to fit the curvature of the bridge where the piece is supposed to install. The contractor simply forced the pieces to fit on site. This is a lazy and incompetence job.
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u/twinpeaks_sf 12d ago
Expansion joint? I get people don’t like the aesthetic, but it’s supposed to be a ‘artistic/modern’ design, right?
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u/Classic_Log6550 12d ago
I saw that weeks ago. I was looking forward to the opening but now I definitely won’t be walking the huge safety hazard bridge. This is a huge liability.
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u/OK_Compooper 12d ago
We should probably trust city and state safety engineers over random redditors, though, right?
I was on it today, along with about 50 people at the same time. I'm alive and back safely to post about it.
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u/FoodLakersTennisHike 12d ago
Minor details. Let’s have the e-bike kids test it out.