WSSNews | Volume 39 No. 41

• Lytle Creek
• Bridge Reopens After
• Historic Storm
• AFTER
• BEFORE
• SAN BERNARDINO
• COUNTY

Public Works

Before and after views of Happy Jack Bridge in Lytle Creek as San Bernardino County Public Works crews restore access after storm damage.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY - Vehicle access to Happy Jack's Bridge in Lytle Creek has been re- stored following damage caused by a severe storm on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24. Public Works crews regained ve- hicle access to the roadway on Sunday, and a licensed structural engineer has confirmed the bridge is structurally sound and safe for use. Public Works has received authorization to reopen Happy Jack's Bridge.

Due to ongoing construction ac- tivities and limited access in the area, bridge access is currently restricted to residents only. Pub- lic Works crews continue working in the creek, roadway, and near- by sewer system. For everyone's safety and to allow crews to work efficiently, residents are asked to limit non-essential travel through the area while construction opera- tions remain active. Emergency access is not affected, and motor- ists should follow all posted sig- nage and traffic controls.

11.23 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, while Lytle Creek received 11.31 inches.

County crews were pre-activat- ed ahead of the storm and began working on Christmas Eve, oper- ating around the clock to address mud and debris flows caused by the intense rainfall. One of the most significant impacts was the washout of Sycamore Road lead- ing up to Happy Jack's Bridge, which serves as the only main ar- terial route in and out of the com- munity.

San Bernardino County Fire, the Office of Emergency Services, and Public Works worked collab- oratively to support the affected community while access was lim- ited, and repairs were underway. San Bernardino County Public Works crews, along with contract- ed equipment, worked as quickly and safely as possible to clear mud and debris from the bridge and place fill material to restore the crossing to operational status.

After the storm subsided, resi- San Bernardino County was dents were able to safely hike impacted by a severe storm on across the creek crossing to obtain Christmas Eve, Wednesday, De- essential supplies. The American cember 24. The storm brought Red Cross was also on site to dis- historic rainfall to the Bridge Fire tribute resources to residents. burn scars in the mountain com- For more winter storm informa- munities of Wrightwood and Ly- tion and resources, please visit tle Creek. Wrightwood recorded https://prepare.sbcounty.gov/.

America has a big birthday this year.

Here's a hint: The celebration will not feel much like the last big one in 1976.

I still believe our nation's best days are ahead. But our history- and our headlines-suggest we are facing a familiar test. Another fraught fight for freedom and de- mocracy is already upon us. That, too, is part of a pattern.

How America marks century anniversaries has looked differ- ent from how we mark the half- way points. The difference is not in the fireworks. It is whether we are expanding the idea of who be- longs or shrinking it.

In 1776, the colonies declared in- dependence from a monarchy and made a radical claim: that all men are created equal.

Slavery was more entrenched and brutal than at the founding. Congress outlawed the transatlan-

WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

Get Ready to Honor America's

Birthday by Fighting for Freedom, Again

Ben Jealous tic slave trade in 1807, effective in 1808. But it did not weaken slav- ery. It intensified it. A vast internal slave trade tore families apart as enslaved people were sold further south to fuel cotton's explosive growth.

The nation celebrated indepen- dence while perfecting a domestic machinery of human trafficking. Another fifty years brought a dif- ferent moment.

In July 1876, the centennial told a more hopeful story. The party of Lincoln remained in power. The constitutional amendments guaranteeing citizenship and vot- ing rights were part of the nation- al narrative. Federal troops still protected Black communities in the South. Much would change months later. But on the nation's birthday, Black America was liv- By 1826, that promise had nar- ing in an era defined by hard-won rowed, not widened. freedom.

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