Letter to the editor: Manning Avenue bridge is dangerous, needs attention before an accident happens

The Manning Avenue bridge is in a very dangerous and ominous state of deterioration.

The deterioration of the aforementioned bridge threatens the safety and security of people who live in South Sumter and of those who travel this particular segment of the City of Sumter.

Bent, sharp metal material on the bridge, along with displaced and missing metal spikes on the bridge, pose dangerous and potentially deadly conditions to all who traverse the bridge and live within close proximity to the site.

Below the aforementioned defective and deteriorating Manning Avenue Bridge lie CSX Railroad freight trains on the tracks that frequently transport hazardous materials.

A major accident at or near the Manning Avenue bridge would cause devastation and create havoc and life-threatening conditions for tens of thousands of residents of the City of Sumter and Sumter County, South Carolina.

The replacement of the current Manning Avenue bridge must take immediate precedence over the renovation of the North Main Street corridor.

Funding provided via the Penny for Progress program, combined with that from the American Rescue Plan Act, exists and must be spent, without hesitation or reservation, on the replacement of the Manning Avenue bridge. This replacement must be without compromising on the safety, security and sustainability of this vital structure which plays a major role in the viability of the City of Sumter and Sumter County, South Carolina, communities ... a significant proportion of which consists of tens of thousands of people who have been historically disenfranchised and are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

BRENDA C. WILLIAMS, M.D.

The Family Unit Inc., a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, charitable organization

Sumter