[Carry_Okie]

Let's see, the people who hired the plane to take those aerial photos paid good money to a pilot just to get a picture of that bridge. The other photos you've posted were taken by people impressed enough that they took the time to put the pictures online. In fact, there are hundreds of photos of it from scads of angles on the web. I would hazard that those pictures were not taken because those people thought it was ugly.

The architect, Santiago Calatrava, is the same guy who was hired to build the structures for the Athens Olympics. That means the bridge gets worldwide recognition as a thing of beauty, and Redding with it. Plaudits have come from around the world, and that means tourism, unlike merely doubling the acreage in the park. If you do a Google Search on "Turtle Bay" + "Sundial Bridge" you'll get over 1,100 references, for "Sundial Bridge" alone there are over 3,300. I guess the word is getting out.

It's all part of Redding becoming a city, something that doesn't thrill me but is part of having a growing population. Museum attendance was nearly 53,000 people in its first five months. It takes time, but such things usually do pretty well for a community over the long run.

Time will tell, but if I were you and I cared about Redding, I'd stop slamming the thing and start looking for opportunities instead of dumping mindless bitching with no understanding of economics. That this thing is inducing over one third its cost in new investment in its first year is quite promising.

[WildTurkey]

The architect, Santiago Calatrava, is the same guy who was hired to build the structures for the Athens Olympics.

Oh, the Athens that wondered where all the money went?

[WildTurkey]

It's all part of Redding becoming a city, something that doesn't thrill me but is part of having a growing population.

Why? You said you lived 300 miles away and didn't go to Redding.

[WildTurkey]

Projects like Sundial are why CA has an enormous debt and recalled GDavis.

[WildTurkey]

If you do a Google Search on "Turtle Bay" + "Sundial Bridge"

Uh, your right. I always do a google search on "Turtle Bay"+"Sundial Bridge" before I plan my vacation. I am sure everyone else does also.

[Dinsdale]

Why the hell should anybody outside Redding (the hot, dusty, dump overrun with farm workers that's not worth visiting.) pay to create a tourist attraction for you?

Local attractions should be paid for by local money. If the benefit can't be seen there then the project should'nt be funded.

The bay bridge should be funded by the state in a minimalist fashion (keeping 80 running is'nt local). Making it a tourist attraction is up to the locals.

[WildTurkey]

Here is a snip from an honest article:

The foundation has since indulged every whim for the sculptor and engineer. When Calatrava changed his mind - twice - about rounding off a corner of a plaza wall, the foundation didn't blink at the $11,000 cost to replace and then re-replace the section.

Calatrava doesn't like exposed concrete, so even rarely seen portions of the bridge and its abutments are shielded by broken Spanish tile. Structural pipes came from Spain, cables from England, the three-layer laminated glass bridge deck from Canada, patio stone from Italy and Mexico.

"We were able to go as wild as you can imagine. You could never do this with just regular government spending," Warren said."

You could never do this with just regular government spending," Warren said.

That last sentence says it all. Elites gone wild with the taxpayers money!

[WildTurkey]

NCN Staff - The Sundial Bridge isn't just a visual masterpiece. Some people are saying it doubles as a wild ride but builders say the newly completed suspension bridge is moving just like it should and no one should be alarmed. Bob Morrison, Bridge Building Manager, says the movement is normal because suspension bridges are usually longer, more lightweight, and more flexible than other bridges and when the bridge opened on Sunday, more than 1,500 people crossed at one time, causing a more noticeable movement but Morrison says, “human and wind dynamics are all a part of bridge building, and they pose no danger.” He also says there is no structural problem with the bridge and they would not allow people out here if there were.