Harbor Area Lawmaker Urges State to Close Down Vincent Thomas Bridge

(KFWB) 11.02.01, 1:25p --

Councilwoman Janice Hahn is urging the state to reconsider a decision to keep the Vincent Thomas Bridge open, despite the fact it is on a federal watch list along with other suspension bridges around the state. The Harbor area representative says it is not enough that National Guard members are patrolling the bridge and it is worth it, for safety's sake, to temporarily shut down the short cut from Terminal Island to San Pedro.

She says without officials stopping and searching every vehicle that drives over the bridge, "how can we stop a terrorist that drives across that bridge and has a car bomb."

About 39,000 cars cross the bridge daily. It has been temporarily closed for movie shoots and military exercises in the past without any major problems, said Hahn.

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), November 02, 2001