To the editor:

As I was reading Friday’s editorial, “Cause and effect,” I felt compelled to write regarding the vote the county commissioners will make sometime in the near future about closing the bridge between Lecompton and Perry for construction.

The young man who was hurt as a result of the bump in North Lawrence reminded me how dangerous this bridge closing could be to our young people, as well as other men and women and elderly in our community.

Many young people in our school district live in and around Lecompton and drive over that bridge to attend school, activities, summer athletics and work. By closing the bridge for repairs instead of leaving one lane open, we are asking our young people to drive to the Topeka bypass or through North Lawrence just to get to their school, activities or job. What is normally a five- to 10-minute drive has now become a 25- to 30-minute drive on two dangerous strips of highway: Highway 40 and 24. I don’t want to see the commission vote to close this bridge and have something tragic happen that could have been prevented had one lane of the bridge been left open during repairs.

From a business owner’s perspective, it would hurt all our businesses, but more importantly, each one of us thinks about the child that was placed in harm’s way when it could have been prevented. I would ask the county commissioners of both Douglas and Jefferson counties to please vote to leave one lane of the bridge open during repairs. Thanks for your consideration.

Tiffany Ball,

Perry