The walk-over bridge across the main straight has bit the dust
The Dundee Park District has cut down the steel frame of the walk-over that served the race officials' post on the 1-mile north Club Course. It was built in 1967 when the 1.1 mile club course was created to provide access to the stewards' and Timing and Scoring stands that had been built inside the track.
While we hate to see any of the old structures destroyed, the liability that this structure presented was obvious. Virtually all the wood stairs and planks were gone, yet people still climbed the steel frame. The height of the bridge was such that a fall from it could result in serious injury, even death. And since in today's litigious society, no one is responsible for their own dumb acts, the prudent course was to take the bridge frame down.
Local observers noted that the demolition was done quickly with no advance notice. Perhaps the Park Board was afraid of a "Save the Walk-Over" protest! Of course the walk-over had neither the legacy nor the visibility of the silo, and it presented much more of a liability danger.
Ross Fosbender
