Arkansas used to have more remaining historic bridges than any other state. Not bridges with an official historical marker or anything. Just really old, eye-pleasing bridges scattered across the "natural" state, Arkansas' official moniker as far as the tourism bureau is concerned. These bridges are succumbing to "progress" in the name of efficiently getting Wal-Mart & Tyson's products to market. The narrow two lane bridges, many of them located at the bottom of ravines, slow the trucks down. Arkansas is getting a lot of "pork" money from the government with pressure from these two corporate giants, both of whom are the two largest employers in the state. So they carry a big stick.
I have a home in Eureka Springs. A couple of years ago a lot of construction began out on Hwy. 62W about ten miles from Eureka. Eurekans never had a say in the deforestation of about a half mile of forest on either side of the road. The once green hills were scraped cleaner than a Wal-Mart parking lot. Ultimately, an elevated bridge with a passing lane was built high over the old bridge. The trucks, especially the chicken trucks, can now drive faster & shift less. One of the driving hazards in the Ozarks is the risk of hitting a deer. The other is getting hit by a chicken truck. The nastiest hazard is driving behind a chicken truck. Use your imagination.
The chicken guys aren't always the safest of drivers. Without those pesky little bridges, they can now go faster. On those curvy Ozark roads, it's wise to take the outside curves as wide as you dare. The chicken trucks sometimes lean a little into oncoming lanes; make that lane. If you think the chickens on those trucks are scared wait 'till you have a chicken truck coming head on & you've got nowhere to go. You are clucked!
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