It is great that the White River Bridge, which connects Enumclaw and Buckley, was repaired in record time. Governor Ferguson’s declaring it an emergency was a welcome surprise. Government can actually accomplish something! Pardon my cynicism.

How can we be assured that this fiasco won’t happen again? Those yellow bridge clearance signs are a start, but they’re like putting a BandAid on a broken limb. More needs to be done. These trucking companies have got to be held responsible for their reckless disregard of height limitations. I’m not talking about a slap on the wrist, I’m talking about major fines, and possible jail time. They need to realize that their negligence will not be tolerated.

King County Council member Reagan Dunn is trying to address this issue, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly. I do applaud his efforts.

I’ll say it one more time, “How do we prevent this from happening again?” The fact that in a short span of time, two bridges and a freeway overpass were hit by a truck is almost comical. Not really, though, because the effects of these accidents impact tens of thousands of people.

As a concerned citizen, I implore our elected officials to do something about this.

Sarah Berryman

Enumclaw