A lot of us laughed when we heard they were going to build a bridge at the southern entrance to Dana Point. They said that a bottleneck was created by pedestrians taking so long to cross Pacific Coast Highway. They also said that this was the most dangerous intersection in the city, that someday, some pedestrian crossing at the entrance to our harbor would get hit by an oncoming vehicle. So the City Council voted to build a pedestrian bridge.

And as it began to take shape over the weeks and months of late 2008 and early 2009, it was called The Bridge to Nowhere, and The Bridge to Denny's, the nearby fast food restaurant. An elevator would be installed for the handicapped headed to and from the harbor. They even decided to add artwork to the bridge. And a lot of us still laughed.

Well, construction finally ended, and last Friday morning the bridge was officially opened. Several hundred curious Dana Pointers showed up for the dedication. They were all stunned by the beauty of the bridge, a truly impressive gateway to our City.

And the laughter stopped. As one local activist said, "At first I hated the bridge. But now I love it." He wasn't the only one.