Demolition of railroad bridge under way

<p>The U.S. Army Corps of engineers began demolishing an old railroad bridge across the Petaluma River Wednesday morning, a key step in finishing the 20-year-old Payran flood-control project.</p><p>The wooden trestle bridge near Lakeville Street restricts the flow of water and can act as a dam for floating debris, limiting the effectiveness of the flood project upstream.</p><p>The bridge has been slated for removal for several years but delays in getting federal funding postponed the work.</p><p>Earlier this year, Congress authorized $3.2 million to complete the project, a move supported by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.</p><p>Once the bridge is removed, the river channel will be excavated and a gap in the flood wall filled to complete the project.</p>