birds ? No

maybe half-dressed boaters ? No

At one point it was covered in a shed to prevent the snow from closing the road. Could it be that? No

Were hooks from anglers fly-fishing in the river cast into traffic? No

Going out in a couple of hours - second hint before I go

Second hint: What type of structure is often associated with rivers?

Back late tonight, UK time

was it built as a bridge to allow traffic/people to cross the road in safety

Is it the Queensway Tunnel?

was it built as a bridge to allow traffic/people to cross the road in safety? No

Is it the Queensway Tunnel? No

Pandora is nearest so far, but it's not landslides they're worried about - they're contained by a seperate steel mesh barrier. With a large river running beside the road, what might you see if you looked up?

birds

were certain birds, ducks landing on the road?

did the suns` reflection make the road, when wet, look like water?

were certain birds, ducks landing on the road? No

did the suns` reflection make the road, when wet, look like water? No

I was thinking more of what sort of structure might you see

Here in Puget Sound we have very large cranes for loading and unloading cargo from ships. Is it to protect the drivers from crane accidents?

would it have anything to do with a paddle wheel ?

or a milling place ,with flying dust and such ?


or log jams from a paper mill ?

Does the road go under a bridge where various discharge from above threatens traffic below?

Like passenger trains on an overhead trestle, dumping (while movin') all kinds of stuff to the ground below.

Or, maybe too many people were offing themselves, from some sorta favorite overpass spot, inconveniencing traffic below with their suicide bids?

Ooh! I like the suicide guess. It has the right ring to it.

Helmer gets it exactly!

It was a popular spot for suicides and the resultant traffic carnage took forever to sort out. The actual spot was the Clifton Suspension Bridge near Bristol. You can see the "tunnel" in the bottom right here