Girlfriend brakes for beau during overpass proposal

By Kevin Sheh, Tribune Writer

Bill Meyer hoped Friday afternoon's rush hour on the packed Superstition Freeway would be the happiest moment of his life.

He didn't plan on being in the bumper-to-bumper traffic, but over it. Meyer selected the walkover bridge at the end of College Avenue to propose to his girlfriend, Sandy Bursten, 53.

"I drove by here one night when the sun was setting," said Meyer, 50, a Tempe native. "I said to myself, 'That's where I'm going to propose to Sandy.'" Nancy Cox, a mutual friend, re-introduced the couple eight months ago - they had dated seven years ago before losing touch. Though they quickly became close, Friday's production caught Meyer's friends - and girlfriend - completely off guard.

Meyer's plan: Tell his girlfriend he wanted to show her a "wild" purchase he had made; he needed her to say "yes" before "the papers could be signed." An hour before the couple arrived, Meyer's friends, Floyd Guerra and Rhonda Hammond, set up a table, lace tablecloth, two champagne glasses, two candles, orange juice and champagne on ice.

A vinyl sign - "sandy, will you marry me, Bill" - was posted over the table on the walk-over screen, 30 feet over the bustling freeway. "Man, we almost caused an accident," said Guerra, laughing, about 15 minutes before Meyer and Bursten arrived. "This driver was looking up at us and he wasn't paying attention to where he was going -came to a screeching halt, almost rear-ended another guy."

Finally, just before 6 p.m., Meyer led his blindfolded bride-to-be across the bridge and sat her down. Guerra removed the blindfold. Bursten smiled, confused, until Meyer pointed at the sign.

"I don't know, I'll think about it," Bursten said, as the heavy traffic droned in the background.

Then, one second later, "Yes."

Bursten was overcome, not knowing quite what else to say. But Meyer's son, who showed up just before the proposal, didn't mince words. "It's great," said Bill Jr. "It's nice to see some originality out of the old man."