Friday, October 30, 2009

Rion Antirrion Bridge


Type of Project
The Rion Antirrion Bridge is a five-span four pylon cable stayed bridge 2,880m long
The bridge joins Rio and Antirrio, which could only previously be reached by ferry via the isthumus of Corinth
It has two vehicle lanes per direction, and emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway.
It has the worlds second longest cable stayed deck. The Millau Viaduct in France (also an OMEGA case study) is the longest.
The bridge is considered an engineering masterpiece owing to the challenges overcome including: deep water, high levels of sesimic activity in the Gulf of Corinth and poor site geology
Construction
The bridge was planned in the mid-1990's. Site preparation and dredging began in July 1998. The supporting pylons were complete in 2003. The bridge was inaugurated on August 7, 2004, a week before the opening of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
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Mid-Bay Bridge


The quickest way to Destin and the beaches of South Walton is the Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge. Save time by taking the Mid-Bay Bridge straight from Hwy. 20 in Niceville to Hwy. 98 in Destin. That’s a lot more time to enjoy the beach, and the scenery is beautiful! Toll required.

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California


The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, one of the world's most beautiful bridges.
The bridge crosses the Golden Gate Strait which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.
The length of the steel wires used in the cables of the bridge is enough to circle the earth three times!

The Pfluger Bridge

The Pfluger Bridge Extension project will extend the bicycle and pedestrian bridge to the north over Cesar Chavez Street, connecting Town Lake with the Sixth and Lamar Market District.
The bridge extension is an integral part of the new north-south route for bicyclists and pedestrians: from the Pfluger Bridge, across the bridge extension, over Cesar Chavez Street, through the future Gables site to the Bowie Pedestrian Underpass and up to W. Third Street.
There will be an open house on June 7, 2008 from 8 - 11 a.m. on the north end of the bridge to review and provide input on design elements for the extension project.

San Diego-Coronado Bridge


The San Diego-Coronado Bridge is a 2.12-mile bridge that spans San Diego Bay and connects the City of San Diego with the City of Coronado. It is the main way of access to Coronado's beaches and the North Island Naval Air Station, as well as the Silver Strand isthmus that connects Coronado to Imperial Beach and the mainland.
The bridge can be accessed via Interstate 5 in the Barrio Logan neighborhood, just north of National City. It rises and descends in a sweeping curve that terminates at Fourth Avenue in Coronado.
When was it built?:
Construction of the bridge started in 1967 and opened on Aug. 3, 1969. Robert Mosher was the primary architect of the structure, which uses orthotropic steel, a thin, tubelike design for efficiency and grace. The structure uses the world's longest continuous box girder to conceal the braces, joints, and stiffeners normally visible in other bridges. Mosher says he designed the 30 arched towers after Balboa Park's Cabrillo Bridge.
Why is it noteworthy?:
The opening of the bridge eliminated the longtime vehicle ferries that crossed San Diego Bay and provided quick and easy access to Coronado. The graceful and clean architecture and blue paint has made the bridge San Diego's most notable landmark and symbol. Archtect Mosher claims the 90 degree curve is by necessity: span long enough so it can rise to a height of 200 feet and a 4.67% grade, allowing even the Navy's aircraft carrier can sail under. In 1970, it received the Most Beautiful Bridge Award of Merit of the American Institute of Steel Construction.
Facts & figures?:
Cost: $ 47.6 million. The former toll bridge paid off its construction bonds in 1986, and the $1 toll as eliminated in 2002. The bridge has five lanes of traffic and carries 85,000 cars daily. The 34-inch-high concrete barrier railings are low enough to permit an unobstructed view from vehicles on the roadway. The shipping channels are spanned by the world's longest continuous three-span box girder, 1,880 feet. The towers rest on 487 prestressed reinforced concrete piles. In the 1976 the bridge was retrofitted with special rods to protect against earthquake damage.
Did you know?:
Under the roadway is a steel-mesh catwalk built to facilitate bridge maintenance. Caltrans conducts routine inspections to detect concrete flaking and exposed bare metal surfaces.
Painting the bridge is a never-ending job. A six-person crew works year-round to keep it protected from corrosive ocean breezes. The blue color was chosen to blend with sky and sea.
Architect Mosher took a piece of string to map out the crossing points of the bridge and to determine the curve and the state requirements for the bridge, as the span needed to be a bit more than two miles long, making a straight path impossible.
It is supposedly the third deadliest suicide bridge in the U.S., trailing only San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge Seattle's Aurora Bridge. Since 1969, 254 people have jumped off the bridge, which is 240 feet high at its apex. Nine survived.

henderson waves, southern ridges, singapore


henderson waves’ is singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn comparisons to new york’s central park. the bridge itself is absolutely stunning. the deck is made from thousands of balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve. if i was to make sweet love to a bridge, this would be the one.

beipanjiang river railroad bridge, guizhou, china


beipanjiang river railroad bridge in guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the much larger ‘guizhou-shuibai railway project’ (pdf). connecting 2 mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge’s deck sits 918ft above the ground (to compare, at its highest point the millau viaduct’s deck clears the river underneath by 890ft). the bridge has succeeded in connecting 2 of the country’s poorest areas