Bridge Construction

[mendel]

The PBS series "Building Big", one part of which deals with bridges, has a web site at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/index.html .
Highschool-level background on bridge building.
This link is also posted on www.bridgebuilder-game.com , where you can find more bridgebuilding links.

[panther]

For all of you that need some inspiration, check out the following excellent site....

http://www.brantacan.co.uk/bridges.htm

[jeffrowe]

I dont know if it was mentioned in any of those links your guys put up, but the most impressive bridge documentary is this one on the leonardo project. They started off by building a partially wooden pedestrian bridge using Da Vinci's design. A second one is being made using all stone... this one might be for traffic too...

Since I dont knwo alot about this stuff, all I can say is that the bridges use converging arches to perform the loadbearing with another arch as the roadway... beautiful....

<url>http://www.vebjorn-sand.com/thebridge.htm</url>

[Gray]

Yeah this site is awesome! Tons of stuff, pictures and explanations...

[Frish]

i @ st. louis.

i watched that too.

ver cool

There is a new bridge . .  8  lanes each way, in planning stages to replace all the others . . . huge a$$ cable stayed mother . .

i'd like to see that happen.

[JohnK]

I saw a PBS special on a bridge being built somewhere (i forget). Two hours long without commercials watched every second of it. Think it was called superbridge or megabridge or something.

(Edited by kvinge at 3:51 pm on Oct. 11, 2001)

[JohnK]

Yep, thats the one. I think its probably a good thing we don't have to deal with flooding in Pontifex, looked like quite a mess. http://www.pontifex2.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[andorb]

There was a PBS special about a bridge being built from St. Louis, MO to Alton, IL.  Was that what you are talking about?  It was one of those new types of suspension bridge whereby the cables radiate from a point on the top of each pier.

[mat-c]

The "cables radiate from a point" bridge is called a cable-stayed bridge.  Its not as new as you might think, it was used a lot in WWII to quickly replace semi-destroyed bridges using remaining supports.  It seems to be only recently used in new designs, possibly because its harder to analyse than suspension bridges, possibly because they are more expensive, or possibly because they require newer materials.  Anyone got any facts about this?