Wednesday, November 14, 2007

New Paseo Bridge



Nice! Very pretty!

See how the central support for the entire bridge forms a peak over the center of the bridge?

See how all of the cables feed into that central peak?

Guess what will happen during a midwestern ice storm when the cables and that big, concrete, central support all get coated with ice?

That's right. Big, huge, heavy, pointed, spear-like ice-bombs dropping into the 6 lanes of traffic, puncturing windshields and hoods, disabling vehicles and impaling drivers and passengers like wooden stakes in old Hammer vampire movies.



Who the fuck dreams up this stuff without thinking these things through?!?

TELL ME the bridge will have solar-heated water running through the cables and concrete superstructure to prevent ice from forming. That's not rocket science...that's just good, midwestern common sense.

TELL ME this bridge won't be closed to traffic everytime we have wintery weather because the design, although asthetically pleasing and suitably iconic, is totally impractical and potentially deadly to motorists.

TELL ME that I'm not smarter than a bunch of highly paid civil engineers!

11 comments:

Brad said...

You bring up a good point. I've never really thought about that before. It looks strikingly similar to the Zakim Bridge in Boston, and I'd like to think if that design can make it through Boston winters we're probably in the clear in here KC.

http://www.leonardpzakimbunkerhillbridge.org/

FletcherDodge said...

XO, there will be a low-voltage electrical current running through the supporting cables to prevent the buildup of ice, much like the rear window defrosters in most cars.

(sounds plausible, right?)

Anonymous said...

yep...your an idiot!

Anonymous said...

Not to worry, KC will be a desert by 2015.

The DLC said...

Boston doesn't have the best track record when it comes to civil engineering.

the unthinking lemming said...

It is like no other existing bridge over the river has overhead superstructure?

Anonymous said...

"Who the fuck dreams up this stuff without thinking these things through?!?"

Uh -- are you saying that's what happened? Like, literally, they hired a bunch of Qualstaff temps to design the bridge? Or is it remotely possible that you're ranting about nothing? And doing it, like, preemptively?

"The D" said...

"water running through the cables" Then they would be pipes not cables.

Xavier Onassis said...

lemming - sure they do. But most of the infrastructure is off to the side...not directly overhead.

anon 4:02 - I'm just saying. Exactly what is the ice mitgation plan? This bridge would be great in Miami. I have my doubts about having it loom over the Missouri River in January and February.

d - Know why we don't send donkeys to college? Because nobody likes a smartass, that's why. :P

Anonymous said...

You didn't like me as Al Gore? I thought it was funny.

Faith said...

travlingal, I liked you as Al Gore. I giggled, even!

And I'm with brad..they finished that bridge in Boston when I lived there, and I never heard of them having issues with ice and stuff. But we shall have to see what happens with this one. Surely they thought of this when they designed it...they *had* to have thought of it. (I hope...)

And anonymous at 8:09 would have been much more poignant with their mudsling had they known to spell "you're" correctly. Oh well! There's always room for an idiot in the mix, I say!