New Design for Gibraltar bridge

Posted by Brad Bishop on September 22, 2008, 6:18 am

show/hide quoted text
I remember watching the Extreme Engineering show on this and other topics. I
hated that show. The only episode that I thought fell into the realm of
possibility was the Bering Straight Bridge. A 50-mile bridge over fairly
shallow waters and some of the technology had already been figured out on
the Confederate Bridge in Canada (the ice problem).
"But a huge barge filled with oil has lost control of her systems and is
heading straight for the bridge... Can the bridge stand up to the force of a
fully loaded barge?... (few dramatic moments later) Everything's OK. The
engineering team has seen to it that nothing bad will ever happen..."
(not exactly how they played it out but not too far from it)
They changed it a few years later and had that nerdy guy climbing around on
a few construction sites. That was far more interesting.
Some of the dumb ideas I remember:
- a floating tunnel across the atlantic
- the Gibraltar Bridge (not the idea of someone coming up with something
that worked - more just the idea that they presented - it looked like it'd
collapse under it's own weight)
- I think they had a mile-high building or some pyramid building in the
middle of Tokyo Bay
They may as well have had an episode on building a dome over NYC.

Posted by PeterD on September 22, 2008, 10:06 am

wrote:
show/hide quoted text
100 ft? No way, I think you can go 100 meters easily!
show/hide quoted text
"Captan, we need more power on engine 4,345!"
"Give her all you can Scotty, we've got to level the bridge before the
Klingons attack!"
Oh, sorry, got carried away!

Posted by Froggie on September 22, 2008, 8:52 am

show/hide quoted text
/1/hi/world/europe/7515125.stm
show/hide quoted text
The problem with a bridge is that A) at the narrowest point, the
Strait is still 8 miles (~13km) wide, and B) the Strait isn't exactly
shallow...it's several hundred feet deep (200+ meters) and at one
location is over 1,000ft (305m) deep. And one of the busiest maritime
shipping lanes in the world to boot...
Froggie

Page 4 of 4 << first < 1 2 3

Similar Threads	Posted
Interior Design Service Online Expands with A La Carte Interior Design	December 18, 2008, 2:57 pm
Design Competition	July 25, 2007, 2:57 pm
Roof Design	September 21, 2007, 2:17 am
Roof Design	September 22, 2007, 11:49 am
Bathroom design	March 29, 2008, 4:13 am
Help with garage design!	August 1, 2008, 9:10 am
deck design software	June 30, 2007, 12:34 am
Staircase Design Help Needed	November 20, 2006, 2:16 am
structural design studymetrial	January 18, 2007, 11:25 pm
Crown throughout, from a design standpoint.	March 21, 2007, 9:11 pm

New Design for Gibraltar bridge - Page 4