Roadways aren’t the only piece of infrastructure with a long history. Bridges work in tangent with roadways to provide the ability to transport over larger obstacles, whether it be water or land. The design of bridges largely depends on the task and the materials used. Like with roads, the early construction of bridges made use of wood and then stones; same as with roads; leveling methods by the use of smaller rocks were used. While these materials were able to construct a suspension bridge in 1849 which incorporated crossing a span of over 1,000 feet and suffice throughout the rest of nineteenth century, new materials eventually provided the opportunity for larger systems (Petroski, 2016, pg. 83). The first reinforced-concrete bridge in America was opened in 1889, proving the strength of concrete and ribbed steel bars by surviving a California earthquake in 1906 (Petroski, 2016, pg. 36). The next greatest accomplishments for bridges expanded the length of spans from 1,000 to 4,200 feet. The …show more content…
Roadways, bridges and buildings are the fundamental pieces of infrastructure that America was founded upon and they are also the most visible and recognizable. These structures, that often serve multiple purposes in our society, significantly contribute to the public perception of urban infrastructure (Petroski, 2016, pg. 23). Though they strongly promote the face of infrastructure, there is a need for numerous, often unseen or unrealized, additional methods and styles of infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) categorizes infrastructure into about 16 groups; the number continues to grow as new sources of infrastructure emerge and become considered, such as drinking water, which goes hand in hand with pipes and water flow, energy systems, and hazardous waste (American Society of Civil Engineers,
The Capilano Suspension Bridge was built in 1889 across the Capilano River by a Scottish engineer named George Grant Mackay in the city of Vancouver. The bridge was initially constructed from hemp ropes and cedar planks, which were later replaced with more durable steel cables in 1903. Over time, the bridge has exchanged ownership several times and has undergone a series of renovations. This is a paper on the Capilano Bridge. Special focus is given to its history, construction, and impact in its locality.
The Bailey Island Bridge is located in Harpswell, Maine on Route 24. Before the making of the bridge, the fishermen that lived on Bailey’s Island wanted a bridge that connected their island to Orr’s Island. The town of Harpsweell made and voted on their decisions in the weekly town meetings (“Bailey”). The project was stalled because of some of the mainlanders in the town, but it was brought back up for discussion in 1912. They first agreed on a “road” which would connect the two islands and would be constructed with timber. This was to cost $3,000. The cost quickly reached $25,000 at a later town meting because they decided to build the bridge with stone and concrete instead. Once the legislature decided to pass a bill stating that it would fun state’s highway and bridge projects, they decided to move forward with the project (Hansen, 36).
The 1.78 mile western span of the bridge between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island presented the first obstacle. The bay was up to 100 feet deep in some places and required a new foundation-laying technique. Engineers developed a type of foundation called a pneumatic caisson to support the western section. A series of concrete cylinders were grouped together and then capped-off, having the air pressure of each cylinder identical to balance the beginning of the structure. From there, the workers added sets of new cylinders until the caisson reached the bottom of the bay. Then, in order to reach the bedrock, they inserted long drills down the cylinders, digging until they reached bedrock. After the caisson was balanced at the bottom of the bay, workers filled it with 1 million cubic yards of concrete, more concrete than was used for the construction of the Empire State Building! This caisson connected the two suspension bridges that make up the western part of the bridge.
The Golden Gate bridge, standing as an icon of roadway innovations, took multiple engineers years to design and complete. They could not just simply build an ordinary bridge. They had to take into consideration the physics behind it, as well as, what kind of effect the environment would have upon the bridge. The bridge sits along one of the most active fault lines in the world, so engineers had to make sure their bridge could withstand a little movement. Today the Golden Gate bridge still stands tried and true, as does many other innovations that 20th century engineers came up with.
Following the collapse of the I-35 Bridge, other bridges in the country, with similar construction designs, were scrutinized. According to federal statistics, more than 70,000 of the 607,363 or roughly 12 percent of the bridges in the United States are classified as “structurally deficient.”
San Francisco, where the Golden Gate Bridge is, was founded by the Native Americans 4,000 years ago. Then came the Spanish explorers who established a town named Yerba Buena, later changed the name to San Francisco. That is how the city of San Francisco came to be. Decades later, the population kept growing and growing, requiring a bridge to connect the isolated parts of California to San Francisco. For this reason, the Golden Gate Bridge was built, a construction period of four years. During construction, 11 fatalities occurs, of whom 10 fell through the safety net of the scaffold on February 17, 1937.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, was also known as the Galloping Gertie, was one of the most famous cause study of structure failure in the world. The idea for constructuring of the bridge came up in the date back to 1889 with a Northern Pacific Railway proposal for a trestle. Then after a few yerars of concreted and construction with the cost of over 6,400,000 dallors, the bridge was been build and became the third longest and the most flexible suspension bridge in the world of its time of 1900s with a toatl length of 1810m. It was designed as a twin suspension bridge which located between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula in United States. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened for traffic on July 1, 1940. After being in service for 129 days, unfortunately, the failure occurred at the late morning of Novermber 7, 1940 under a high wind condition. Then a new bridge was build as replacement which opened on 1950 and still remained today as the westbound lanes of the present-day twin bridge complex.
One of the most influential engineering discoveries in the past century was the ill-fated Tacoma Narrows Bridge. “Galloping Gertie” as she was known to local residents, the massive Washington state suspension bridge shook, rattled and rolled its way into the history books. Legendary in its time, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge held many records and drew tourists from around the world in its short life. However, the famous bridge is not known for its creative engineering or speedy construction, unfortunately the bridge was destined to fail. That failure in turn changed the way every building is constructed today as well as further man’s understanding of physics and the forces of nature. In this paper we will examine the history of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge from design to construction, the failure of the bridge, and ultimately the rebuilding project.
...The Roman engineers maintained a rather constant downward slope, from the mountains to the city. The Roman army also built massive bridges, capable of supporting great weight. Many time an aqueduct and a bridge would be built on top of one another. This would obviously save a great deal of time and money. Roman bridges were especially important in the transportation on military units around the empire.
Roads, bridges and tunnels are objects that make transportation easier for those that own a car or use public transit. These things allow individuals to travel further for work and other important tasks. Before cars and highways, a trip that would only take an hour, could take an entire day. These innovations also connect many communities together that would not otherwise be accessible to one
To start with, the Romans were the greatest builders as a result of building roads as a method of transportation. The first thing the Romans did upon entering a new region, after winning the war that gained them their new territory, was construct roads and bridges. This was the best way to “Romanize” the new areas, as it permitted easier communication between the colony and the mother country. The Romans initially built roads in Britain; the roads were over 9,000 kilometres. (“The Great Builders”). The roads were so well built that they can still be seen today, 2000 years after they were first built. The purpose was so that the Roman army is able to move soldiers and all their gear around the country. They constructed them as straight as possible, in order to travel as quickly as they could. Roman roads sloped down from the middle to ditches on either side, allowing the rain to sewer away and not make the road muddy. While minor roads may have already existed, the Romans created an extensive network of roads that linked all of the significant cities together. The road network that they created is very comparable to the highway system that is used today. The Romans undoubtedly understood the significance of good basics as a basis to the excellence and strength of the finishing outcome. At the peak of Rome's expansion, no less than 29 great military highways radiated from the capital (“Wikipedia”, 2014). Overall, Roman roads were vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, the roads demonstrated that the Romans were the greatest builders.
In her essay,”Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Stephanie Stiavetti suggest that “It maintained this point of pride for nearly 25 years until the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, this historic San Francisco landmark holds its place as the second largest suspension bridge in the country, behind Verrazano Narrows.” Back then, experts thought that it would be impossible to build a bridge across the tides and currents in that area because strong currents and tides would make construction extremely difficult and dangerous. The water is over 500 feet deep in the center of the channel, and along with the area's strong winds and thick fog, the idea of building a bridge there seemed nearly impossible. Despite all of the problems of building a bridge across the Golden Gate, Joseph Strauss was named as lead engineer for the project. Construction began January 5, 1933, and in the end cost more than $35 million to
This class has examined the various accomplishments of ancient Rome, many that have been carried on throughout time and influenced numerous cultures around the world. Amongst those accomplishments were the development of concrete and the utilization of arches. This paper will examine the Roman development of both concrete and the infamous concrete arch that is utilized in many modern day structures today.
For more than 100 years American cities have been hustling and bustling powerhouses hosting major corporations and millions of inhabitants. Urban environments are ever changing spheres of constant improvement sculpted by the power of city planners and designers striving to create a perfect utopia. But city authorities can’t always hope that the public will stand in solidarity with their ideas. A few visionaries such as William Whyte, Mike Davis, and Jane Jacobs see the errors made by those who shape the city. An urban project could can initiate a domino effect of problems when not executed properly, leading to issues concerning safety on the street to the shattering of tight knit communities.
Restoring and Improving Urban Infrastructure - Engineering Challenges. " EngineeringChallenges.org -. National Academy of Science, 2012. Web. The Web.