Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

[sangerwaker]

I got this emailed to me today and thought this was pretty cool and some of you might enjoy ths. An engineering masterpiece.<br /><br /><br /> The bridge (or should it be called tunnel) goes under water to allow<br /> movement of ships. In order for ships to pass, this bridge is half<br /> under the water. You drive down in the water and then come out on the<br /> other side. Truly a marvelous piece of engineering! This bridge is<br /> between Sweden and Denmark . Picture taken from the side of Sweden.<br /><br /><br />

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

I hope they've got good barriers to stop ship impacts.<br /><br />This wasn't a bad bit of engineering in its day but it couldn't resist a ship hitting a pylon.<br /><br /> http://www.naturesplatform.com/images/Tasman.jpg <br /><br /> http://www.holdenuk.co.uk/Tasmanz.jpg <br /><br />It's in Tasmania on the Derwent River at Hobart.<br /><br />"In May 1960, construction of the Tasman Bridge commenced and the bridge was completed in December 1964.<br /><br />The bridge is constructed of pre-stressed concrete, with the major parts composed of precast sections. The bridge comprises a total of about 61,000 cubic metres of concrete, about 5,200 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 117 kilometres of prestressing cables. The total cost of the bridge was approximately £7,000,000. The bridge had an estimated peak capacity of 4,000 vehicles per hour across four lanes and the navigation span had a minimum clearance of 45.7 metres above mean sea level to enable the largest ships to pass through. <br /><br />On 5 January 1975, the Lake Illawarra, with a cargo of 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate bound for the Elecrolytic Zinc Company, collided with the Tasman Bridge and sank. Two piers of the bridge were demolished, and three spans of deck supported by them collapsed. Twelve people died in the accident."<br /><br />From http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/7a88395760718555ca256c32002417ba?OpenDocument

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

Not unlike the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/tunnel..<br />

<br /> http://www.cbbt.com/history.html <br /><br />Discovery, TLC, or it might have been the History Channel.. One of them did a show about it.. Very interesting show...

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

The reason Chesapeake Bay Bridge/tunnel was built that way was, during the cold war the US was afraid if the a bridge was built all the way across the bay and then bombed by the USSR it would have blocked the shipping lanes to Norfolk, the home for the US Atlantic fleet. Smart move back then.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

That's just like the Mine Train, the world's first tubular steel roller coaster, built in 1966 at Six Flags Over Texas.<br /><br />

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

Happend here locally back in 1980,At 7:38 a.m. May 9, 1980, during a blinding spring squall, the freighter Summit Venture rammed into the Sunshine Skyway and knocked out a 1,200-foot length of the bridge across the mouth of Tampa Bay. Thirty five people -- most of them in a Greyhound Bus -- plunged 150 feet to their deaths. <br /><br />

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<br /><br />Was nicely rebuilt though.<br />

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Is it a bridge or a tunnel?

..

Discovery, TLC, or it might have been the History Channel.. One of them did a show about it.. Very interesting show....

Saw the show just last Thurs on Discovery. Fascinating bit of engineering and interesting to learn why it was built that way. Just goes to show that for every problem there is always a solution.