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Post by jamshundred on Mar 16, 2019 16:45:55 GMT
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Post by genebo on Mar 16, 2019 20:44:59 GMT
In 1996, the Coleman Bridge that connects Yorktown and Gloucester was condemned and had to be replaced. This would have placed a great hardship upon some of the residents of Gloucester, since many of them worked jobs on the Penihsula. The detour route added 75 miles to their commute.
The Army Corps of Engineers considered constructing a floating pontoon bridge to allow limited traffic to cross. However, a contract was let to have the replacement bridge constructed in such a short time that the floating bridge would be unnecessary. All of the preparations were made beforehand, with 3 large sections floated in on barges.
The Coleman Bridge was closed to traffic and the old spans were removed. The new foundations were poured, the new sections were floated in, and the new bridge re-opened to traffic in 9 days.
This was an engineering feat considered superior to the floating bridge solution and earned the contractor a $1.4 million bonus. It allowed workers to use vacation time to avoid the commuting hardships. Employers were generous in their cooperation.
Where I worked, many people not affected by the bridge replacement worked extra shifts to permit Gloucester residents the freedom to stay home. Some even donated vacation time.
The American spirit is indomitable.
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Post by jamshundred on Mar 18, 2019 23:50:17 GMT
Indeed Gene! American spirit is indomitable. I like the way you said that. I am so grateful to have been blessed by being born in America by whomever makes these decisions in the vast universe. I shudder to think had the spinner stopped on Iraq or Syria, or Afghanistan. Much as I find Iceland amazing. . . . . I cannot stand cold, so grateful others were sent there. ( Smiling).
Some videos catch my imagination and I watch them over and over. This is one of them. The waves created beneath the car as it moves along the bridge keep me coming back to watch it again. How do they anchor the bridge on either end? Is it like a swinging bridge. ( I walked across one of those many years ago, and it was the first and last time ever)! I wonder because the river is at the bottom of tall mountains and surely during rainy periods there must be lots of water that drains into that gully. I would think there would be frequent high water/flooding.
Speaking of flooding. I am saddened by the loss of life and property of those in Nebraska, and I cannot help but grieve for the many animals without a means to head for higher ground. Just horrible the devastation there. One area after another with devastation from nature. Fire, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes. An earthquake is coming.
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Post by genebo on Mar 19, 2019 1:09:52 GMT
Please, no earthquakes. Gale Seddon is astraddle of the biggest fault in the east. Last time there was a major shake from her place it was felt in New York.
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