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K.C.

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Here's a pic of the bridge in Astoria, Or that I mentioned earlier..neat design. I've been across several interesting bridges in the Portland area the times I've been there..

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That is a beautiful cantilever/truss bridge. It reminds me of the original Sunshine Skyway that was tragically taken out by an oil tanker in a storm. My flash bulb memory remembers exactly where I was when I heard the tragic news of that bridge collapse.

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China has been building bridges at an amazing rate to improve their infrastructure. There are supposed to be 100 new bridges built on the Yangtze River alone. The concern is that with such massive bridge projects, the worry is that their engineering is not as particular about safety as those in the USA and Europe. China has had three bridge collapses this year alone, and the most serious being when a ship carrying sand hit a cable stayed bridge over the Xijiang River that had 150 cars on the bridge. Bridge collapses in the USA are more rare with the most notable being the I-35W collapsing in Minneapolis due to failure to properly maintain the bridge. China really needs to learn from the USA and Europe about how to protect their bridges from passing ships. The "dolphins" that protect the new Sunshine Skyway in Bradenton would have prevented the Chinese bridge from collapsing and would have saved the ship which sunk as well.

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All of those pics of Calgary make me homesick. :( Thanks for sharing them. God that is such a beautiful city. I miss it.

I certainly love living here...

It's most beautiful at dusk and dawn.

Another one of the Centre Street Bridge

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The Louise Bridge in Calgary

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If some of you recall the Steven Segal Movie; Exit Wounds, it was filmed in Calgary and that big first scene on the bridge was filmed on the Centre Street Bridge:

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Edited by vonVeezelsnider
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Muuuhahahahahaha, it doesn't sway, I've been acrossed it a million times, and look, I'm still alive! :smilewide:

I did not say that it DOES sway. I said it CAN sway, and some people are more sensitive to the swaying of bridges and skyscrapers.

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It's my first attempt at a sig. It sucks, but I did it so that counts for something.

Well, I've had to have mine made for me, so kudos to you.

I don't know you, but somehow, it's you, judging from your cumulative posting.

BTW, K.C., where are you originally from (state in the US or province in Canada)?

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The Omaha pedestrian bridge is gorgeous! I am going to have to take a trip to Omaha just to walk across it. I love it! Do you know when it will be completed?

I'm not really sure, I think it got approval by the city sometime earlier this year but I haven't been to Omaha in a while so I don't know if they have started construction yet or not. It was originally supposed to be completed by 2008 but was pushed back because there weren't enough funds available at the time.

I remember them saying it could have a similar effect on the city as the Gateway Arch had on St. Louis...I think that may be a bit of a stretch but it should make for some good views of the skyline from the Council Bluffs side.

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Well, I've had to have mine made for me, so kudos to you.

I don't know you, but somehow, it's you, judging from your cumulative posting.

BTW, K.C., where are you originally from (state in the US or province in Canada)?

That's not me in the pic. I just like the Cadillac and the scenery of that shot. I am a big fan of classic Cadillacs from that time. The sig is only temporary. I want to have one made for me and know exactly what I want, but I am going to try to do it myself before I ask someone to make one for me. I didn't realize people on this site can be so rude about something as stupid as your sig. I thought this place was about cars. Oh well.

I was born in northern Illinois, but have lived all over. I moved to Canada after high school and gained dual citizenship.

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I'm not really sure, I think it got approval by the city sometime earlier this year but I haven't been to Omaha in a while so I don't know if they have started construction yet or not. It was originally supposed to be completed by 2008 but was pushed back because there weren't enough funds available at the time.

I remember them saying it could have a similar effect on the city as the Gateway Arch had on St. Louis...I think that may be a bit of a stretch but it should make for some good views of the skyline from the Council Bluffs side.

I'm sure that is going to be quite a big project for the city. I am glad that it was finally approved. With its S-design I am sure it will be the coolest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Speaking of pedestrian bridges and St. Louis, just north of the city is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. It used to be the Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi River. It's a cantilever truss structure and has a dangerous curve midspan that was the location of many early exits off the bridge and into the water below. I've also attached a pink of a very cool pink Cadillac on the bridge.

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The new 280 bridge in Toledo, at dusk. Not a great picture, but shows the programmable lighting in the center. This one opened this summer.

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Then I was also in another city with lots of bridges (and tunnels) this week.

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Great shots OldsGuy. I see you captured the "3 sisters" in the shot you took in Pittsburgh. I had a field day checking out all the bridges last time I was in Pittsburgh. I didn't know that the I-280 over the Maumee River opened this year? I guess I lost track of that bridge's construction timetable.

Thats for sharing them.

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I'm sure that is going to be quite a big project for the city. I am glad that it was finally approved. With its S-design I am sure it will be the coolest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Speaking of pedestrian bridges and St. Louis, just north of the city is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. It used to be the Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi River. It's a cantilever truss structure and has a dangerous curve midspan that was the location of many early exits off the bridge and into the water below. I've also attached a pink of a very cool pink Cadillac on the bridge.

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What's the name of that bridge? Is there some topographical reason they built it like that rather than just a straight bridge? Edited by mustang84
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Kinda cool:

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The covered bridge in Elizabethton TN. Built in 1882 for $3000, the person who headed the construction jokingly called it his $5 bridge because that is the profit he made from it. Weathered a massive flood in 1901, it is 155 feet long and it includes a pedestrian path and wagon lane.

I go to Elizabethton all the time for their weekend car shows, it's a very beautiful and historic place. Wouldn't mind living there someday, it's just a small mill town with good close-knit people (Just like my town used to be)

Edited by FUTURE_OF_GM
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What's the name of that bridge? Is there some topographical reason they built it like that rather than just a straight bridge?

The name of the bridge is the Chain of Rocks Bridge. It is named after the chain of rocks that provide a natural dam just south of the bridge. Both the strange 22-degree turn in the bridge and the Chain of Rocks owe their existence to glaciers. During the last ice age, the Mississippi River was re-routed from its original channel in soft river sediment (farther to the east in present day Illinois) to its present channel over resistant (mainly limestone) bedrock. The river has yet to wear down the bedrock and this feature is still a rough spot in the river. If the bridge had been built straight, the engineers would have had to choose between two problematic routes. One route would have put the bridge in a location where it couldn’t have been solidly founded on bedrock. The other route would have posed problems to river navigation by not allowing barges to line up with the current, possibly causing them to collide with the bridge. Although this bend was troublesome for motor traffic, it served as a compromise between geological and navigational concerns. If a bridge were built in a similar location today, the extra expense to make the bridge straight would certainly be spent. In the day of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, cars were narrower, slower, and traffic was less of a concern. Today’s foundation piers can also be driven more efficiently and to deeper depths. The old bridge is still structurally sound after all its years. The unusual the bend in the fifteen-span bridge definitely adds character and doesn’t give pedestrians or cyclists any grief.

This bridge was also featured in the 1981 movie Escape From New York.

Edited by K.C.
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Very cool! I always enjoyed the scenes around those old covered bridges. They are a piece of Americana that you don't see much anymore. Thanks for sharing FOG.

Kinda cool:

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The covered bridge in Elizabethton TN. Built in 1882 for $3000, the person who headed the construction jokingly called it his $5 bridge because that is the profit he made from it. Weathered a massive flood in 1901, it is 155 feet long and it includes a pedestrian path and wagon lane.

I go to Elizabethton all the time for their weekend car shows, it's a very beautiful and historic place. Wouldn't mind living there someday, it's just a small mill town with good close-knit people (Just like my town used to be)

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