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Hardin Bridge

2007-08-02 19:48:59 by IllustriousPotentate

I've written a topic on the MN bridge collapse. You can find that here:
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/74 9562

One example of these structurally deficient bridges I've found in Bartow County, GA.

The Hardin Bridge spans the Etowah River west of Cartersville. Once a rural farming area, the area has grown to exurban to suburban over the past few years, as Metropolitan Atlanta sprawls further and further away from the city center.

Built in 1930 to handle obviously less traffic, the bridge is so old and worn out, it has a 3 ton weight limit, down from 12 tons. While 3 tons may seem like a lot, it's not in terms of an engineering stand point.

Yet it continues to serve more and more suburban traffic, despite the obviously dangerous condition of the bridge: note the bent rails and even a bent structural member in the photo below.

This bridge belongs as a park's historic centerpiece, not as an active part of transportation infrastructure.

While most of the 75,000+bridges labeled structurally deficient are nowhere near this unsafe, there still are plenty, like this bridge, just holding on.

Hardin Bridge


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ProteasProteas

2007-08-02 20:40:35

... you're kidding me when you say people use that, right? PLEASE tell me you're joking.

IllustriousPotentate responds:

I've used it before. I've actually driven across it a couple of times, not all that long ago. Of course, it was in my little Chevy Cavalier that I had--I wouldn't drive across it in a big pickup or SUV.

Besides, how else do you think I got the picture from the middle of the bridge? :-รพ