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[SteveG1988]

I found this powerpoint presentation that has examples of the ways to improve the 80 year old lift span, and some of them make sense, the others do not.



Current conditions, 2 10 foot lanes, with a 4 foot 6 sidewalk that is not open




Proposal 1, remove the sidewalk giving two 12 foot lanes.



Proposal 2 was to remove the sidewalk and install a concrete barrier, giving two 10'7 travel lanes, with a jersey barrier in the middle.



Proposal 3 is not very doable due to the span being a movable bridge, it would require redoing of the counterweights as well as new approaches for the outer lanes. also it would have 10 foot inner lanes with a barrier, and 10'6 outer lanes.



Proposal 4 was someone thinking outside of the box imho, double decker bridge with 11'5 lower and 12 foot upper lanes.

Proposal 5 was a very simple proposal, not really needing a picture but it was to reuse the piers and pretty much make a new bridge that was four lanes wide instead of two. Problem is that it would close the bridge to all traffic and cost the bridge comission money in uncollected tolls

i think option 1 is the best one for the span, giving the widest lanes for the lowest cost, requiring the least modification to the span.

[DeaconG]

With the current traffic counts, proposal 1 will probably be the one that ends up getting funded; however, from the nerd side, proposals 3 and 4 get my juices going (someone must have been checking out the Huey P. Long widening when they did proposal 3).

[froggie]

Leave it as is, unless you'd prefer pedestrians walking in the traffic lane.

Also, a link to the Powerpoint presentation would be nice.

[SteveG1988]

I forgot to link the presentation,

www.pages.drexel.edu/~mitcheje/Mitchell_Courses/SenDes/SD_AY07/Resources/StudentWork/FallPpt/25.ppt

That will immediately download it. Some interesting ideas from students there.

[Steve]

They're on crack if they think a median barrier is over 30" wide. I've never specced one out wider than 24 inches. Also, half-barriers are 18", not 20+ inches. Where the hell did these dimensions come from? I really like proposal 4 if it's feasible. However, keep in mind the approaches can't really accommodate enough traffic to warrant a 3-4 lane bridge as it currently stands. The BEST solution is to complete I-895. Short of that, may as well use Alternative 1. If you want to get pedestrians across, how about having THEM on the upper level on a suspended walkway? Requires no structural modifications, nice and cheap.

[SteveG1988]

The bridge as it stands does not allow any pedestrians on it.

[froggie]

Why not?

[NE2]

More egregiously, it doesn't allow bikes, despite connecting to surface roads on both ends.

[SteveG1988]

Safety, it is a unisolated sidewalk, that means that if someone were to fall on the approach they could slip into traffic. also it is a hefty walk on the PA side to the town. at least a mile.