Scariest bridge you've ever driven across

[Mr_Northside]

I will not make the mistake again of getting in the far left EZ-Pass lane at the tolls EB for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (US 50/301), putting me right up against opposing traffic on the 3 lane WB (primarily) bridge:

Yeah... me and my friend pulled that move on our way down to Chincoteague last month.  Usually the VMS are pretty good about letting you know in advance if there will be "2-way traffic" on the bridge.  We erred on the side of using the left "Express"  EZ-Pass lane until we saw that traffic was light at the toll plaza, and cut over to an empty lane there and used the original 2-lane span.

[yankee.peddler]

Two bridges come to mind:

1) Deer Isle Suspension Bridge in Maine:  had the "pleasure" of driving over it before a much-needed rehabilitation project took place.  The very narrow two-lane crumbling concrete bridge deck coupled with rust-covered suspension cables, the high clearance, and high winds made my heart beat a little faster that day.

2) the old Sikorsky Bridge carrying the Merritt Parkway over the Housatonic River in Connecticut:  this span always bothered me (and thousands of others) on rainy days, when you felt your wheels slip on the open grid bridge deck and you swore you were headed into the adjoining lane.  I was glad when that bridge met its demise.

Coincidentally, both of these bridges were part of state routes numbered 15.

[bugo]

The I-40 Arkansas River bridge in Webbers Falls, OK is a bit unnerving just because it collapsed a few years ago.  Nothing is scary about the bridge itself - it's just the history that is frightening.

[PurdueBill]

The I-40 Arkansas River bridge in Webbers Falls, OK is a bit unnerving just because it collapsed a few years ago.  Nothing is scary about the bridge itself - it's just the history that is frightening.

I've had the same feeling (not worried by the bridge itself, but just the history and its predecessor's collapse) every time over the Schoharie Creek bridge on the Thruway--I remember on family trips driving over the old one, using the detour route while it was being replaced, still being able to find relics of the detour route today, and feeling something weird driving across the replacement.  A family friend in Dolgeville and another in Little Falls told us about the mess while the detour was put in place, and so on.

I drove with my learner's permit on the Tobin Bridge and have done the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many times as far back as when I was 17 driving the family Chevy G20 van and never felt scared, but that I-95 bridge over the Susquehanna always felt unnerving, as I think I mentioned somewhere upthread. 

[Pete from Boston]

2) the old Sikorsky Bridge carrying the Merritt Parkway over the Housatonic River in Connecticut:  this span always bothered me (and thousands of others) on rainy days, when you felt your wheels slip on the open grid bridge deck and you swore you were headed into the adjoining lane.  I was glad when that bridge met its demise.

I can't believe I've forgotten about this, the only downhill, high-speed, metal-grid-deck bridge I ever knew.  There was a time where I owned a series of leaf-like little Hondas that in the wind and rain required the perfect balance of restraint, focus, and prayer to get down that bridge. 

It's wider now, but in those days it was two narrow lanes, and as any Merritt driver knows, there's little patience for defensive or cautious  driving around there.  If you chose to creep down that bridge in the right lane it was usually with someone's brights in your mirror from a car length behind.

[Jardine]

The I-40 Arkansas River bridge in Webbers Falls, OK is a bit unnerving just because it collapsed a few years ago.  Nothing is scary about the bridge itself - it's just the history that is frightening.

I've had the same feeling (not worried by the bridge itself, but just the history and its predecessor's collapse) every time over the Schoharie Creek bridge on the Thruway--I remember on family trips driving over the old one, using the detour route while it was being replaced, still being able to find relics of the detour route today, and feeling something weird driving across the replacement.  A family friend in Dolgeville and another in Little Falls told us about the mess while the detour was put in place, and so on.

I drove with my learner's permit on the Tobin Bridge and have done the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many times as far back as when I was 17 driving the family Chevy G20 van and never felt scared, but that I-95 bridge over the Susquehanna always felt unnerving, as I think I mentioned somewhere upthread.

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

[PurdueBill]

The I-40 Arkansas River bridge in Webbers Falls, OK is a bit unnerving just because it collapsed a few years ago.  Nothing is scary about the bridge itself - it's just the history that is frightening.

I've had the same feeling (not worried by the bridge itself, but just the history and its predecessor's collapse) every time over the Schoharie Creek bridge on the Thruway--I remember on family trips driving over the old one, using the detour route while it was being replaced, still being able to find relics of the detour route today, and feeling something weird driving across the replacement.  A family friend in Dolgeville and another in Little Falls told us about the mess while the detour was put in place, and so on.

I drove with my learner's permit on the Tobin Bridge and have done the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many times as far back as when I was 17 driving the family Chevy G20 van and never felt scared, but that I-95 bridge over the Susquehanna always felt unnerving, as I think I mentioned somewhere upthread.

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

I know, but there's still for whatever reason that weird feeling knowing the old one collapsed while open to traffic with loss of life.  It's irrational, I know, but a feeling I've felt driving over it nonetheless.

[Pete from Boston]

The I-40 Arkansas River bridge in Webbers Falls, OK is a bit unnerving just because it collapsed a few years ago.  Nothing is scary about the bridge itself - it's just the history that is frightening.

I've had the same feeling (not worried by the bridge itself, but just the history and its predecessor's collapse) every time over the Schoharie Creek bridge on the Thruway--I remember on family trips driving over the old one, using the detour route while it was being replaced, still being able to find relics of the detour route today, and feeling something weird driving across the replacement.  A family friend in Dolgeville and another in Little Falls told us about the mess while the detour was put in place, and so on.

I drove with my learner's permit on the Tobin Bridge and have done the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many times as far back as when I was 17 driving the family Chevy G20 van and never felt scared, but that I-95 bridge over the Susquehanna always felt unnerving, as I think I mentioned somewhere upthread.

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

I know, but there's still for whatever reason that weird feeling knowing the old one collapsed while open to traffic with loss of life.  It's irrational, I know, but a feeling I've felt driving over it nonetheless.

I get a little chill from time to time driving over the Mianus River bridge on the Connecticut Turnpike for the same reason.  People don't want to live in the murder house, even though you aren't going to catch murder being there.

[bugo]

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

I know, but there's still for whatever reason that weird feeling knowing the old one collapsed while open to traffic with loss of life.  It's irrational, I know, but a feeling I've felt driving over it nonetheless.

Same thing about the Webbers Falls bridge.  It collapsed because a barge piloted by a sleeping captain crashed into one of the piers.  No mystery there.  If they had built a proper truss with no piers in the water, it wouldn't have collapsed in the first place.

[SteveG1988]

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

I know, but there's still for whatever reason that weird feeling knowing the old one collapsed while open to traffic with loss of life.  It's irrational, I know, but a feeling I've felt driving over it nonetheless.

Same thing about the Webbers Falls bridge.  It collapsed because a barge piloted by a sleeping captain crashed into one of the piers.  No mystery there.  If they had built a proper truss with no piers in the water, it wouldn't have collapsed in the first place.

That can happen to any bridge, even ones without piers in the water, just takes a different kind of accident.

Instead of a barge hitting a pier, a barge going off course and striking the bottom chord of the truss with a bit of cargo.  The Sunshine Skyway was taken out by a cargo ship hitting the pier of a truss.

Why didn't the I-40 bridge have more concrete dolphins around the piers, i only see one in the photo.

At that spot in the river they probably weighed the options and built what they could afford at the time. Concrete Girder Bridges are safe and normally do not have issues like that. So stop blaming the design on the failure. Any bridge can fail when a ship goes off course, it just takes different variables. A truss bridge could collapse a lot easier if it were hit, look at the I-35 bridge disaster, a non redundant truss without piers in the water just collapsed due to a design flaw. Imangine if a barge loaded rather high were to go to the right or left of the main channel and strike the lower part of the truss where it comes down. That is the flaw of any low level bridge, you hit it in just the right spot, it will fall down.

For example in 1980 this bridge collapsed when a cargo ship hit the arch.

[kkt]

What a pretty bridge that was.  It's amazing that nobody on the ship was killed.

[bugo]

The collapse of the original Schoharie Creek bridge is VERY well understood, there is nothing mysterious about why it washed out.  It is very unlikely the replacement bridge would be as poorly designed and experience the same protracted incompetent and neglectful maintenance and inspections the first one did.

I know, but there's still for whatever reason that weird feeling knowing the old one collapsed while open to traffic with loss of life.  It's irrational, I know, but a feeling I've felt driving over it nonetheless.

Same thing about the Webbers Falls bridge.  It collapsed because a barge piloted by a sleeping captain crashed into one of the piers.  No mystery there.  If they had built a proper truss with no piers in the water, it wouldn't have collapsed in the first place.

That can happen to any bridge, even ones without piers in the water, just takes a different kind of accident.

But this accident was not a different kind of accident and the fact is if the pier hadn't been there, the bridge would not have collapsed.

[cl94]

US 4 over the Hudson River north of Schuylerville, NY is pretty bad. Narrow, decent length, and steel deck. Thing shakes if a heavy vehicle drives across. Isn't even room for a centerline. ( https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1289,-73.586965,3a,75y,227.72h,72.06t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjylmTSjxDDiSi9jjVLQGkA!2e0 )

NY 5 over the Buffalo River and I-190 over the Niagara River are pretty bad if the wind is strong (as it usually is in Buffalo). Gust hits you the wrong way and you could hit someone or drop 100 feet into the water. I've been on the South Grand Island Bridge when there was two-way traffic due to construction. Not fun at all.

Tappan Zee is a nightmare and the other Hudson River crossings south of Albany aren't so great, either.

[Road Hog]

ODOT did an amazing job repairing the I-40 bridge. I looked for signs of work – fresh concrete, etc. – and not a thing looked out of place.

I remember it happened at like 10 a.m. on a Sunday and thinking I could've easily been on that bridge at some point as I was making regular trips on that route back then.

[bugo]

You can tell that spans 2 and 3 are the new ones.  It's actually pretty easy to tell which spans collapsed because of the color of the concrete.

[njunderground]

Supposedly, people are afraid of the delaware memorial twin span bridge....only reason i see is due to the approaches being steep looking.



Lol, actually, I've walked UNDER the decks of this bridge. I live about 40 minutes from it, and I once got in on a University of Delaware Engineering trip back in 2001, where we went to the top of the tower, (NO RAILINGS on the sides by the way!) and walked on the catwalk that is directly below the road deck. It was interesting seeing from that point of view, the rising and falling of the span I was on, relative to the other span. It was one of my best memories though, I have pictures of myself at the top of the tower and under the deck. 

[njunderground]

I have to say off the top of my head, a few I use regularly, the Outerbridge Crossing and Goethals to Staten Island, NYC from NJ, and a few I use less often, the Chesapeake City Bridge, in Maryland, and the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco, all for the same reason: they are TOO NARROW.

[kkt]

The S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge is narrow?  It has 12 foot lanes.

[MikeTheActuary]

While it's not as terrifying as some posted previously, I was never a fan of the Chester Bridge over the Mississippi River.  I used to cross it quite frequently.

Between the traffic volume, weaving, and concerns of structural integrity, I'm currently a "fan" of the I-84 "Aetna Viaduct" in Hartford.

The scariest bridge I always wanted to try: the former roadways of the Harahan Bridge in Memphis (see here and here).  Back when they were THE road crossing of the Mississippi River at Memphis, I understand it was a real experience.

[bugo]

The old Pine Bluff, AR US 79 Arkansas River bridge had lanes cantilevered from the outside of the trusses. 

[SteveG1988]

The bridge itself is tolerable in a big rig, but the 180 degree cloverleaf ramp for i55 north to access the Memphis Arkansas bridge is scary. Since it's a drop in speed and a non local would easily get confused.

[roadman]

Supposedly, people are afraid of the delaware memorial twin span bridge....only reason i see is due to the approaches being steep looking.

The first time I remember crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge was in late 1968 on a trip with my parents to Annapolis (my oldest brother was a freshman at the Naval Academy at the time)  While both spans had been opened to traffic by then, I recall that the crossovers at each end connecting the roadways approaching the two spans were still in place, but blocked off.

[njunderground]

The S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge is narrow?  It has 12 foot lanes.

I was thinking of the old cantilever span. For some reason, I thought I remember it being narrow when I used it in 2004. Could be mistaken...

[kkt]

I was thinking of the old cantilever span. For some reason, I thought I remember it being narrow when I used it in 2004. Could be mistaken...

If you go way back to before 1963, it had six 10-foot lanes (three each way) on the top deck for cars, three lanes that I think were 12 feet wide (one each way and one reversible) for trucks and buses on the lower deck, plus the Key System railroad tracks.  But from 1963 on, it was ten 12-foot lanes, five lanes on each deck.

[TEG24601]

In no particular order;


The Sellwood Bridge in Portland - Watching Concrete fall off while driving over.  Only did it once.


The Chevrolet Ave. Bridge in Flint, MI.  Was so bad that they closed the outer lanes to traffic, because the old trolly ran in the middle so they thought it was safer.  Did that for 4 years until it was finally replaced.


The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor.  When you see rusting on the cabling, and frayed cables, you don't wish to use it again.  I used the tunnel after that.


The Deception Pass Bridge in Washington.  Not due to construction, but due to it being such a tourist area, so there are usually people on the tiny sidewalks on either side, and the lanes are very narrow.