I came across this bridge deck along Featherstone St in Pontiac, MI near the Silverdome, which continues to fall apart. This is the worst bridge deck I've seen.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6489093,-83.2597238,3a,75y,53.52h,62.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6gu_rVJJPqQc-okgBKsVpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Anyone else have any pictures of decks that are in really bad shape?
It's structurally sound, but the steel grating deck on the Decatur NE Missouri River bridge inspires anxiety.
No deck alone has scared me as much as that of the old Housatonic River bridge on the Merritt Parkway did. Pitched steeply high over the water, very narrow, slippery steel grid deck, and unrelenting traffic pressure to maintain a speed of over 70 mph. Cars would skitter side to side in good weather; in the rain or wind or worse you felt like a hockey puck trying to maintain a straight path of travel at high speed. The wind was particularly fun in this regard in that it came up at you through the deck itself. I don't know anyone who was particularly sad to see that bridge go.
Would you expect anything different from Erie County, NY? (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8510265,-78.6063311,3a,44.9y,175h,84.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szvLHjlSjdzydSpUw99kJJg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). It's gotten worse since GSV was last through. Entire thing is potholes. Not far from there, this bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9340701,-78.6426203,3a,25y,184.07h,81.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sORTOmukmV7POoicUvH5QKw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) is submerged every time it rains. It was resurfaced shortly after the picture was taken, but it's this bad again. From the eastern part of the state, there's the infamous US 4 bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1281762,-73.5879222,3a,75y,40.98h,81.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZXSLw0KS4luii3sf5r7_rA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) across the Hudson River south of Fort Edward. Too narrow for any lane markings, slick even in dry weather, and the trucks often take it at 55+.
Quote from: cl94 on October 21, 2015, 09:47:57 AM
Would you expect anything different from Erie County, NY? (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8510265,-78.6063311,3a,44.9y,175h,84.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szvLHjlSjdzydSpUw99kJJg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
I guess I'm so used to the crappy bridges, I don't know what a structurally sound bridge looks like.
Another fear-inducing bridge would be the Unity Island bridge seen here: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9317917,-78.9004398,68a,20y,270h,41.73t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
Deck has since been replaced (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0728968,-73.9185334,3a,75y,131.4h,65.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0RWg2Ytsc3PIZBXKivISFA!2e0!7i3328!8i1664). There was a while before they put the current deck on where the river was occasionally visible through holes in the deck.
Quote from: Jardine on October 21, 2015, 01:35:56 AM
It's structurally sound, but the steel grating deck on the Decatur NE Missouri River bridge inspires anxiety.
I was thinking about something along these lines too: the I-290* bridge over the Chicago River is grated, too. I find it pretty scary.
* Not entirely accurate, but you know what I mean.
How about the 1884 calhoun street bridge, narrow lanes, open grate through truss, pin connected, 3 ton weight limit.
Quote from: peterj920 on October 21, 2015, 12:20:02 AM
I came across this bridge deck along Featherstone St in Pontiac, MI near the Silverdome, which continues to fall apart. This is the worst bridge deck I've seen.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6489093,-83.2597238,3a,75y,53.52h,62.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6gu_rVJJPqQc-okgBKsVpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Anyone else have any pictures of decks that are in really bad shape?
That looks terrifying!
This one's pretty scary: http://www.wral.com/weather/story/11476046/
It's a temporary bridge, but it's still there as of this summer. :wow:
Quote from: peterj920 on October 21, 2015, 12:20:02 AM
I came across this bridge deck along Featherstone St in Pontiac, MI near the Silverdome, which continues to fall apart. This is the worst bridge deck I've seen.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6489093,-83.2597238,3a,75y,53.52h,62.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6gu_rVJJPqQc-okgBKsVpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Anyone else have any pictures of decks that are in really bad shape?
Scary, hell, it would tend to ruin good tires. I hate to attempt in on a motorcycle. I'd rather ride on dirt road.
The former lane configuration of most of the PA-NJ bridges in Philly. No fixed lanes, nothing to divide it. Would that count for scary, 8 lanes of traffic without a barrier?
Quote from: SteveG1988 on October 26, 2015, 11:58:58 AM
The former lane configuration of most of the PA-NJ bridges in Philly. No fixed lanes, nothing to divide it. Would that count for scary, 8 lanes of traffic without a barrier?
When you think of it in terms of a highway it seems a little scary, but in reality it's no more dangerous than any other roadway where you are separated from opposing traffic with just a yellow line down the middle.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8160%2F7455117764_0af2b00dcd_b.jpg&hash=327e352b5507b58052593093a3c9a3ff916e9c43)
How about the Fairfax Bridge (southbound US 69/7th Street Trafficway into KCK) a few years ago? The bridge was demolished earlier this year. It and its sister bridge, the Platte Purchase Bridge (northbound US-69/7th Street Trafficway) are being replaced by a single bridge by MoDOT.
https://goo.gl/maps/fjyTjiJmJyG2
Quote from: Pete from Boston on October 21, 2015, 07:13:21 AM
No deck alone has scared me as much as that of the old Housatonic River bridge on the Merritt Parkway did. Pitched steeply high over the water, very narrow, slippery steel grid deck, and unrelenting traffic pressure to maintain a speed of over 70 mph. Cars would skitter side to side in good weather; in the rain or wind or worse you felt like a hockey puck trying to maintain a straight path of travel at high speed. The wind was particularly fun in this regard in that it came up at you through the deck itself. I don't know anyone who was particularly sad to see that bridge go.
I was thinking the exact same thing. It was like a controlled 1/2 mile slide across an ice rink no matter what time of year.
I once road across a bridge that was in rather sad shape somewhere here in rural Alabama. I forget where it was though, since I was really young at the time.
Courtesy of NYSTA (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5627705,-79.0941627,3a,43.5y,36.31h,80.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLhFCcdoaubpWLWzcIwqcAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). Yes, there are potholes on that deck. This one in northern Erie County has been replaced (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0719343,-78.5700632,3a,75y,174.15h,68.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqLmR_AdCLvbvxTKGkDGXjg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), but a section of the road a bit further north has fallen into the creek and it's been one lane for several years.
Quote from: cl94 on November 02, 2015, 04:42:51 PM
Courtesy of NYSTA (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5627705,-79.0941627,3a,43.5y,36.31h,80.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLhFCcdoaubpWLWzcIwqcAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). Yes, there are potholes on that deck. This one in northern Erie County has been replaced (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0719343,-78.5700632,3a,75y,174.15h,68.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqLmR_AdCLvbvxTKGkDGXjg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), but a section of the road a bit further north has fallen into the creek and it's been one lane for several years.
Why does that bridge go over a pond? Is it part of a floodplain?
Also, I had no idea Tonawanda Creek goes into Wyoming County (or crosses the Thruway) until now.
I-75 Rouge River Bridge: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2015/10/01/pothole-closes-bridge-lanes-nb-sw-detroit/73175538/
Quote from: Buffaboy on November 04, 2015, 07:52:07 PM
Quote from: cl94 on November 02, 2015, 04:42:51 PM
Courtesy of NYSTA (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5627705,-79.0941627,3a,43.5y,36.31h,80.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLhFCcdoaubpWLWzcIwqcAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). Yes, there are potholes on that deck. This one in northern Erie County has been replaced (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0719343,-78.5700632,3a,75y,174.15h,68.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqLmR_AdCLvbvxTKGkDGXjg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), but a section of the road a bit further north has fallen into the creek and it's been one lane for several years.
Why does that bridge go over a pond? Is it part of a floodplain?
Also, I had no idea Tonawanda Creek goes into Wyoming County (or crosses the Thruway) until now.
Cattaraugus Creek. This is the stretch that was lowered to 55, likely due to poor pavement conditions.
Tonawanda Creek and Cattaraugus Creek have their headwaters a couple thousand feet NE of the east end of the NY 78/98 concurrency in Java Lake. I would have posted a picture of the old US 20 pony truss over Tonawanda Creek, but the deck was fine. Just a few holes in the beams...
Quote from: cl94 on November 04, 2015, 09:08:36 PM
Quote from: Buffaboy on November 04, 2015, 07:52:07 PM
Quote from: cl94 on November 02, 2015, 04:42:51 PM
Courtesy of NYSTA (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5627705,-79.0941627,3a,43.5y,36.31h,80.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLhFCcdoaubpWLWzcIwqcAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). Yes, there are potholes on that deck. This one in northern Erie County has been replaced (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0719343,-78.5700632,3a,75y,174.15h,68.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqLmR_AdCLvbvxTKGkDGXjg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), but a section of the road a bit further north has fallen into the creek and it's been one lane for several years.
Why does that bridge go over a pond? Is it part of a floodplain?
Also, I had no idea Tonawanda Creek goes into Wyoming County (or crosses the Thruway) until now.
Cattaraugus Creek. This is the stretch that was lowered to 55, likely due to poor pavement conditions.
Tonawanda Creek and Cattaraugus Creek have their headwaters a couple thousand feet NE of the east end of the NY 78/98 concurrency in Java Lake. I would have posted a picture of the old US 20 pony truss over Tonawanda Creek, but the deck was fine. Just a few holes in the beams...
Well no, I knew the other one was Cattaraugus Creek, I was talking about the one in Northern Erie County :-D.
And I don't understand why it's so hard for EC to maintain the county line roads despite the fact that they are on creeks.
Not sure if it's "scariest", but you don't want chunks of concrete falling onto a city street anytime:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/11/05/ambassador-bridge-repairs-close-another-windsor-street/75211314/
Quote from: JREwing78 on November 06, 2015, 12:10:56 AM
Not sure if it's "scariest", but you don't want chunks of concrete falling onto a city street anytime:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/11/05/ambassador-bridge-repairs-close-another-windsor-street/75211314/
The I-35 bridge over Pennway Street in KCMO was shut down a few years ago for the same problem. A chunk of concrete fell from the bridge onto a lady's windshield.
http://fox4kc.com/2013/06/14/concrete-falls-onto-car-from-i-35-bridge-construction/
Quote from: cl94 on November 02, 2015, 04:42:51 PM
Courtesy of NYSTA (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5627705,-79.0941627,3a,43.5y,36.31h,80.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLhFCcdoaubpWLWzcIwqcAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). ...but a section of the road a bit further north has fallen into the creek and it's been one lane for several years.
Neat...
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0881011,-78.5649671,3a,75y,268.5h,80.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFxzoW0VREk3fkEs8JE7SLA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Hanover Street Bridge in Pemberton NJ, bridge is a 1932 pony truss that was widened in the 1950s. It is falling apart and has a open grate deck, the county has to send people out frequently to keep the bridge intact.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9702581,-74.6840661,3a,75y,203.7h,71.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sc240ZbWS0xRg5liFSgDHSA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9034841,-77.6941819,3a,75y,141.74h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sM_ALDGi6Z1ZSCvLt1RaSZw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
That spot right there flooded about a year ago. I get scared when it rains because it's so close to the creek it might flood again. That bridge too has sometimes flooded.
This came up in another thread:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F5%2F5b%2FRiegelsville_Bridge_2.jpg&hash=47cf31bf1bb34bbda94b49ce8cc76c30c9d1c8eb)
I'm putting it here also for my (paranoid?) concern about asymmetrical loading on the various spans and how much of that the bridge could stand before the heaviest live loaded span winds up in the drink ??
Clearly, it's an old bridge, and apparently, it hasn't happened . . . yet.
Quote from: Jardine on December 17, 2015, 05:30:49 PM
This came up in another thread:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F5%2F5b%2FRiegelsville_Bridge_2.jpg&hash=47cf31bf1bb34bbda94b49ce8cc76c30c9d1c8eb)
I'm putting it here also for my (paranoid?) concern about asymmetrical loading on the various spans and how much of that the bridge could stand before the heaviest live loaded span winds up in the drink ??
Clearly, it's an old bridge, and apparently, it hasn't happened . . . yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1wDc_dTSj4
This might be the winner of the topic. :-D
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fm.static.newsvine.com%2Fservista%2Fimagesizer%3Ffile%3Dhttp3A2F2Fwww.newsvine.com2F_vine2Fimages2Fusers2Fjohn-rawlings2F2437804.jpg%26amp%3Bwidth%3D380&hash=c31568011f67824d7b9e15d40a774c981c665dd5)
Quote from: Jardine on December 24, 2015, 07:58:03 PM
This might be the winner of the topic. :-D
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fm.static.newsvine.com%2Fservista%2Fimagesizer%3Ffile%3Dhttp3A2F2Fwww.newsvine.com2F_vine2Fimages2Fusers2Fjohn-rawlings2F2437804.jpg%26amp%3Bwidth%3D380&hash=c31568011f67824d7b9e15d40a774c981c665dd5)
cool rust bro
The Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge across the Potomac River isn't the most confidence-inspiring bridge deck:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FRoad%2520sign%2520pictures%2FOldtown_2_zps9a111350.jpg&hash=ab6db2c73e079fed4684d722ba78246d18f10b27)
(I should note the picture is from July 2013 and the bridge probably has a different deck now after a flood swept the bridge away either later in 2013 or sometime in 2014.)
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 25, 2015, 10:31:53 AM
The Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge across the Potomac River isn't the most confidence-inspiring bridge deck:
You paid actual money to drive over that? You, sir, are a more devoted road geek than I.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on December 25, 2015, 07:05:16 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 25, 2015, 10:31:53 AM
The Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge across the Potomac River isn't the most confidence-inspiring bridge deck:
You paid actual money to drive over that? You, sir, are a more devoted road geek than I.
Costs $1.50 to drive it. Can walk/bike it for free.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on December 25, 2015, 07:05:16 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 25, 2015, 10:31:53 AM
The Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge across the Potomac River isn't the most confidence-inspiring bridge deck:
You paid actual money to drive over that? You, sir, are a more devoted road geek than I.
There's a stop sign behind where I took that picture and when I stopped, I had to wait while a big SUV went across in the other direction. If I'd had any qualms, seeing that SUV would have eliminated them.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FRoad%2520sign%2520pictures%2FOldtown_1_zps86c44cf7.jpg&hash=f16a5a449754566c00eacce995197fb86abc2d85)
Some of my other pictures can be found in a post I made a few years ago:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=2087.msg236073#msg236073
How about the Royal Gorge Bridge? While in great shape (especially after the 2009 wildfire), the height is undaunting!
Right now the Bayonne Bridge is kind of scary, mostly due to the sharp curves you have to navigate due to the construction above.
A tenuously qualified entry from a shopping center parking lot in Cambridge, Massachusetts–a ~30x30 steel grid deck laid on several beams about, 70 feet? off the bottom of a chamber somehow involved in ventilating the subway station below:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1697/24150042345_83596841ac_b.jpg)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1602/23521834984_329c249fc2_b.jpg)
Sorta kinda bridge-like in that it carries traffic over a deep chasm. Scary enough that I know folks who will not walk over it even though it bears the full weight of trucks. I put a death grip on my keys whenever walking over it.
Anyone ever drive over a covered bridge before? There's a series of covered bridges you can take your car across, in and around Parke County, Indiana. There's at least a dozen or so, one of them is here: https://goo.gl/maps/rWdYShmKJ6s
Quote from: paulthemapguy on February 21, 2016, 11:22:04 AM
Anyone ever drive over a covered bridge before? There's a series of covered bridges you can take your car across, in and around Parke County, Indiana. There's at least a dozen or so, one of them is here: https://goo.gl/maps/rWdYShmKJ6s
I've been over a few, most of which were in Vermont, but they didn't seem to be particularly scary to me, for whatever reason.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1705/26432934370_26d19dc776_k_d.jpg)
Filling in potholes on a bridge. Never a good thing. Island Street over part of the Fox River in Kaukauna, WI. There is a vertical lift bridge for a bridge across a shipping canal that passes through 5 locks, and a bridge over a canal that flows into a hydroelectric power plant in addition to this bridge. The other 2 bridges have decks in better shape.
Covered bridges aren't that bad if you drive over them slowly. A bunch of them in these parts. What gets me are steel decks (as in grates). The US 4 bridge over the Hudson in Northumberland, NY is a good example of this that has been posted in this thread. The pedestrian bridge over the Northway (I-87) just south of Exit 22 is another really good example.
The Willis Bridge crossing the Red River is a long and very narrow bridge that has the shoulders blocked off because of guardrail damage. Other parts have collapsed also such as cracks and potholes forming in the deck. Some potholes were replaced with concrete so sometimes it has minimal scarring but other areas are obvious because they are only filled with Tarmac.
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 03, 2016, 09:43:23 AM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on December 25, 2015, 07:05:16 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 25, 2015, 10:31:53 AM
The Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge across the Potomac River isn't the most confidence-inspiring bridge deck:
You paid actual money to drive over that? You, sir, are a more devoted road geek than I.
There's a stop sign behind where I took that picture and when I stopped, I had to wait while a big SUV went across in the other direction. If I'd had any qualms, seeing that SUV would have eliminated them.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FRoad%2520sign%2520pictures%2FOldtown_1_zps86c44cf7.jpg&hash=f16a5a449754566c00eacce995197fb86abc2d85)
Some of my other pictures can be found in a post I made a few years ago:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=2087.msg236073#msg236073
Wait a second; that thing is
still an active toll bridge? I could see that in the 19th Century, but not now.