4th bridge closed today: Motoring Motoring Discussion forum

Motoring Discussion > 4th bridge closed today	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bellboy	Replies: 41

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:03

4th bridge closed today - Bellboy

never seen that before ;-0

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:12

4th bridge closed today - Old Navy

It's the first time due to snow, an articulated lorry blocked an approach to the bridge stopping traffic. This allowed a rapid build up of snow on the bridge deck. I suspect the bridge authorities were also concerned about blocks of snow falling from the cables onto the road.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:17

4th bridge closed today - corax

Apparently the wires in the cables are periodically snapping due to corrosion, to the consternation of the engineers. They were trying a few fixes, including pumping de-humidified air down the cables. I don't know if they've succeeded but the extra weight of all the snow isn't going to help.

Assuming this is the Forth road bridge. And the above isn't the reason for closing it. It's been happening for some time.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:23

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

>> Assuming this is the Forth road bridge. And the above isn't the reason for closing
>> it. It's been happening for some time.
>>

I think the latest plan is to close the bridge to HGV traffic in 2015, this date seems to change with the completion date of the replacement bridge. :-)

Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 20:25

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:29

Forth road bridge closed today - corax

>> I think the latest plan is to close the bridge to HGV traffic in 2015,
>> this date seems to change with the completion date of the replacement bridge. :-)

They should design something like the Millau Viaduct, a wonderful thing to behold.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:32

Forth road bridge closed today - ....

>> >> I think the latest plan is to close the bridge to HGV traffic
>> in 2015,
>> >> this date seems to change with the completion date of the replacement bridge. :-)
>>
>> They should design something like the Millau Viaduct, a wonderful thing to behold.
>>
>>
Starting at sea-level is always a bit of a handicap for such designs unless the approach road from the south starts in Gala.

Last edited by: gmac on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 20:35

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:36

Forth road bridge closed today - corax

>> Starting at sea-level is always a bit of a handicap for such designs.

I said something like it, not the ugly tosh we usually get dealt with here (apart from the victorian era).

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:33

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

The politicians will go for the cheapest short term fix they can get away with.

Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 20:34

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:34

Forth road bridge closed today - BiggerBadderDave

Many years ago a paper company who were touting for my business sent me an absolutely beautiful poster printed on their product. It was a sepia-toned publicity shot of the designer of the Forth Bridge demonstrating the cantilever system, or something like that (I'm not an engineer). But he was sitting on a stool, his assistant was sitting on a stool beside him and they may have been supporting the weight of a third bloke somehow. I wish I still had it, I suspect my ex wife binned it but it was a wonderful shot, demonstrating the elegance and strength of the bridge. I can't find it on the net unfortunately.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:36

Forth road bridge closed today - BiggerBadderDave

Oh here we are

nrich.maths.org/5840

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New Thu 2 Dec 10 07:49

Forth road bridge closed today - L'escargot

>> Oh here we are
>>
>> nrich.maths.org/5840
>>

"The Forth Bridge uses a criss-cross design. Can you work out how the forces are distributed amongst all of its supports? Which parts of the bridge experience the greatest tensions and compressions?"

I've no idea!

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:37

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

Thats the rail bridge !

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:39

Forth road bridge closed today - ....

There you go bin the road bridge and use the rail crossing. £40 each way or free for Tesco shoppers.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:39

Forth road bridge closed today - BiggerBadderDave

Potatoes, potartoes...

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:42

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

Not a great difference.

www.cycleroutesuk.com/routes/69/3.jpg

www.freefoto.com/images/17/36/17_36_16---The-Forth-Rail-Bridge_web.jpg?&k=The+Forth+Rail+Bridge

Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 20:43

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:47

Forth road bridge closed today - spamcan61

They should've used Lego:-

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8493631.stm

Last edited by: spamcan61 on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 20:47

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:53

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

Good video. The two carriage DMU crossing the (real) bridge runs from Edinburgh around a loop in Fife and back to Edinburgh, known locally as the Fife snail.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:49

Forth road bridge closed today - Zero

do you actually need to bridge the firth of forth at that point at all for road traffic?

Couldn't we do some blue sky thinking, outside the box, shift some paradigms, and run some different plans up the flagpole to see who salutes them?

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 20:51

Forth road bridge closed today - ....

The fly Fifers would never get all their ducks in a row.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:00

Forth road bridge closed today - Runfer D'Hills

I can remember ( just ) going on the car ferry from South Queensferry to North Queensferry. I wasn't even at school at the time and my dad had a Ford Zephyr.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:01

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

That would have been before 1964.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:02

Forth road bridge closed today - Runfer D'Hills

I'm guessing '63. There's a photo somewhere at my mother's house.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:09

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

I was at Rosyth dockyard to join my first submarine in '64. An Austrailian here for submarine training took a cine film crossing the road bridge sat on the back of the passenger seat of a TRsomething at 100ish mph soon after the bridge opened.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:11

Forth road bridge closed today - ....

Nothing like progress ON. Probably get you a fortnight at HM's displeasure with Big Dave now.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:05

Forth road bridge closed today - Skoda

>> do you actually need to bridge the firth of forth

Probably not, in Barlinnie Prison they've a saying "i'd rather be a lifer than a fifer" (no apologies to ON since he's a Londoner anyway :-P )

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:10

Forth road bridge closed today - Runfer D'Hills

Bits of Fife are indeed truly horrible but it does also contain places of outstanding beauty too. Culross, St Andrews and Crail spring to mind on the pretty side. Glenrothes however....

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:12

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

>> Bits of Fife are indeed truly horrible but it does also contain places of outstanding
>> beauty too. Culross, St Andrews and Crail spring to mind on the pretty side. Glenrothes
>> however....
>>

Agreed, I like St Andrews, I am there frequently, my daughter lives there. The fishing villages are pleasant too, brilliant fish and chips !

Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 21:14

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:17

Forth road bridge closed today - Runfer D'Hills

Ther used to be a classic car specialist garage at Lundin Links. I sometimes used to stop there on my way through to have a look at their stock. Probably not there anymore.

Edit - yes they are....

www.mercuryclassiccars.com/home.html

Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 21:21

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:20

Forth road bridge closed today - BobbyG

This is apparently also the first time in years that they have gritted the bridge.

Due to perceived issues with the grit causing rust problems on the iron supports, for a number of years they have sprayed a chemical on it rather than grit it. But due to the exceptional circumstances today they had to grit it to get it re-opened.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:24

Forth road bridge closed today - R.P.

Severn crossing was shut last bad-weather - that was a first as well....falling ice apparently.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:25

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

>> This is apparently also the first time in years that they have gritted the bridge.
>>
>> Due to perceived issues with the grit causing rust problems on the iron supports, for
>> a number of years they have sprayed a chemical on it rather than grit it.
>> But due to the exceptional circumstances today they had to grit it to get it
>> re-opened.
>>

Yes, I was surprised to see a standard gritter on the bridge today, (on TV, I am snowed in). They normally use a liquid sprayer.

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:41

Forth road bridge closed today - Tooslow

Scotland can't be that bad for snow. I was able to get Dundee cake in the Co-op this morning.

John

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:48

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

>> Scotland can't be that bad for snow. I was able to get Dundee cake in
>> the Co-op this morning.
>>
>> John

:-)

I had a chuckle when I read this headline, We have had about 18 inches for the last two days, and more is foecast for tonight.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334410/Snow-frozen-Britain-grinds-halt-57-workers-arrive-late-work.html

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:51

Forth road bridge closed today - Tooslow

Ah but the Daily Wail is reporting what's happening in THE SOUTH. If it doesn't happen in London then it probably didn't really happen. :-)

John

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 21:54

Forth road bridge closed today - Old Navy

I have been living up here too long, I forgot that the universe rotates around the south east. :-)

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 22:32

Forth road bridge closed today - Zero

Correct.

As I keep telling you, we could set the north adrift into the north sea, and the economy would barely miss a beat.

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New Thu 2 Dec 10 09:50

Forth road bridge closed today - Tooslow

"we could set the north adrift into the north sea, and the economy would barely miss a beat"

as the SE sinks slowly into the sea....

John

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New Wed 1 Dec 10 23:02

Forth road bridge closed today - Skoda

Ahh i don't have anything against Fife, was only jesting.

Tis home of the only proper racetrack in Scotland and it's scary enough to keep me occupied :-)

Plus, canny beat a trip to Pittenweem for some fish & chips!

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