Abstract on Millau Viaduct Bridge

The below attachment is the abstract of millau viaduct bridge

An engineering and architectural marvel! Just imagine it took them just 39 months to complete such a difficult feat.

Can't remember off hand, but there was a really good documentary on the construction of it on Discovery or TLC a month or so ago. It's located in southern France, and is the highest bridge in the world.

It is a truly amazing piece of engineering, especially considering the method used to span the distance between the piers. Between the red towers you see in the photo were removed following completion of the bridge. Be sure to maximize your screen for this. They haven't printed enough money to pay me to drive across this bridge!!

Download :

http://www.ziddu.com/download/19758265/abstractofmillauviaductbridge.doc.html

Can a Wildlife Bridge Fix America’s $8 Billion Roadkill Problem?

We all know that roadkill is a tragic corollary of car culture. What you might not know is that it’s also mega-expensive. Vehicle-animal collisions cost Americans a whopping $8 billion a year.Design can help. Balmori Associates, a New York City landscape design firm, proposes building simple, inexpensive wooden bridges over highways, then covering them in native vegetation to create a sort of wildlife crosswalk. Each bridge would be so wide and the greenery so diverse, it’d appear like an extension of the forest, and animals, the thinking goes, would be less inclined to go galloping across roads helter skelter, resulting in fewer accidents (and a slimmer cleaning bill).Balmori came up with the idea for the ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition, which bills itself as the “first-ever international design competition… intended to solve the problem of ensuring safe travel for humans and wildlife.” The contest ends in January, when one of five design teams is selected to build a bridge over West Vail Pass in Colorado. ARC expects the winning design to serve as a model for other parts of the country (clearly, the only way to make a dent in that $8 billion figure is to repeat the idea elsewhere). To that end, Balmori’s bridge isn’t specific to Vail. “It is a kit of parts,” the press materials say, “that can be applied and adapted to various conditions and sites.”

Amsterdam Hermitage Bridge

'amsterdam hermitage bridge' by bureau SLA + arup, amsterdam, the netherlands

a collaborative design by amsterdam-based architectural firm bureau SLA and engineering practice arup, the 'amsterdam hermitage bridge' 

crosses the amstel river to connect with the hermitage museum in amsterdam. the result of a design competition, the product is

an experiment to break the convention of bridges as the designers have agreed the specified location does not require any infrastructure.

operated by drawing upon an iPad, onlookers may manipulate the shape of the deck, opening it in steep, curvy, parabolic, 

wobbly or rational forms to accommodate the regular cargo traffic which would pass under the structure.

comprised of 90 interconnected elements, the deck is suspended from an overhead arch. in the resting position, the combined appearance

projects itself as a stationary structure, but then the 90 meter span is changed with an individual motor which pulls each component.

the opened state will resemble the digital drawing, with minor adjustments by the master computer to comply with technical regulations 

and functioning mechanisms.

bridge opened to allow the cargo route to pass underneath 

vantage point from restaurant of the hermitage

 bridge interior leads directly into the hermitage

Peace Bridge in Calgary, Canada

The city of calgary in canada has welcomed its newest addition spanning the bow river, the 'peace bridge' by valencian

architect and engineer santiago calatrava. the single span helical footbridge gently arcs across the water, sheltering users

with a glass roof alng its 126 meter length. adjacent to the prince's island park in the downtown district, the structure will provide 

pedestrians and cyclists with connecting routes between the urban center and memorial drive. pathways defined with curbs 

separate modes of movement, allowing bicycles to maneuver safely withing a central bike lane and foot traffic travels along 

the elevated sidewalks placed on either side.

The rounded cross section of the cover and platform is generated mathematically with two clearly defined tangential radii to

create an internal and experiential space. formed by the criss-crossing of the steel exterior leaves openings which have been

selectively screened with a fritted glazed panel to protect form rain and snow. pigmented a vibrant red, the framework generates 

a landmark presence for the area, accenting the trees and grass-covered landscape, especially during autumnal foliage. linear lighting

is integrated into the structure and handrail, producing a downward way-finding illumination. its delicate presence is reflected 

within the water below.

'peace bridge' by santiago calatrava, calgary, canada 

 calgarians using their bridge for the first time

 separated pedestrian and bicycle paths

aerial rendered view

 side view of the bridge with the downtown beyond

 accented by the autumnal foliage

bridge deck

bridge deck at night

illuminated at night

Santiago Calatrava: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

'margaret hunt hill bridge' by santiago calatrava, dallas, texas


Spanning the trinity river and dallas floodway in dallas texas, the 'margaret hunt hill bridge' by valencian architect 
and engineer santiago calatrava has officially opened to the public with a ceremonious ribbon-cutting ceremony and fireworks.
the cable-stayed structure supports its 1,870-foot length with a 400 foot tall steel arch with an array of twisting cables. 
attached to the underside of the curved pylon, 58 delicate white strands descend and secure themselves along the centerline 
of the platform. the 16-foot diameter support is comprised of 25 individual segments, secured with 20,000 pounds of bolts 
and additional 450 tons of concrete.

visible from all cardinal directions and connecting west dallas with the downtown district of the city, the new landmark 
will provide six lanes for vehicular traffic and an iconic postcard perspective to define the metropolitan area. 

view of the entire bridge, 400 foot tall arch pylon and cables

upward view of the 400 foot arch pylon

cables attach to the center line of the bridge

at sunset

cables illuminated at night

dallas skyline in the background

profile at night

Double Spiral Bridge

A fascinating bridge in Japan.

Many innovations seem only to appear where there is a really unusual need, warranting an unusual solution. The Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge in Japan is one such example: How do you build a bridge from one mountainside to another when the sides of the mountain are so steep that it is not possible to build a road at the same elevation on both sides? This double spiral brings cars up and down a full 45 meters (148 feet) while being seemingly suspended in a valley between two mountainsides.

Some other stats:
- 1.1 km long
- 80 meters in diameter
- speed limit: 30 km/h

Coming upon this bridge in the middle of this mountain road is quite an experience. The bridge was finished in 1982 and has become a popular landmark on route 414 heading south from Tokyo towards the hot spring resorts of the Izu peninsula.

The only way for traffic to get down the mountainside into the valley, too steep for any other usual road-building solutions.

The busy Route 414 serves the weekend crowd from Tokyo, intent to wind down at the hot springs resort of the Izu Peninsula. The “winding down” bit obviously starts at this bridge. The double-spiral structure demands careful driving – the speed limit on the bridge is only 30 km/h, which also helps to better enjoy.

Strange Architecture: Bridge Design in the Netherlands

The Dutch have a tendency to do things differently. Take their levees, which are giant storm-surge barriers specially made with synthetic textiles to keep the earth from eroding. Their bike paths are placed on equal footing as automotive roads. And their town planning, which merges private and public life by combining terraced houses with amenities like shops and sports facilities, is a far cry from the way American suburbs are planned. 

Then there are Netherlands' bridges. Because of prevalent rivers throughout the country and boat traffic as high as the volume of vehicles on the road, a bridge in the Netherlands needs to be able to quickly raise and lower over relatively small waterways. Your average hinged drawbridge would be too big for most Dutch waterways, and a long, steep bridge would eat up precious resources. Dutch architects answer this conundrum with the tail bridge. A tail bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic. 

The Slauerhoffbrug is one tail bridge that stands out, even in the bridge-happy Netherlands. The bridge, located in Leeuwarden, was designed by Van Driel Mechatronica to be a fully automatic bridge with an ability to sense and adapt to its surroundings. While this technology is not for just any bridge—more traffic requires a more intelligent controller—the bridge is sensibly high-tech for its area, says Bart Ney, a Public Information Officer for the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013. "The Slauerhoffbrug is immediately both iconic and utilitarian and allows optimum flow of maritime and automobile traffic," he says. 

The Slauerhoffbrug crosses over the Harlinger Vaart River. "A movable bridge was necessary because a new beltway crossed this canal," van Driel says. Constructed in 2000 from iron and steel, the bridge is raised and lowered 10 times a day by two hydraulic cylinders located in a single pylon next to the bridge. The lift bearing, complete with asphalt and road markings, seamlessly disappears into the road when lowered. The base model of the bridge is a limited turntable bascule bridge, in which the rising section is counterbalanced by a weight, like the Pegasusbrug near Ouistreham in France. Such bridges were built all over the world in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, van Driel says. 

These original tail bridges were composed around the idea of having a fixed center point with rolling units on either side. Van Driel Mechatronica BV created the William Pont Bridge in Zaanstad using more simple measures. Pylons under the center point replaced the left and right rolling elements of the bridge. This small bridge could rest on only one pylon, which is advantageous because it consumes less materials and energy. The Leeuwarden Town Council decided to base the Slauerhoffbrug off these principles. 

The Slauerhoffbrug is built in an L-shape, bending the bearing bars that lead to the deck, with the foundation built beside the bridge. The principal beams and cross girders are absent. This allows a low construction height that increases the lifting height. And in true Dutch fashion, this tail bridge isn't just an engineering feat, but a work of art. It is painted in yellow and blue, representative of Leewaurden's flag and seal. The asymmetrical shape can be seen for miles when the deck is completely raised and locked upright in midair. 


The Slauerhoffbrug, located in Leeuwarden, was designed by Van Driel Mechatronica to be a fully automatic bridge with an ability to sense and adapt to its surroundings. 


The Slauerhoffbrug fits conspicuously into the roadway. 


The Slauerhoffbrug stands tall. 

 


The Pegasusbrug near Ouistreham in France, which was a stepping stone for tail bridges, is a limited turntable bascule bridge 


Ter Aar is home to the first tailbridge in the Neatherlands, the Vijfgatenbrug.

Read more: Strange Architecture: Bridge Design in the Netherlands - Popular Mechanics 

Bridge In Norway Through Clouds..

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The flipper bridge

In Hong Kong, cars drive on the left while in the rest of China, they drive on the right. If you're building a bridge between the two, you've got to come up with a clever way to switch lanes without disruption or accident. Behold, the flipper:

The only way that could be more cool is if one of the lanes went into a tunnel under the water or corkscrewed over the other lane in a rollercoaster/Mario Kart fashion.