Re:The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland Has C...
by bobthepanda on Tuesday March 26, 2024 @04:53PM
(#39832718)
That's also a thing.
But note how the main bridge piers are on giant islands much larger than the pier itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_(structure)#/media/Fil...
#/media/File:Skyway_Bridge_old_and_new.jpg){kind=link}
If you really want to make it unblockable you build a bridge+tunnel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge%E2%80%93tunnel
Re:The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland Has C...
by js2 on Tuesday March 26, 2024 @05:40PM
(#39833186)
The CBBT is downstream of the bridge which collapsed. I've driven it many times.
Re:The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland Has C...
by KWxIUElW8Xt0tD9 on Tuesday March 26, 2024 @09:00PM
(#39834627)
It has tunnels because the Navy did not want the bay blocked if the bridge dropped into the water. Which is exactly what has happened in Baltimore.
"A notable example of dolphins used to protect a bridge is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across the mouth of Tampa Bay. In 1980, the MV Summit Venture hit a pier on one of the bridge's two, two-lane spans causing a 1,200-foot (370 m) section of the bridge to fall into the water, resulting in 35 deaths. When a replacement span was designed, a top priority was to prevent ships from colliding with the new bridge..."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_(structure)
The MV Summit Venture was a 33,900 deadweight tonnage ship. MV Dali was a gross tonnage of 95,128. Nearly 3× as large. It's questionable whether dolphins would have totally prevented such a tragedy.
Yet similarly, expect dolphins to be brought up as a key component of resiliency for any designed replacement bridge.