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Posted By: PROBUS The bridge - 08/20/11 03:38 AM
Has anyone else noticed how parlous is the state of repair of the bridge? It is now definitely in a dangerous state, and would not be allowed to remain open in Britain or probably also in the States. It desperately needs repair. Presumably a lot of money has been collected in tolls since it was fully paid off, so perhaps this can be used to pay for repairs. We have it on good authority from the Mayor that financial propriety is sound here, so I'm sure that money must be sitting waiting somewhere.
Posted By: sunandsand Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 02:08 PM
The bridge wasn't designed to hold all of the trucks and cars that use it now. It was made for golf carts, bikes and pedestrians. Unfortunately, they opened it to the heavier vehicles and now have to pay the piper! It will be interesting to see if they actually repair it, or shut it down. I would love to see the pull ferry come back!!! When I was there in December it was bad. I can only imagine how awful it is now!
Posted By: bywarren Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 02:44 PM
It appears to me the largest problem lies with the corrosion due to lack of maintenance. That is not caused by the type of vehicles using it. Of course the weakening of the structure due to corrosion would be cause for the bridge to be unsafe for larger vehicles. I don't pretend to know the initial design criteria for the bridge, but would guess Barry Bowen when he advanced the money for the bridge did so with the idea it would support vehicles like his delivery trucks. Just my guess. wink
Posted By: Diane Campbell Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 02:55 PM
With reference to the comment about wishing the return of the ferry ........

I too have fond memories of the pull-ferry, but it just could not handle the traffic by the time the bridge came in. Too many people needed to cross the cut daily and the ferry was not able to handle the load. Pushing and shoving and dangerous overloading were becoming common, and of course there was no way to use it when weather was rough.
Keep the memories and enjoy them, but there is no safe or sane way to revive the past on this particular item.
Posted By: Ernie B Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 04:25 PM
Speaking of the pull ferry, GOLF CARTS WILL NOT FLOAT !
Posted By: PalapaBob Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 04:33 PM
Speaking from experience?
Posted By: PROBUS Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 04:59 PM
I took some pictures a few months ago and it is definitely worse in those areas now. Corrosion (which does indeed seem to be the main problem) is now more widespread. The eastern walkway was severely corroded before; now the other one is showing signs of corrosion. But there are two areas of the carriageway (where vehicles go) where it has apparently been necessary to place sheets of plywood to reinforce the metal grid, and that damage I suspect is down to overweight vehicles rather than corrosion, though I'm sure the two factors go together. I'll take some more pictures and post them.

Remember that only the upper surface is visible. The supporting structure is also steel and undoubtedly is also corroding, but that isn't visible without removing panels - such as should happen during routine maintenance.

A month or two ago I stood on the ground alongside the bridge as a fully laden sand truck came over (closely followed by a second). The entire structure visibly bent under the weight, then recovered afterwards. It is for that reason that I fear a catastrophic collapse.
Posted By: ScubaLdy Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 07:15 PM
Yesterday a very large truck LOADED with bags of cement was ahead of me when I got to the bridge. Considering that each bag weighed 100 pounds and there were a lot of them, I chose not to approach the brige until the cement truck was completely across. Of course there was a golf cart in a hurry that passed me and got right up behind the cement truck. I have no desire to go down with the bridge.

Who remembers when the Hammock house used to have a board where you could buy a date when the next golf cart would go in the water? Remember how we had to rev to get up the plywood at high tide? Once, after many failed attempts everyone was yelling at me to floor it! I did and crashed into the golf cart already on. Only because 3 big guys were standing beside it were they able to catch it before the back wheels went off. What a picture that would have made with the front end hanging over the water.
Posted By: SnoopysMom Re: The bridge - 08/20/11 07:35 PM
Just hope and pray no one gets hurt when (not if) the bridge goes down...
Posted By: PROBUS Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 01:00 AM
I had a closer look this afternoon. The underlying structure of the bridge looks sound, though of course it needs a proper survey. The decking however is in dreadful shape - not only are there two sheets of plywood covering what presumably are distorted grid panels in the vehicle area (a sure indication that the bridge is being used by vehicles far heavier than it was designed to carry) but so have three panels on the badly corroded eastern footway been replaced by plywood. I wonder who by?

There is a general air of corrosion on all surfaces of the decking, including all parts of the grid that bears vehicles and the western footway. I would say all panels of the eastern footway need to be replaced immediately, as do several of the grid panels that support vehicles. The rest of the bridge should be cleaned, rust-proofed and painted, and then the structure should be closely inspected say every three months. I am absolutely CERTAIN enough money has been collected to cover all of this this work, though I am equally sure that that money has been spirited away.

I wonder whether the Mayor counts the bridge as another of her "resounding successes"?
Posted By: Ernie B Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 01:44 AM
Uhmmm, Peter, where did you get your engineering degree ? I agree the bridge is in need of repair but all you seem to do is raise questions with no answers.
Posted By: PROBUS Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 03:54 AM
The answers are obvious, Ernie. I haven't raised these issues with the Council myself but I know people who have, and I know they have been ignored. We all know the Mayor has permitted inappropriate use of the bridge by heavy vehicles. We all know (suspect) that a large amount of money collected in tolls has gone missing, and probably that money if properly managed would cover the costs of maintenance. It needs more people to hassle the Mayor and keep hassling her until something is done about it. That is why I have raised this matter here - to increase awareness.

As for "my engineering degree", I wasn't aware that a degree was needed to spot that a steel load-bearing plate has been replaced with a sheet of plywood. Or that other plates are more than halfway rusted through.
Posted By: belizeonthebeach Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 04:11 AM
I won't walk on the sidewalk on the east side anymore.
I am to big and fat and may fall through. And I am an engineer.
Posted By: elbert Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 04:23 AM
:-)
Posted By: ScubaLdy Re: The bridge - 08/21/11 05:07 AM
Tne Golden Gate Bridge (actually it's orange) is constantly being sand blasted and painted just because of the salt air.
Posted By: lil'red Re: The bridge - 08/22/11 04:30 PM
Actually one in nine bridges in the States has been deemed structurally deficient and unsafe, so I would not set any standards by the way the infrastructure is maintained in the US. As far as trucks and loads going over, you cannot un-ring the bell. So. Repair this one to it's original duty? Make this one stronger? Build a newer, more appropriate structure? The money has been and is still being collected, so they might as well just do it right.
Posted By: ragman Re: The bridge - 08/22/11 05:01 PM
The bridges in the USA may need some work but authorities would never allow a bridge to be overloaded in the manner this bridge is. You can argue the point that small vehicles like taxis are allowed to cross but to allow heavily loaded trucks carrying gravel or cement to cross that bridge is madness. I witnessed several crossing at different times last winter.

Especially when you take into account the damage to tourism and the inconvenience to the owners north of the bridge if the bridge is put out of service for any length of time. I didn't mention death or injury because I expect the structure to be permanently twisted out of shape before there is a catastrophic failure but of course that is possible. You don't have to be a structural engineer to predict what is going to happen here and it isn't going to be good. I took a look at the structure about 6 months ago while the grates where up on the east side and it looked ok but there is no way it will remain that way with this continued abuse. frown
Posted By: elbert Re: The bridge - 08/23/11 12:08 AM
oops ragman, did you compare Belize with the US again?
shouldn't do that, Third Worldism kinda stuff!:-)
Posted By: ragman Re: The bridge - 08/23/11 12:34 AM
No Elbert, only in context to the post I was replying to. I wouldn't want Belize to be like the US in most ways. I'll take it the way it is but you and I know that the bridge's days are numbered if they continue allowing these outrageous loads across a bridge that was not designed for them. And in addition I suspect that there probably will not be any planning for an upgrade or replacement till after it fails. Just a little frustrated at times but I guess that is part of the Belize experience. wink

Posted By: elbert Re: The bridge - 08/23/11 01:55 PM
Yes, I agree the bridge was not designed for all the dump trucks and the like that are going across it.
I think it will fail soon, I hope you guys aren't thinking the mayor is going to do something about it before it fails to get the trucks across.
Elsa is entering her 'Lame Duck' phase of her term in office, shes made her bucks and the writing is on the wall for the next election.
Posted By: Bear Re: The bridge - 08/23/11 01:59 PM
I dont think I've even paid attention when crossing; there is no weight limit posted on it Elbert? Not that I think that would make a difference...
Posted By: Dawghed Re: The bridge - 08/23/11 04:02 PM
Thread from 6 years ago
//ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/100865/1.html
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