ENR Managing Editor Scott Judy recently wrote about an unusual bridge under construction in Miami that is bound to become a visual icon for that city. The story, like many others in ENR, involved a field trip to the project site—something other construction news sources rarely do, if ever. The feature’s details drew several comments to ENR.com that included appreciation and critiques of different aspects of the project. The criticisms reflect skepticism about the bridge’s ambitious design and construction challenges that resonates with those who are making a broader criticism of potential government wastefulness that includes public works spending. Read what some of the commenters had to say below.
▶ Carl posted: First time I hear the term “fountain bridge.” Every person that talks about it, whether it be a person at the next table in a restaurant or the cab driver, calls it the “spider bridge.”
Editor’s note: We like either one.
▶ Joe posted: For the public’s benefit, [the bridge] is not actually designed for 140 mph winds, right? The [Florida Dept. of Transportation] specifies that wind speed, but then all resulting loads are increased by 40% or some other factor. So functionally it’s designed for much higher wind speed of … like a Category 5 hurricane, not a Category 4.
Editor’s note: We think you are on the right track and suggest looking at the agency’s Structure Design Guidelines for Load and Resistance Factor Design. You can find it online.
▶ Gillies Bussieres posted: Of course, Miami taxpayers were all in agreement to spend so much on a fancy idea bridge!
▶ Ricardo Herrera posted: Wow. Spectacular. In the realm of works by Santiago Calatrava. I hope the structural engineers share images of the computer models they used to perform the design for structural engineers that do not tackle designs like this.
▶ MA posted: Interesting indeed. What’s more interesting is we have hundreds of roads needing serious repair, to the point that the road itself is almost a “fatality.” Yet we can’t seem to locate funding to fix those, so that hard-working people don’t have to keep paying money for alignments or front-end issues with their vehicles every time they strike a pothole—or funds to correct poor drainage that causes major flooding issues during hurricane season. We can’t find time or money to fix the real problems, but we can find funding for ridiculous projects such as this that look like nothing more than a screwed-up McDonald’s arch. Pathetic!
