- Joined
- Sep 16, 2004
- Messages
- 1,145
- Location
- Leven, Fife / Northampton
- Car
- 2006 320 CDI Avantgarde . 1997 312d Sprinter
Me and the dog are travelling the (normally) 400 miles from Northampton to Leven in Fife on Sunday. Closure of the Forth Road Bridge is going to make an already tiresome journey even more demanding. I have just looked at the map to re-plan the route off of the M74 at Jnc 4, then M73, M80, M876, M9, M876 just to get to the Kincardine Bridge. I suppose the only saving grace is that Diesel is now so cheap. A month ago (according to the computer) I got 50.6 mpg out of the E320 cdi making a similar journey using the FRB.
Does no one own an Arc Welder in Scotland???
Steve.
Does no one own an Arc Welder in Scotland???
Steve.
Druk
Gone but not forgotten - RIP
- Joined
- May 28, 2004
- Messages
- 5,300
- Location
- Not far from Edinburgh.
- Car
- 2011 S212 E350CDi. 1981 R107 300TurboDiesel.
Funny you should mention that...I did think of offering, but then...maybe not.
Just to add to your woes they're in the act of upgrading J5 Raith Interchange and it's all contraflow and SPECS cameras. And once you eventually get over Kincardine the joys of the A985 await. Might be better to go Clackmannanshire Bridge then the A907 to Dumfy. Good luck.
Charles Morgan
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 8,206
- Car
- Mercedes 250CE W114, Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 3.2 V6
Ooh, a go-faster carbon fibre helmet.
Has anyone thought of interviewing Irn-Bru for girder theft?
Has anyone thought of interviewing Irn-Bru for girder theft?
Druk
Gone but not forgotten - RIP
- Joined
- May 28, 2004
- Messages
- 5,300
- Location
- Not far from Edinburgh.
- Car
- 2011 S212 E350CDi. 1981 R107 300TurboDiesel.
It was a freebie Chas otherwise it would have been burr walnut.
OP
OP
grober
MB Master
The crack- the visible one!
the diversion!
the diversion!
OP
OP
grober
MB Master
A brief perusal of the following reveals the complexity of such mammoth structures.
2 EXISTING CONDITION OF THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE | Transport Scotland
http://www.atkinsglobal.co.uk/~/med...of Forth Road Bridge approach viaducts_UK.pdf
2 EXISTING CONDITION OF THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE | Transport Scotland
http://www.atkinsglobal.co.uk/~/med...of Forth Road Bridge approach viaducts_UK.pdf
D
Deleted96908
Guest
News of another impending bridge closure, this time between Copenhagen and Malmo.
The beautiful Oresund bridge, star of series 1 of The Bridge, below, is the subject of an emergency bill in the Swedish parliament. The bill seeks emergency powers to close the bridge to cars with a view to stemming the flow of immigrants. Passenger trains are unaffected beyond lengthy delays due to extended passport checks.
Without having access to the bridge, tens of thousands of international commuters will be forced to travel by train or back into car ferries, either in the shadow of the bridge (see my marker #1 below), or if travelling further north, via the ferries that run between Helsingør (home of Hamlet) and Helsingborg in Sweden (#2).
It's a beautiful part of the world and rarely seen by travellers who increasingly fly rather than drive or sail. In all my years living and travelling in the region, including frequent trips across to Finland and up to Norway, from our home north of Goteborg, I never once flew - although it has to be said, I've now learnt to avoid the North Sea in winter.
+
The beautiful Oresund bridge, star of series 1 of The Bridge, below, is the subject of an emergency bill in the Swedish parliament. The bill seeks emergency powers to close the bridge to cars with a view to stemming the flow of immigrants. Passenger trains are unaffected beyond lengthy delays due to extended passport checks.
Without having access to the bridge, tens of thousands of international commuters will be forced to travel by train or back into car ferries, either in the shadow of the bridge (see my marker #1 below), or if travelling further north, via the ferries that run between Helsingør (home of Hamlet) and Helsingborg in Sweden (#2).
It's a beautiful part of the world and rarely seen by travellers who increasingly fly rather than drive or sail. In all my years living and travelling in the region, including frequent trips across to Finland and up to Norway, from our home north of Goteborg, I never once flew - although it has to be said, I've now learnt to avoid the North Sea in winter.
+
Last edited by a moderator:
It is indeed a beautiful bridge and I have been over it several times myself. Closing it will have a massive knock on effect for commuters and the economies. They need to police it rather than close it and send the UK and the USA the bill!!!
OP
OP
grober
MB Master
It's interesting how large engineering structures such as tunnels and bridges which cross natural physical barriers over time generate their own set of socio-economic problems and dependency which are only brought into sharp focus when they are threatened with closure. The Forth Road Bridge closure being only one example where entire communities and industry in Fife have sprung up due the presence of the bridge. Another example would be the Channel Tunnel and the immigration problems experienced earlier in the year.
Druk
Gone but not forgotten - RIP
- Joined
- May 28, 2004
- Messages
- 5,300
- Location
- Not far from Edinburgh.
- Car
- 2011 S212 E350CDi. 1981 R107 300TurboDiesel.
With reference to the pic posted by Graham in #27 this part of his report is significant.
"2.4.6 Bearings The suspension bridge deck and approach viaduct decks are provided with bearings to permit movement arising from temperature, traffic and wind effects. At the main towers, the deck is supported on truss linkages which allow longitudinal movement. FETA report that some of the bearings at the ends of the linkages may have seized and require replacement or refurbishment."
There are sixteen of these
.
.
"2.4.6 Bearings The suspension bridge deck and approach viaduct decks are provided with bearings to permit movement arising from temperature, traffic and wind effects. At the main towers, the deck is supported on truss linkages which allow longitudinal movement. FETA report that some of the bearings at the ends of the linkages may have seized and require replacement or refurbishment."
There are sixteen of these
. .
Last edited:
OP
OP
grober
MB Master
We do tend to think of bridges as fixed immoveable objects whereas of course like many car components they have to possess a degree of movement lest they break. 
The bridge's management was delegated to the FRBJB, [Forth Road Bridge Joint Board ] and remained so until 2002 when its operation was transferred to a new body with a wider remit, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.[ FETA] On 1 June 2015 Amey took over the maintenance and operating of the bridge on behalf of Transport Scotland from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and are now called the Forth Bridges Unit which might have some bearing on the recent decision. This harks back to my previous post where in addressing these problems it may not simply be a straightforward engineering decision but one with wider socio economic ramifications. It's likely these problems were possibly predicted or known but appear now to have reached a critical tipping point in engineering terms.
The bridge's management was delegated to the FRBJB, [Forth Road Bridge Joint Board ] and remained so until 2002 when its operation was transferred to a new body with a wider remit, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.[ FETA] On 1 June 2015 Amey took over the maintenance and operating of the bridge on behalf of Transport Scotland from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and are now called the Forth Bridges Unit which might have some bearing on the recent decision. This harks back to my previous post where in addressing these problems it may not simply be a straightforward engineering decision but one with wider socio economic ramifications. It's likely these problems were possibly predicted or known but appear now to have reached a critical tipping point in engineering terms.
abecketts
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2008
- Messages
- 1,481
- Location
- Devizes, Wiltshire
- Car
- E280cdi, ML350, Alfa 147 GTA, Alfa 166 3.0 and tractors
The crack- the visible one!
the diversion!
There's a Billy Connolly jokes that ends with "I needed somewhere to park my bike" and you almost could in that, if there are others like that the Kingdom of Fife could be self governing by the time its repaired.
OP
OP
grober
MB Master
Fortunately they are building another one 
but I imagine weather may be a major factor for both projects [ repair and replace] at this time of year.
but I imagine weather may be a major factor for both projects [ repair and replace] at this time of year.
Druk
Gone but not forgotten - RIP
- Joined
- May 28, 2004
- Messages
- 5,300
- Location
- Not far from Edinburgh.
- Car
- 2011 S212 E350CDi. 1981 R107 300TurboDiesel.
Lets hope they got their sums right this time.
Fears of failure grow for rods on Bay Bridge eastern span - SFGate
.
Fears of failure grow for rods on Bay Bridge eastern span - SFGate
.
D
Deleted96908
Guest
Marx and others believed geography and natural phenomena to be a more significant factor than natural selection in deciding the outcome of evolution. If true, engineering marvels that circumvented these natural features would in turn have their influences.
mat8n
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2013
- Messages
- 1,103
- Location
- Stokesley....ish
- Car
- Sl63,honda crf450x, BMW x3, vespa lx50v, Honda goldwing in bits!
I used to(not so much now) travel over the forth Road bridge in heavy vehicles(100t+)and they would have to close the bridge so I could travel over on my own.
Myself and a few others who drove the vehicles commented on how bouncy and scary it was to drive over.
There was a lot more movement than you would imagine!
Myself and a few others who drove the vehicles commented on how bouncy and scary it was to drive over.
There was a lot more movement than you would imagine!
