-- --
Showing posts with label Staten Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Staten Island. Show all posts

Monday, March 9, 2009

Suspenseful Bridges

Verrazano Bridge, New York
Photo by myself of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Once the longest suspension bridge in the world, the Verrazano-Narrows connects Brooklyn with Staten Island. It is 60 feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Verrazano is the starting point of the New York City Marathon, which runs through all five New York CIty Boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

--

We had to study bridges in our structural classes in school, and the most notable suspension bridge we encountered had nothing to do with a long span or great heights.

The Tacoma Narrows was a good 2,000 ft shorter, and pre-dated the Verrazano by 30 years. It was located in Washington State, and earned notoriety from its famous collapse.



The design of the bridge had a fatal flaw, one which I couldn't begin to explain, (something to do with the wind in the area and the frequency of the cables). Miraculously, no one was killed.

Happy Monday everyone!

Related posts: From Under The Bridge, Moving on Up and Bridging the Gap.

Read more...