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Cynthetiq · 08-05-2007, 06:44 AM

I don't really watch the TV news any longer. I used to watch it daily several times a day, keep on the radio news, and check websites. Now, I don't. My life is a lot better for it.

I still keep up with what is going on in the world. I just don't need to look at it over and over and over and over.

As far as bridges are concerned, I live right next to the Williamsburg Bridge, they just completed major renovations where they removed the entire road structure and put it back together, took over 10 years to do it and I'm sure many years of arguing over it in the political arenas.

Quote:

The NYCDOT began a 15-year, $1 billion reconstruction of the bridge in 1991. The project includes an overhaul of the bridge's four main cables, steel towers, stiffening trusses, and roadways. Parsons Brinckerhoff, a worldwide engineering design firm, performed the design and construction support services of the various rehabilitation contracts.

The late 1990's and early 2000's witnessed the completion of the following contracts:

CONTRACT 4: This contract entailed the rehabilitation of the cable suspension system. Along the suspension span, the existing stringers and pedestals were replaced, and realigned closer to the rails. New web reinforcement plates were installed along the floor beams. The connection of the vertical hangers that transfer the loads from the floor-beams to the main trusses through overhead transverse trusses were retrofitted by installing additional splice plates and replacing deteriorated rivets with new high-strength bolts.

CONTRACT 5: During this part of the project, the NYCDOT replaced the south roadway along the entire length of the superstructure and the approaches. This contract also included the completion of the pedestrian-bicycle path. The NYCDOT replaced the older, thicker steel-and-concrete decks with lighter, stronger orthotropic decks.

CONTRACT 6: The NYCDOT and MTA-New York City Transit constructed new underpinnings for the two subway tracks that carry the J, M, and Z lines along the longitudinal axis of the bridge. The project included a new concrete-and-steel approach from the superstructure to the elevated structure for the subway lines. Subway service for about 100,000 daily riders was suspended for several months in 1999 during this phase of construction.

CONTRACT 7: During this part of the project, the NYCDOT replaced the north roadway along the entire length of the superstructure and the approaches. In conjunction with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the project included a newly reconstructed viaduct connecting to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278). Once again, the NYCDOT replaced the existing deck with a new orthotropic deck. This contract was completed in December 2001.

Only the final contract to rehabilitate the towers remains:

CONTRACT 8: The final $173 million contact focuses on the rehabilitation of the towers. New copper cable saddle housings are replacing older, rusting stamped-steel housings. In addition, the truss bearings at the intermediate towers are being replaced. The new bearings feature a single large roller to minimize longitudinal and lateral forces transmitted to the towers. Begun in March 2003, this construction phase is scheduled for completion in early 2006.

Infrastructure takes maintenance. The Manhattan Bridge is currently being repaired and the Brooklyn Bridge will follow soon after.

It is important to keep up with the repair and maintenance of the bridges and tunnels so that you BnTers (what we Manhattanites call everyone else who don't live in Manhattan) can have access.

Let me say this again, we need to keep maintaining and repairing our infrastructure. It also means we have to invest in increasing it as well.

The bridge collapse, the electrical brownouts and blackouts, cellphone dropped calls, these are all unacceptable infrastructure problems to me. It is like we are slowly converting to a third world country.