World's Scariest Bridges

[Soul_Patch]

#24 makes me pucker...that bridge is sooo close to getting swept away in the water.


#23 is pretty gnarly too.

[CosmicCowboy]

I can see how that would be a problem, but the only times I've driven them (recently) for any length I had my cat in the car with me. All I heard was angry meowing.

I used to road trip to New Orleans back in the day when drinking and driving was a compe ive sport and we'd bail out after work and drive all night. That la-lump-la-lump-la-lump-la-lump-la-lump was mesmerizing about 3am.

[phxspurfan]

I've seen that before, scary and amazing.

What elements in a well-made suspension bridge prevent such oscillations?

Ah, control systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_theory

Most, if not all structures have a resonant frequency. Engineers study the structure in before building it so they build something that has a resonant frequency (one that increases wobbling until it breaks) that is either very high or low so no natural factors (people/cars going over it, wind, rain) can subject the structure to that frequency.

Also feedback elements are good, like dampers (different energy absorbing materials put in key places) and without feedback most control systems (like shocks in your car) can become unstable given the right input.

And some engineers like to make things that have certain resonant frequencies for other applications, like this Lexus:

[CuckingFunt]

I used to road trip to New Orleans back in the day when drinking and driving was a compe ive sport and we'd bail out after work and drive all night. That la-lump-la-lump-la-lump-la-lump-la-lump was mesmerizing about 3am.

Might be going out on a limb here, but... I'd reckon the drunk driving at 3:00 AM had more to do with the sound putting you to sleep than any feature inherent to the bridge itself.

Just a hunch.

[scampers]

The Mackinac Bridge isn't too bad. I've been over it a couple times in high winds and it can make my palms sweat a little bit, but nothing overly terrifying. I probably wouldn't want to drive over it in a motorhome during a storm, though.

The scariest bridge I've ever been over probably was the one in Port Huron, MI at the Canadian border. I remember it being rather narrow, and I was stuck in traffic on it for about a half hour during a rather nasty snowstorm.

Bridges don't really bother me. I'm sure I'd my pants going over some of those foot bridges made of vine and whatnot though.

[Hornets1]

the only bridge that scares me in louisiana is the huey p. long bridge. The causeway, the basin and I-10 ponchatrain don't bother me at all