Tag Archives: bridge

Morning in Scarborough

In a previous post I showed Scarborough as I arrived after the second leg of the ride from Liverpool. I was feeling some pain after that section and was not sure whether I would be able to ride the next day. First thing in the morning, I got up and went out for a walk. Partly, this was to explore Scarborough and mostly it was to see how my knees felt and test them on the climb back to the hotel in order to decide whether to try the last day. (The answer was not great.)

The early morning in Scarborough means the light is coming off the water so the waterfront is illuminated. The Grand Hotel is the dominant feature of the skyline, and it was nicely lit. I am told the outside is better than the inside and was happy to stay out here.

There is also a bridge that connects the upper part of the town with the spa further along the front. This bridge did look impressive in the morning glow. I spent a little time walking around and having the place pretty much to myself. Not many people out at that time of the morning so a tranquil experience too. Then I headed back to the hotel to meet up with the team and wish them well on their leg while I grabbed my stuff to go in the van.

The World’s Oldest Working Railway Bridge!

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The Ride the Route charity bike ride ended in Darlington. This is the location of the first passenger railway in the world and the route from Stockton to Darlington crossed the river in Darlington on this bridge. The railway still runs across the bridge and so it is listed as the oldest working railway bridge in the world. No idea whether this is undisputed or not and I don’t really care! It’s 200 years old and that’s not nothing.

Crossing I-405 in Style

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A while back I posted some photos from the opening weekend of the Link light rail on the east side of Lake Washington. Part of the construction of that extension involved a bridge arose I-405. As a regular user of that freeway, I watched the bridge take shape and then get fitted out as they got closer to opening. Now, to take a ride across it, I got a new perspective on I-405 to that I have had before. Being elevated makes things look so much smaller than when you are at ground level.

This Bridge is Getting Very Advanced

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A work-related post for today. One of our projects is a light rail expansion and part of it involves the construction of a long span bridge. This was not the original plan, but it is what we ended up having. It is constructed by having forms for pouring a section of the bridge in one place and then, when that section is cured, a traveler moves out with the forms to pour the next section. This is all done from a central column so the weight balances out as the bridge expands in each direction.

It is now very close to the final pours, and they will soon be done. I got to go and see the progress recently and that included looking at the center section of the bridge where the gap between the two sections coming from each direction are close to meeting. The bridge section is hollow, and you can see across and into the other half. The final pours involve joining each end to the rest of the right of way and then, when they have been post-tensioned, this center section will be poured. There will be more to do but this is a major milestone in the project.

Building a Bridge One Bit at a Time

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One of our work projects includes the construction of a long span bridge for the light rail line to run over. I have been down on many occasions since the construction started on this section but much of the early work was the preparation of the ground and the creation of the foundations for the final bridge. We now have the piers in place and the construction of the bridge itself is underway.

This type of construction involves casting the bridge in sections in place rather than offsite and then bringing them in. Steel supporters called travelers, hold the formwork in place as each section is cast. When it is cured, the traveler moves out onto the new section and the process is repeated. This happens symmetrically about the pier, so the bridge grows out in both directions at once keeping everything balanced.

The process moves quite quickly so, each time I go down, the bridge has got noticeably larger. There are actually to sections happening at once to make the two halves of the bridge. They grow towards each other, and the final casting will connect the two cantilevered spans to complete the bridge. That will happen later in 2024. The section of the bridge is hollow so it will be possible to access the insides of it in the future. If I get a chance to go inside at some point, expect more images here.

Rails on the End of the Bridge

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The railway that runs from Seattle up to Everett and either on to Vancouver or east across the Cascades crosses a bridge that is just outside the locks at Ballard. The bridge is a bascule bridge and, since there is quite regular boat traffic including sailing boats with high masts, it is frequently opened. The low winter light does a nice job of illuminating the underside of the deck of the bridge when it is open. I was more interested in the shapes at the end of the bridge where the rails end. They are clearly shaped to interlock with the opposite rails on the bridge approach and also to have a shape which allows the wheels to smoothly pass over without some sudden impact forces. As they stand up in the air, they strike me as rather fascinating.

Another of Brunel’s Creations

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As we walked back towards the docks in Bristol after going up to see the Clifton Suspension bridge, we crossed over to the other side of the locks that are at the end of the harbor. There we came across another artifact of the industrial history of the city which I knew nothing of previously. Since it is Bristol, no great shock that it was something that Brunel created.

This was an old swing bridge that would span the locks. Apparently, it was in use for many years before being withdrawn when a modern bridge was built to supersede it in 1968. It was close to being scrapped at that point but thankfully wasn’t. Now it is sitting on the side of the lock while waiting to undergo restoration. It certainly needs some work at this point, and it is strange to think that it was the main route across the locks for decades.

Preparing for a Major Bridge Structure

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One of the projects I am involved with includes some significant civil engineering and construction work. Part of this is to build a long span bridge across a dip alongside an interstate. The work is progressing quickly so things are changing fast. By the time this post goes live, there will be a lot more to see on the site. However, when I took these shots, they were preparing to pour to concrete shafts that will support the bridge piers. The amount of work in preparing the area to stabilize the ground, drill the shafts, have access to the site and have the abutments at each end is huge. Here are some shots of the work underway at that point.

Cross Kirkland Connector’s New Bridge

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The disused railway lines along the eastern side of Lake Washington are progressively becoming trails for the local community. One section of track that runs through the middle of Kirkland is know as the Cross Kirkland Connector. This will run up towards Woodinville in due course. The northern end of the trail for a long time was Totem Lake when the trail came to 124^th St. This is a busy road and crossing it was not a simple process. As part of the development of the trails, a bridge has been under construction for a while now and it recently was opened to the public.

This bridge is a short distance from my office, and it would provide a useful potential connection if I was to start cycling to work again. I walked down to the bridge one lunchtime to see how it looked. The styling of the structure over the road is quite flowing and I had driven underneath at various times in construction, so I was familiar with the general shape. To get down to the street level, a circular ramp is on the north side, and this loops around near the lake and marshlands.

There are some overlook areas built out from the ramp to encourage people to linger a little. A few bikes and pedestrians passed over in the short time I was there so I hope there will be a good amount of traffic to justify the investment. When all of the trails are complete, it will be possible to ride from Renton to the Skagit County line without needing to use the road.

View From The Bridge

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Arriving back in Seattle from our UK vacation, we got to use the new international arrivals facility. This includes the bridge from the South Satellite. This crosses the taxiway between the two terminal buildings. It’s not like you have the time to hang around in the area and I imagine they might discourage you from doing so. However, you can grab a few shots of the aircraft beneath you while crossing. The reflections were a bit of a problem but I am not going to be there very often so make the most of it!