• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Do you distrust some engineering? Like bridges, roads, electronics, buildings, vehicles, planes, trains etc etc?

Suffolkhifinut

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 8, 2021
Messages
1,224
Likes
2,027
I only misstrust russian tanks. They tend too loose there turrets in a explosive way.
In the 1960s was afraid of the Red Menace, until one of my uncles bought a Lada. It wouldn’t go around the corner without breaking down.
 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
With respect to some BOTCHED infrastructure projects; I was looking for update to that "Bridge to nowhere" news of dozen years ago [Palin/Alaska?].
I got nowhere!
Instead, I ended with few that I was aware of:
Botch Job #1 is Cincinnati Subway, OH:
202209_CinSub.png

Botch Job #2 - Bridge-to-Nowhere in GrandLake, OK:
202209_OKbridge.jpg

Botch Job #3 - A 'National Monument' that was never even really started in a country I'd rather not say (so as to not irk locals):
202209_NatMonEd.jpg

Botch Job #4 - The Ryugyong Hotel is a deceptive (and hollow) pyramid-shaped skyscraper in external appearance only...
202209_NorKorHot.jpg

There must be better examples of mega-botches.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ENG

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,522
Likes
37,050
This covers all the basics. Basically portrayed as a $400 million bridge for an island with 50 residents. However it has an airport with over 500 passengers per day which have to use a ferry. In the end a highway was built that goes nowhere, and ferry service was improved.

 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88

Chrispy

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
7,751
Likes
5,910
Location
PNW
Well if you add in earthquakes you can get this on a bridge:
bay bridge prieta loma.jpg

SF/Oakland Bay Bridge 1989 Prieta Loma quake

And this
prieta loma Cypress-Freeway.jpg

Cypress freeway same 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Fortunately there was a World Series game at Candlestick at the time, so traffic was lighter than usual in both cases.....
 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
PRO: Matt Casale -Director, Environment Campaigns, PIRG
*"The next few years will be critical toward determining how American neighborhoods and transportation systems will develop over the long term. The federal government will provide $1 trillion in funding for a variety of infrastructure projects, including transportation, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in November 2021...."
*"If used wisely, this money could transform our towns and cities, making them safer and helping to build a clean, sustainable future. Improvement and expansion of public transit, walking and biking infrastructure and zero-emission [?] electric vehicles will help reduce pollution and provide more transportation options for everyone. But if funding is wasted on expanding roads and highways, we will only exacerbate the safety, health and environmental crises that come from designing our neighborhoods for cars instead of people..."
CON: Some facts from our local newspaper [remember those?]:
*"Since 1980s, the U.S. has added nearly 870,000 lane-miles of highways - [a pave job] that is the larger [@1,648 sq.miles] than Rhode Island. Yet the traffic (pre-Covid) congestion was worse than the early '80s..."
*Circa 2016 [most current data] federal/state/local governments spent a [whopping] $27.6Billion, expanding the highway system, including new roads, bridges and widening existing roads…. "Sucking money away from road repair, transit, and other local needs."
*Across the country, 173,000miles of road are in "poor" condition, more than a third of bridges need major repairs and 7% are 'structurally deficient."
-----------------------------------
TL&DR for @Doodski >> What I am trying to say is that the future looks… good and bad!
Let the infrastructure crumble away since we need to take care of 'people before cars' anyways!:rolleyes:
 
OP
Doodski

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,745
Likes
20,757
Location
Canada
PRO: Matt Casale -Director, Environment Campaigns, PIRG
*"The next few years will be critical toward determining how American neighborhoods and transportation systems will develop over the long term. The federal government will provide $1 trillion in funding for a variety of infrastructure projects, including transportation, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in November 2021...."
*"If used wisely, this money could transform our towns and cities, making them safer and helping to build a clean, sustainable future. Improvement and expansion of public transit, walking and biking infrastructure and zero-emission [?] electric vehicles will help reduce pollution and provide more transportation options for everyone. But if funding is wasted on expanding roads and highways, we will only exacerbate the safety, health and environmental crises that come from designing our neighborhoods for cars instead of people..."
CON: Some facts from our local newspaper [remember those?]:
*"Since 1980s, the U.S. has added nearly 870,000 lane-miles of highways - [a pave job] that is the larger [@1,648 sq.miles] than Rhode Island. Yet the traffic (pre-Covid) congestion was worse than the early '80s..."
*Circa 2016 [most current data] federal/state/local governments spent a [whopping] $27.6Billion, expanding the highway system, including new roads, bridges and widening existing roads…. "Sucking money away from road repair, transit, and other local needs."
*Across the country, 173,000miles of road are in "poor" condition, more than a third of bridges need major repairs and 7% are 'structurally deficient."
-----------------------------------
TL&DR for @Doodski >> What I am trying to say is that the future looks… good and bad!
Let the infrastructure crumble away since we need to take care of 'people before cars' anyways!:rolleyes:
Very difficult to read your black on black text. But I read as much as I could decipher. :D
Yes, we have roads issues here too and apparently Quebec is in very rough shape. Where I am old bridges are presently being replaced. It's a pain in the butt shutting down a bridge for a year but it is required.
 

Mart68

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 22, 2021
Messages
2,609
Likes
4,860
Location
England
Very difficult to read your black on black text. But I read as much as I could decipher. :D
Yes, we have roads issues here too and apparently Quebec is in very rough shape. Where I am old bridges are presently being replaced. It's a pain in the butt shutting down a bridge for a year but it is required.
Build the new bridge right next to the old one, whilst it stays in use. That's what they do here, although it takes a lot longer than a year to build the new one due to the 'One man working and two men standing about watching him work' method that they employ.
 
OP
Doodski

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,745
Likes
20,757
Location
Canada
Build the new bridge right next to the old one
Yes, we are one Pissed oFF group of residents here. :facepalm: The bridge is a 2-way and there's only room enough for one bridge not another beside the old one. We are not cut off from downtown but the bus riders have to walk ~4x the distance to catch a bus to go shopping, for medical and other stuff. Come winter at -30C or worse it's going to be hard on them for sure.
 

Plcamp

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Messages
860
Likes
1,315
Location
Ottawa
To ask if you distrust (some) engineering cannot be any comment on engineering, but instead on the degree to which the discipline controls it’s practices on real projects.

The actually engineers have (fir whatever reason) minority control of that in some cases, and there’s where the distrust should be focussed?
 

Matthias McCready

Active Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
209
Likes
273
Yes, we are one Pissed oFF group of residents here. :facepalm: The bridge is a 2-way and there's only room enough for one bridge not another beside the old one. We are not cut off from downtown but the bus riders have to walk ~4x the distance to catch a bus to go shopping, for medical and other stuff. Come winter at -30C or worse it's going to be hard on them for sure.
It could, as always, be worse.... ;)

I have family that lives in Honduras, and it took the government until 2009 to build a replacement bridge for a fairly major two-lane one that gotten taken out during hurricane Mitch (1998). The work was REAL slow! There are still rural bridges that are out, or are using temporary structures from that hurricane!
 

Mart68

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 22, 2021
Messages
2,609
Likes
4,860
Location
England
Yes, we are one Pissed oFF group of residents here. :facepalm: The bridge is a 2-way and there's only room enough for one bridge not another beside the old one. We are not cut off from downtown but the bus riders have to walk ~4x the distance to catch a bus to go shopping, for medical and other stuff. Come winter at -30C or worse it's going to be hard on them for sure.
If it was minus 30C here the buses wouldn't be running and all public services and facilities would be shut :). In fact nowadays that happens if we just have an inch of snow.
 
OP
Doodski

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,745
Likes
20,757
Location
Canada
It could, as always, be worse.... ;)

I have family that lives in Honduras, and it took the government until 2009 to build a replacement bridge for a fairly major two-lane one that gotten taken out during hurricane Mitch (1998). The work was REAL slow! There are still rural bridges that are out, or are using temporary structures from that hurricane!
Where's the money going? If not for a bridge? No bridge = no transportation and commuting = sh**** economy.
 
OP
Doodski

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,745
Likes
20,757
Location
Canada
If it was minus 30C here the buses wouldn't be running and all public services and facilities would be shut :). In fact nowadays that happens if we just have an inch of snow.
We carry on as if nothing is happening. Pull out the parka and woolies and get to it! :D
 
Top Bottom