I walked to the bridge with my camera to document the progress and was completely baffled by something. How did the loader get on the opposite side of the bridge from last week?? There is a mess where the abutment belongs – it isn’t drivable! I scoured the creek for tracks – How did it cross the river?? Some 3-dimensional things are just a bit beyond my 2-dimensional artist mind, too vast and complex for non-big-yellow-machine-drivers such as myself.
See? a big non-drivable gap is between the bridge and the road!
I know the view is distracting, but try to pay attention here. Do you see the ends of the stringers? That is Road-speak for the long pieces that span the river beneath the deck boards, which is Road-speak for the parts that your tires touch when you cross the bridge.
I’ve heard murmurings that the bridge rebuild project was unnecessary. There were times when I too wondered if it was governmental overkill. Let’s have a closer look at the stringers:
Hmmm, sort of crumbly!
See the stringers on the other side? Stop ogling the view – I’m trying to show you something important here!
Not only are the stringers crumbly, look at this sill! That is Road-speak for the concrete wall thingie that isn’t actually an abutment. It was cracked and the bridge was sagging on either side! It is now patched, which will prevent water leakage into the new abutment.
You are probably exhausted from this overwhelming amount of information, mysteries, Road-speak, and shocking realizations that the bridge was indeed in need of replacement. Rest up for tomorrow when our bridge lessons will continue.
