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.
6 Comments
YOU CRACK ME UP!!!!!
I of course was very distracted and oh-so-pleased that my beloved mountains were not taking a back seat to the saga of the sagging bridge and all that entails! I am enthralled and sitting on the edge of my seat! I need a cabin in MK and a private jet…
“a cabin and a private jet” – you crack me up, Deb!! 😎 Thanks for following along, my almost life-long friend!
Agree with Linda …. sooooooo many pics for potential drawings –
Should the loader be needed on the opposite side … thinking out loud –
Linda, how wonderful to hear from you! Isn’t this true about anything we draw – it looks simple until we begin to notice all the little parts.
Diane, your theory of a 2nd loader is a good one, but if you look carefully in the photos, no loader appears on the far side of the bridge. Of course, it could be hidden on Pogue Road. . . stay tuned because tomorrow more will be revealed!
A cracked ‘thingie’ is not a good thing …
A second loader perhaps …
I love a good mystery …
Jana,
Your abutment, stringers, sills, etc. education is very interesting, and from the standpoint of someone who may want to draw a bridge, very educational. How often we sit down to draw a bridge and realize there are way more parts than we thought.
So thanks for the pictures. And by the way, yes it was hard to keep focused on the bridge when the views were so beautiful.
From your California exile student.
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