Baltimore is sticking with the unabridged version.

IIIHorn said:

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Baltimore is sticking with the unabridged version.

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While I have no doubt that all the right palms had to be greased and grafts assured throughout, they plan to build a whole new, and different type of bridge.

While not a structural engineer, I do work for a contractor. Projects have phases, and those phases take time to do properly. When dealing with a massive structure, getting all the right geotechnical assessments is crucial to ensuring the foundations are right.

The BW-8 ship channel bridge got it wrong. Whomever did the geotech ****ed up royally, so we now get to spend billions more on the bridge to either repair or replace new stuff. I'm not sure which direction they chose.

Bottom line, for those of you not in the engineering world, big projects take time. Period.

B-1 83 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Glad to see we have so many structural engineers and contractors here in this thread that obviously have so much direct knowledge as to what is going on with this specific project.

TexAgs at is finest. But hey it fits a narrative.

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Had this been an absolutely brand new project, your point might have more validity. However, much of the early work for such a structure should have already been in place.

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I haven't read the article, but I think they are going with a totally new bridge, not rebuilding the old.

BUT, even if they are rebuilding the old, they have to bring it up to modern code, which, obviously, is vastly different than when the original is built.

We face the same thing in my industry with existing piperacks. They moment we start adding steal, we have to check it for compliance. We dread it sometimes because plants don't do proper maintenance. It's the old, "you break it, you buy it."

If they had announced last year, early 2024, that they were going to replace the bridge with an entirely new one, I would have expected ten years at least.

As of now they are saying the new bridge will open in 2028, roughly a year to design and three years to build. If they meet that date, I'd say that is pretty good for a project of this size.

Im thinking more along the line of the various environmental impact studies and such

Quote:

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Maryland/Baltimore is a corrupt, Democrat run ****hole.

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I mean don't bad mouth it completely. Sure it is a super corrupt violent classic DNC ****hole, but because it it is such a violent ****hole it has probably the best trauma center in the world.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_Adams_Cowley_Shock_Trauma_Center

Highway6 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Glad to see we have so many structural engineers and contractors here in this thread that obviously have so much direct knowledge as to what is going on with this specific project.

TexAgs at is finest. But hey it fits a narrative.

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Just seems odd it will take them 10 years to rebuild a bridge.

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Takes time to apply for a million H1B visas, to get those people here, deal with their delays and work ethics. Takes time.

torrid said:

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If they had announced last year, early 2024, that they were going to replace the bridge with an entirely new one, I would have expected ten years at least.

As of now they are saying the new bridge will open in 2028, roughly a year to design and three years to build. If they meet that date, I'd say that is pretty good for a project of this size.

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Reminds me of the Fred Hartman bridge which took 10 years to build.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hartman_Bridge

Thankfully we used to be able to build stuff quicker in this country or we may not even have a coast to coast interstate highway.

CactusThomas said:

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Where are you guys from that are calling the Harbor Bridge the Houston Ship Channel Bridge?

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I am calling the Sam Houston Tollway 8 Bridge in Houston, the Houston ship channel bridge. Tk421 gave it as en example of a long time to construct in his post.

Sorry I forgot the word Tollway in the name

https://www.hctra.org/ShipChannelBridge

Nm