On my way back to Lafayette last weekend, I got to experience firsthand the issues that can be caused by our aging infrastructure. My bus ground to a halt was we made our way through new haven, stopped by miles and miles of construction related congestion. The upside of this situation, however, was I had plenty of time to search the internet and find out just what this slowdown was all about.
Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge
The backup I was stuck in were the result of an ongoing project to replace the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, which spans the Quinnipiac River (hence the nickname “Q” Bridge) in New Haven The old bridge, opened in 1958, carries 3 lanes in each direction and is loaded far beyond its capacity. The new bridge, under construction now, will carry 6 lanes in each direct and serve a vastly improve ramp network surrounding the bridge. This project will have huge positive impacts on the traffic flow through new haven, however the closures and detours required for the project’s completion will cause significant problems in the meantime. The role of transportation engineers in planning each phase of construction and how the closures will be implemented in clearly huge. The video below talks more about just a few of the hurdles they are overcoming in completing the bridge. The project is set to be completed in 2016.
Sources:
- http://www.i95newhaven.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_Memorial_Bridge_(Connecticut)
Images:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seal_of_the_Connecticut_Department_of_Transportation.svg
After all of the news, blog posts and horror stories about America’s aging infrastructure, it is relieving to see a report of something tangible actually being done about it. A significant problem that transportation and civil engineers face when constructing a bridge is what to do with the vehicles affected or displaced by the construction. A balance needs to be reached between accommodating affected commuters and actually getting the project done in a timely manner. Otherwise, the project will never get done or there will be a lot of angry travelers.
With the aging infrastructure in this country it is nice to finally see improvements being made. Many of the bridges throughout the nation are loaded far beyond capacity and it is comforting to know that some areas are making the improvements necessary to make travel safer and more efficient. Though currently traffic is a nightmare due to road closures due to the construction, once the bridge is completed traffic should flow better than ever before. More places need to start making plans to improve the transportation infrastructure before accidents happen, even at the expense of current traffic.