Quote:
Originally Posted by lio45
Again, most of that (what's acceptable structurally or not) is directly tied to the load the bridge has to bear.
I probably would. I very rarely use the old bridge to cross to Quebec City but the #1 reason for that by far is that it's extremely poorly connected to the freeway network, unlike the newer bridge. I would imagine they'll make sure to avoid that "mistake" if the old Champlain bridge is kept (which isn't in the plans, but you never know).
The big difference of course is that the Champlain currently has the freeway arriving right into it, which the old Quebec bridge obviously never had - so I don't think they could even possibly make that mistake if they tried.
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I've no problems with old bridges in and of themselves. Plenty of old infrastructure works wonderfully well and if the engineering reports indicate that the bridges are in acceptable condition, I'll gladly use them (as you mention, the old Quebec Bridge).
When a structural engineering consulting firm is raising doubts about the condition of the bridge and the long-term viability of it, I grow concerned.
Would I drive across it today? Sure.
Would it be good for 20 years? Maybe - but given the liability of a catastrophic failure, what organization would run that risk? Especially when a publicly released engineering report has casted doubt on it.
I don't think there's much merit to saving it.
Future of the Champlain Bridge Crossing