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| Photo Courtesy :Waymarking.com |
Michael has been repeatedly told why the old stone bridges have to go. It's because, he was warned, they are filled with all kinds of "junk".
Things like "rubble, dirt and rocks". MM posted on this topic HERE and HERE and repeatedly a number of times since. It appears he may be on to something that he may not even be aware of.
What's Old, Is New Again
It appears PennDot has now gotten on board using almost these same methods. It's called a "Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Bridge Technique" in the rebuilding of bridges. This was not only the primary method used to build these nearly 200 year old stone bridges throughout Lehigh County but the same method employed by the builders for the 'Great Wall Of China' almost 2,000 years ago. Even the stepped pyramids were built using compacted layers of plant material and soil blocks!
Even The Federal Highway Administration thinks this is a good method...
h/t to MM
Debate Michael Molovinsky at your own peril. There's absolutely no denying the fact these some of these newer built bridges needed to replaced 2 to 3 times since the stone bridges were first constructed.
Unfortunately far too many people tend to dismiss MM and the projects built by old timers. Those whom detractors claim had neither the skills nor were aware of the environmental consequences. Perhaps with these so-called new fangled "Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Bridge Techniques" we can now finally appreciate both environmentally and a structurally how sound these 'old codgers' engineering techniques were.
Take for example the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge (8th Street bridge). It was opened on November 17, 1913. The 15th street bridge opened in 1956. The bridge on 15th over the Little Lehigh needed constant repairs and is being completely replaced right now. Who said the old boys didn't know what they were doing!
At least the federal and state government has the good sense to come around and comprehend this.
clarification; although i'm a supporter of the stone arch bridges and the wpa, those projects are 100 years apart. allentown's two stone arch bridges were built in the 1820's, the wpa projects were 1930's. there is a facebook page, started by others, dedicated to my posts on the wpa. i'm not familiar or connected with the page on bridges.
ReplyDeleteThanks for straightening me out. I've made the corrections. And I did have that Facebook page confused with the one for the WPA and then my bad memory associated it with you setting it up... oops.
DeleteI guess this is what happens when I try to post then get drawn away several times by things going on around the house. Not that that should be an excuse for me not focusing on one thing at a time.