Now make all your underlings do all your work under the "What goes around comes around, bitchaz!" clause of office working practices. >:3

HEY
Tell me why they make bridge support structures out of relatively flexible steels then put stiff concrete on top that'll just shatter and crack after vehicles bounce the bridge all over the place?
HUH?

Now, not all bridges are steel and concrete structures; some are steel truss bridges with only a concrete deck, others are pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete(really cool actually in that they have built-in tensioning wires), while others are all timber with concrete or gravel laid overtop of a wood deck(which is the type I'm currently standing on). The reason why concrete tends to crack and/or crumble more on a bridge than a deck is because bridges as a whole, are more exposed to the elements. Unlike a road, which is laid on the ground, a bridge deck is suspended in the air. This is also why many bridges have ice warnings on them; since the concrete doesn't have the residual heat of the earth's surface, ice tends to accumulate ten times faster. Ice is also the bane of concrete and well. Any other building material; water gets into a crack and expands as it freezes, opening up the crack even further. And tbh, until they develop a material that is both weather resistant and affordable, concrete and asphalt will be the materials of choice.

Asphalt makes more sense to me as a bridging material, or even something like a metal grate. I know the lanes straddling the center divider on the Mackinac Bridge are metal grating for (I think!) wind and weight issues.
Also how much longer until our 50-year-old bridgefrastructure crumbles down?

Well the Mackinac bridge is also a long suspension bridge, so it needs to allow for airflow through and around the bridge, otherwise you'll end up with another Tacoma Narrows.

Metal grating also corrodes really fast, especially in an environment such as ours; Winnipeg has one of the most extreme temperature ranges out there(-30 in winter to the 110s in the summer) which means that things weather pretty quickly. Especially if they're throwing rock salt on the roads. Concrete just lasts longer overall and is easier to repair.

Hm, I suppose that makes sense. I completely forgot you were in Canada!
Let's reinvent the bridge. Carbon fiber, fiberglass, and bamboo.

they actually use bamboo instead of re-bar in many construction projects in Asia. =D

My longboard is made of bamboo and I have bamboo chopsticks.
I see no reason we can't have bamboo bridges!

oh, they exist.. just not in the capacity of large traffic bridges. bamboo is very strong, but its also very flexible. concrete is added to increse rigidity, reinforcement like bamboo or rebar increases the tensile strength and the two work together to create a stronger, more stable structure overall.

Like steel rebar! But with bamboo.
I can name two or three bridges around here where the decks have rebar showing via potholes. Maybe I should get pics.

All bridges around my side of the puddle belong to Her Royal Majesty, you got a problem with them, you better go tell her. >:3

Auntie Lizzie let's me do what I want, 8D

Even so, you might find she doesn't send a Christmas card this year. She's a bit like that.

I don't think she's ever sent me a card.



I feel horribly neglected.

I tell you what, next time I pop by for a quick cup of tea, I'll bring the issue up. Just don't make any harsh comments about the Queeen Elizabeth II Bridge, Dartford, and I'm sure everything will be dandy. :3

AK 47's.. FOR EVERYONE! *cheering*