My fear of bridges... Big time attack today...

[Anonymous]

Here I am driving across the Fuller Warren Bridge at a little before 5pm traffic and I was glad my boss had let me off early as to beat traffic... Much to my surprise, Traffic was hell and stop and go on the bridge... This bridge is new and was built recently but I felt many movements and vibrations underneath me as cars beside me drove by.... All I could think of was this bridge crumbling underneath me and me falling into the water. I have a history of hyperventillating and nearly passing out on a bridge over water. A bomb unsuspectedly could do the same thing...Imagine a bomb going off at 5pm rush hour traffic and the number of lives lost... The bridge crumbles beneath our feet/errrr cars! I have this fear a lot going across this bridge.... I dunno am I just afraid for no reason??? comments welcomed Do I have a bridge-o-phobie lol

[coriolis]

It is disconcerting Jeke, but not to worry. The structural supports for bridges develop elastic stress to support the loads. It's the same idea as a guitar string. You tighten a guitar string and then it vibrates when you pluck it. The bridge of course has multiple factors of safety and redundancies built in unlike the guitar string which only has one shot. When the bridge is resonating like that, it's playing music.

[HurricaneGirl]

Look on the bright side... it's alot bigger and stronger than the crappy, old Fuller Warren Bridge.. It was a lot scarier going over that one because it was a drawbridge!

[azsnowman]

I "KNOW" how you feel Brother! I am SO afraid of heights and I'm man enough to admit it "LOL!"

There's a bridge in Toas, New Mexico that crosses the Rio Grande River, it's the tallest (650' above the gorge) suspension bridge in the lower 48 States. Last year, I *attempted* to take some photos from the middle of the bridge, needless to say, I "DIDN'T" make it "LOL!"

Dennis

[j]

my wife's hands get sweaty when approaching almost any type bridge that's up there some...it amazes me.

[Skywatch_NC]

I heard one time that (then) Today Show meteorologist Willard Scott had a fear of bridges.

Eric

[Miss Mary]

I didn't care for the Mackinac Bridge when we vacationed in Michigan a few years ago. We had to cross it twice. I just closed my eyes I think (I wasn't driving, he he).

http://www.mackinacbridge.org/

The Florida Keys' bridges would also make me nervous - I'd have to have serious Dramamine in my system going!

http://keysweb.info/infopages/bridge_fishing.htm

Can't even imagine going on the Golden Gate. We have to cross the Ohio River a lot and you get used to it. Cincinnati is located in the very south-western tip of Ohio so KY is just to my south. And then Indiana is just to our west once we get into the downtown area. So many bridges connecting my region, you take them for granted.

But I can relate - I don't care for high or long bridges. Or tunnels - another time it's best to just close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else.

Last week as we all saw Tampa residents fleeing the beaches for safety inland, and the bridges were all backed up (I've been to the Tampa area and on these bridges a lot in the past 12 or so years) I said I'm glad I'm home!

Mary

[GrimReaper]

Homie, I hear ya, I HATE bridges too!! But I can handle the Fuller-Warren, it's the Dames Point Bridge I hate here in Jax. The worst is when I have to cross it in one of our semi-trucks...the sides of the bridge barely come up to the bottom of the doors, looks like you could just fall off!!!! I promise not to take you for a ride!!

[breeze]

The bridge over the Florida Keys don't make me
nervous, because, you can see flat out, ahead -
I like to SEE the whole bridge in front of me...

Now, back in the spring, I went over the
Mississippi River bridge, in Baton Rouge, and, that
sucker went straight UP before it dropped back
down on the other side...I was driving,
and, reassuring my neice (afraid of bridges),
and, all the while, thinking, "Uh-oooooh - where's
the other side? Breathe....breathe.....!" LOL, when
we came back through, a few days later, she
drove over it, ok....I just looked out and said,
"Oh, look! It's LSU Stadium!"

[Skywatch_NC]

For all of you with a fear of bridges...you've probably heard about or seen footage of 'dare devils'...it's either parachuting or bungee-jumping off a bridge over the New River in WV!!

"Like a bridge over...troubled water..."

"Just water under the bridge..."

Eric

[Miss Mary]

Here's what I don't like about bridges that go up and you can't see far ahead of you - what if, and this is a big if, it just failed and you don't know it and drive right off the edge? That has happened before in this country. I want to say it happened once down in the Keys didn't it?

I know the odds of this happening are extremely low but still, it could happen. Now you know why I pop Dramamine and Jim does the driving!!!

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

Mary,

I think one time back in the 60s or 70s a bridge over the Ohio River outside of Gallipolis, Ohio collapsed if I remember correctly!

Eric


http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvmason/pointp ... ilver.html

[Miss Mary]

Eric - oh wow, didn't know that until now. Terrible story. I hope someone responds about the Keys incident. I know the Keys railroad was destroyed but by a Hurricane. I seem to recall when they were building the bridge that runs for what 7 miles, a part of it suddenly collapsed and people tragically died. This would have been in the 70s maybe? Maybe early 80s.

Mary

PS - hey maybe this is the bridge I'm thinking about - the Tampa bridge, part of it collapsed years ago:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/052300/Tamp ... _Sky.shtml

[stormchazer]

The Grace Memorial Bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston, SC is pretty narrow.



It use to scare my wife because every time I'd cross it, I'd drive as fast as possible. I think I secretly enjoyed scaring her.

[Miss Mary]

Eric - I think we're talking about the same Tampa bridge disaster. A freighter ran into it and part of it came down. The man who survived by a mere 14 inches (that's when his car came to a complete stop) witnessed the bus go right past his car and pludge into the water. We must be thinking of the same collapse.

Jara - that is a very narrow bridge! And you go faster to tick off your wife?!!! You guys....you're gonna give her gray hairs!!! If you haven't already.

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

Eric - oh wow, didn't know that until now. Terrible story. I hope someone responds about the Keys incident. I know the Keys railroad was destroyed but by a Hurricane. I seem to recall when they were building the bridge that runs for what 7 miles, a part of it suddenly collapsed and people tragically died. This would have been in the 70s maybe? Maybe early 80s.

Mary

PS - hey maybe this is the bridge I'm thinking about - the Tampa bridge, part of it collapsed years ago:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/052300/Tamp ... _Sky.shtml

Mary,

I remember reading and hearing about that Tampa Bay bridge disaster...
sent a Greyhound bus among some other vehicles into the water!

Eric

[stormchazer]

It was actually the second time that the same barge captain hit the Sunshine Skyway.



After the tragedy, a new bridge was finally built allowing for a wider and safer entrance into the Port of Tampa.

[Anonymous]

A woman was slung from her Jeep from the unsafe Mathews Bridge last month... I might go over the that once a year and have only went over the Dames Point once im my lifetime as a passenger-I'd prefer the ferry lol....

Story here http://www.news4jax.com/news/3521351/detail.html

Mathews bridge


Dames point