World's Scariest Bridges

Yahoo! ^ | September 2010 | Lyndsey Matthews

[Pyro7480]

Royal Gorge Bridge
Colorado

America's highest suspension bridge may be breathtaking for some, but those scared of heights may be left gasping for air as they stare straight down nearly 90 stories at the Arkansas River below. Completed in 1929, the bridge didn't have stabilizing wind cables until 1982.

Where: Royal Gorge, Colorado, over the Arkansas River.

Stats: 969 feet above the gorge; 1,260 feet long....

Mackinac Bridge
Michigan

Some drivers get so nervous about crossing this five-mile-long bridge that they don't even go. And this happens so often that the Mackinac Bridge Authority will drive your car or motorcycle for you (and for free). The biggest fear is the wind, which often exceeds 30 miles per hour on the bridge.

Where: Between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Stats: 5 miles long; 199 feet above the water....

Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Maryland

Drivers are notoriously afraid of this bridge, as it's subjected to frequent—and often violent—storms. And when the bad weather hits, forget about visibility: get to the middle of this five-mile-long bridge and you can barely see land.

Where: Spanning the Chesapeake Bay to connect Maryland's eastern and western shores.

Stats: Nearly 5 miles long; 186 feet high at its highest point.

[steve86]

Like some other highway bridges, at night time or on a foggy day you might not even notice that one is there.

Another scenic northwest bridge is the Deception Pass Bridge near Oak Harbor, WA. The best thing is you can watch the tidal flows underneath it. I've been over it only a couple times but it often looks like a river down there instead of the sea.

And just a few weeks ago I went across the Nisqually Canyon bridge at Mt. Rainier, about a mile down from the current glacier terminus. Also looked down on this bridge from a couple thousand few above it on the mountain.

Not us, but my two girls and I looked just about the same as this group:

[steve86]

I thought it was funny how much the dad and his two girls in #60 looks so much like us (although I have a gray goatee!). Maybe I will post a photo of the authentic “us” at Mt. Rainier on my profile page. The highest ridge directly ‘above’ the family is where we hiked.

[SunkenCiv]

If I tried to use that “bridge”, I’d slip on my own bowel movements.

[steve86]

I guess it might have been a boy in the pic.

Anyway, same family on the Capilano Suspension bridge outside of Vancouver, B.C.:

[Colonel_Flagg]

This is going to seem odd, but I watched this video with ‘The Ballad of Rocky Raccoon’ playing on my CD player. The jangle piano was rather surreal.

To stay on topic, I drove over the Mac once. And only once. It scared the living crap out of me.

[SunkenCiv]

Puts those “bridge to nowhere” rants into perspective, eh?

[CalvaryJohn]

I wouldn’t say Glen Canyon Bridge is scary, but that baby moves and sings!
One of my favorites is the foot bridge over the Wolf River in Pall Mall TN, at the homestead of Sgt. Alvin York.
I’ve been over many, well known and otherwise, and have never been scared. I love bridges.

[VOA]

“
Chimney Rock, North Carolina, 315’. I was unable to cross this bridge
as a small male child in 1962.
“

Don’t be too hard on yourself.
When I was six or seven years old, my parents too me and my brother to
visit relatives in Montreal.
When we crossed over from Michigan to Ontario (Windsor) on what I think
was the Ambassador Bridge...I almost went catatonic with fear.
Being from the flat open spaces of Oklahoma, being on what felt like
a narrow ribbon of steel maybe a hundred or more feet above the open water...
I wanted to scream “We’re all gonna’ die!!!”
But, as I said, I was basically paralyzed with fear.
And fortunately, we got across in a couple of minutes.

[Tax-chick]

LOL! There are some scary foot-bridges in NC, but I haven’t been on any. One of the benefits of being at home with the babies ;-).

Actually, I handle heights fine, but dragging a toddler across could be problematic. My shoulders hurt for two days after schlepping Frank through the bowels of the battleship North Carolina. It was a bonding experience with Elen and Sally, though; we organized the three little boys up and down the ladders like good Navy wives.

[VOA]

“
Anyway, same family on the Capilano Suspension bridge outside of Vancouver, B.C.:
“

Major mistake of the “Manifest Destiny” crowd in the 1800s:
Not taking Vancouver and it’s capitol island...
and giving the
Canucks Seattle in exchange...
(yes, I’m being facetious...a bit)

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

[annelizly]

when my family walked the mackinaw bridge years ago, a gust of wind almost took my sister over the edge. my mother grabbed her jacket and thats the only reason she didn’t go over.

[Think free or die]

Pretty amazing bridges. I grew up in Michigan, and crossing the Mighty Mac was an annual event on the way to vacation in Canada. I’ve never driven it. I suspect I’d find it a bit disquieting though. I’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge several times, and drove it twice this summer. Fortunately the weather was calm, and I had no problem with it whatsoever. Unfortunately, being the driver, I didn’t get to enjoy the view as much as I’d have liked. It really is beautiful.

[Think free or die]

Wow! What a close call.

[restornu]

Is that train tracks down there along side the rivee?

[Azzurri]

Mackinac Bridge

Don't worry about safety. If you stay within the speed limit 45 mph in good weather) and obey special weather-related instructions on the lighted display board, you'll be fine. In the few cases of cars going over the guard rail and plunging into the lake, drivers were speeding. One was ruled a suicide; the other involved a tiny Yugo automobile going too fast in very bad weather.

After the Yugo incident, escorts of high-risk vehicles in bad weather were stepped up. When winds reach 65 mph, the bridge is now closed to all vehicles.

[wideminded]

The current Tacoma Narrows bridge is built like an M-1 tank, as the first one should have been.

There have been two Tacoma Narrows bridges since the one that fell. The replacement bridge was built in 1950. In 2007 an additional bridge was opened so that each bridge now handles one direction.

I haven't driven on the new bridge but I remember once driving across the replacement bridge in a high wind. The vertical cables were all vibrating like guitar strings.

It didn't feel like an M1 tank then and it brought home how the unique challenges of that location must have had a lot to do with the collapse of the 1940 bridge.

[elcid1970]

There must be some really wicked winds in the Tacoma Narrows.

[mitch5501]

Pity about the poor dog.

[MaggieCarta]

Mackinac Bridge
Michigan
Some drivers get so nervous about crossing this five-mile-long bridge that they don't even go. And this happens so often that the Mackinac Bridge Authority will drive your car or motorcycle for you (and for free). The biggest fear is the wind, which often exceeds 30 miles per hour on the bridge. Where: Between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Stats: 5 miles long; 199 feet above the water....

Oh, even reading about it sends chills...