Posted on 09/16/2004 10:51:10 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
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A bridge over Escambia Bay north of Pensacola, Florida is cut in two by Hurricane Ivan with a tractor-trailer rig swallowed by the gap, September 16, 2004. Hurricane Ivan slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast early Thursday with devastating winds and pounding waves that ripped homes apart, flooded deep inland and spawned tornadoes that killed at least eight people. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
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The bridge carrying Interstate 10 over Escambia Bay is wiped out on both ends as what is left of a truck remains on a section, after Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola, Florida September 16, 2004. Hurricane Ivan slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast early Thursday with devastating winds and pounding waves that ripped homes apart, flooded deep inland and spawned tornadoes that killed at least eight people. REUTERS/Marc Serota<
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The bridge carrying Interstate 10 over Escambia Bay is wiped out on both ends as what is left of a truck remains on a section, after Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola, Florida September 16, 2004. Hurricane Ivan slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast early Thursday with devastating winds and pounding waves that ripped homes apart, flooded deep inland and spawned tornadoes that killed at least eight people. REUTERS/Marc Serota |
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Hopefully, someone is thinking ahead of time and will close before the hurricane actually hits the bridge. With that being said, you can always close it at the approaches leading up to the bridge. With an interstate, you close it at the prior interchange. I would have thought that would have happened here, but apparently not. And you can put up warning signs, using the portable signs cops carry with them, using flares, using patrol cars with lights ablazing to warn people not to go any further. You do not do this on the bridge itself, but on the approaches to the bridge.
The one in the second photo in post 76?
And you can put up warning signs, using the portable signs cops carry with them,
If they were lucky, they might find the portable signs in Dothan or Andalusia.
using patrol cars with lights ablazing to warn people not to go any further.
Have you ever driven in a blinding, wind whipped rain where visibility was 30 feet or less? You would be lucky to spot the "lights ablazing" a few seconds before you hit the police car.
I don't think Pensacola has ever had any complaints about how it handles snow and blizzards. Will the signs used stand up to 100 mph sustained winds?
"Me 18-wheeler truck driver. Me macho man!"
They should. Wyoming, I believe is an Indian word meaning "Constant, miserably cold strong winds blows you away."
I have seen a newspaper's top headline (Rawlins, while fueling) stating "The Winds Didn't Blow Yesterday"!
Seriously, in some areas they do get severe winds every year, into the 75-100mph+ category and gusts of 120+.
The gates are pipe-gates, so offer little cross section, and the signs & gate-mounting posts are pretty stout. Should be easy to adapt to your local conditions.
In the conditions described, they don't have to be huge, as speeds should be low anyway. Don't need long reading distances to compensate for speed.
That might work, then. I still think more folks would run into them than would stop for them. And it is something that would require highway department action rather than action by the police, which attitude triggered my initial rant.
I have not heard that story, but yes, it was the August 15, 1915 hurricane. The death toll would have been even much higher if they had not constructed the sea wall after the 1900 hurricane.
I just looked it up. It was the September 8th, 1900 storm.
I just read the story again, and cried again.
Of the 10 Nuns, and 93 Orphans, three children survived. When one of the dead Nuns washed ashore, she was still holding two of the drowned children, having promised to not let go. (sniff)
http://www.1900storm.com/orphanage.lasso
This is devastating to those of us who live there. That bridge is essential, there are no other east-west routes for a hundred miles or more.
The Hwy 90 and exisitng bridge between the two counties cannot handle the traffic.
Is there something worse than hughly series? If so, this is it.
This is about 7 miles from where I currently call home.
I was looking forward to my next R&R in a few weeks because I get so tired of looking at boken things and f'ed up infrastructure. lol...what can I say?
My family is roving hotel to hotel trying to get back since they evacuated several days ago. That bridge is vital to many of us. That missing link will cost some people their jobs.
What a god-awful mess this is going to be. I-10 will be closed for weeks, maybe months.
Hwy 90 brdige is out also, according to the news up here this evening.
NO!!
Reports are that Hwy 98 doesn't exist in many parts and it is barely sufficient for normal traffic.
Hwy 90 is NOT an option! I live a mile off if it and it cannot handle the raffic it has now.
Most of 90 east of Milton is two lane.
If both bridges are damaged, Santa Rosa county is effectively cut off from P'cola. Oh sure, you can go up to Molino and cut over to Hwy 29 south...yeah, right, that's not gonna happen.
Yes. I'd stay well clear of the coast.
Yeah - that's the only way I could figure: And those are two-lane farm roads, right through all the little towns.
I heard a report that right now even that's not possible, due to US 29 being blocked by fallen trees and power poles/lines.
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