More Fort Worth Bridgey McBridgeface Nutty Nonsense With Other Real Bridges

A couple weeks ago I blogged about a fresh Fort Worth embarrassment. That being the public being asked to come up with names for Fort Worth's three simple little bridges built over dry land.

Construction of which took seven years.

Over dry land.

The moronic Fort Worth public figures responsible for the bridge boondoggle idiotically claimed, over and over and over again that the three bridges were being built over dry land, to save time and money.

Making that idiotic claim when there was no option other than building the bridges over dry land, due to the fact that there would be no water under those bridges til a cement lined ditch was dug under them, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch. 

To further elaborate on how idiotically moronic this building over dry land to same time and money claim is, well, what if the cement lined ditch was installed first. Well, there would be no way to cross the ditch, til bridges were built.

So, clearly there was no option other than building the bridges over dry land.

Regarding that blog post about the naming of those three pitiful freeway overpass looking bridges, Steve A made an amusing comment...

Steve A has left a new comment on your post "Fort Worth's Bridgey McBridgeface Bridge Name Nonsense Boondoggle":

How about "The Montlake Bridge Would be Green with Envy" as a name for one of the bridges. In Seattle, they weren't as clever as Fort Worth. In Seattle, they dug the ditch (called the Montlake Cut) for the ship canal and THEN built the bridge. Just the reverse of what Fort Worth did. Hence, my proposed name. We could call it MBWBGWE for short.

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Actually, there are two bridges over the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The first one built after the Montlake Cut was first cut. And then a few years later Interstate 5 came to town, requiring a massive double decker bridge high above the Montlake Cut.

And, for some unfathomable reason Seattle never felt the need to ask the public to suggest names for these bridges.

Yesterday the Fort Worth bridge boondoggle came back to mind when the entity known as Nutty McNutt pointed me to what you see at the top. A photo of the Astoria-Megler bridge under construction.

A blurb from Wikipedia about Astoria-Megler Bridge...

The Astoria–Megler Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge in the northwest United States that spans the lower Columbia River, between Astoria, Oregon, and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington. Opened 57 years ago, in 1966, it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.

The bridge is 14 miles (23 km) from the mouth of the river at the Pacific Ocean. The bridge is 4.067 miles (6.55 km) in length and was the final segment of U.S. Route 101 to be completed between Olympia, Washington, and Los Angeles, California.

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Construction of this big bridge across the Columbia River began November 5, 1962, completed by August 27, 1966.

Completed in less than four years.

When Fort Worth began construction of its three little bridges over dry land, marking the start with a TNT exploding ceremony, it was with an, at the time, astonishing four-year construction timeline.

To build three little bridges over dry land.

Three little bridges which ended up taking seven years to build.

Over dry land.

The bridge which connects Astoria to Megler was built over a deep, fast moving river that was subject to tidal changes due to being so close to the Pacific Ocean.

I have driven over that bridge over the Columbia multiple times. It is one of the most adventurous river crossings I have ever crossed, particularly the section which quickly goes high, so that Portland bound ships can get past the bridge.

I wonder how long it would take Fort Worth to build a bridge like the Astoria-Megler Bridge over the Columbia? 20 years? A century?