In the early hours of a seemingly normal Tuesday, the maritime community and the citizens of Baltimore witnessed an unprecedented disaster. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a vital artery for the busy Port of Baltimore and a key infrastructure component for the region’s transport network, collapsed following a collision with the container ship Dali. This marks the most severe US bridge collision since the Tampa Skyway Bridge disaster in 1980, has not only resulted in immediate disruption but also poses serious questions about maritime safety, infrastructure resilience, and emergency preparedness.
Image Credit: VA
The Directorate General of Highways commissioned the Danjiang bridge in Taipei that will span the mouth of the Tamsui River. Construction of the world’s longest single-mast, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge is already underway and is generating quite a buzz.
Designed to connect to the national highway system, the Danjiang bridge will help ease congestion on the Guandu Bridge situated further upriver. The Danjiang bridge construction will also facilitate the expansion of the Danhai Light Rail Transit which is part of the city’s public transport system.
The world of construction and technology is advancing at a rapid pace achieving what no-one thought possible only a few years ago. A split-pylon concept bridge is the focus of an EPSRC-funded project at Sheffield and Brunel University. Partnering with a long span bridge expert, Ian Firth, the team of UK engineers used mathematical modelling techniques to identify new bridge designs. They claim that it could beat the current record of a 2 km single span bridge.
Newly identified bridge structures could allow for the construction of significantly longer bridges in the near future. The possibility to make a crossing over the Strait of Gibraltar, from the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco is very real.
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