Bridges-Told You So

I have a fear of bridges. I don't understand them. How can something that is so high up over a span of space that is so treacherous be safe? How are they able to build them and be assured of the safety of the bridge? I hate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. That's an example of a bridge I just don't understand. When I go over it, I have to be in the middle lane, not on either edge, and I just focus straight ahead, even if I'm only the passenger, until I'm over. It takes about 5 seconds, but feels like an eternity. For some unexplainable reason, I prefer floating bridges. I do not understand how they float with millions of cars on top adding weight, but am somehow comforted to think that the water is helping to hold the bridge up.

A bridge I hate, which I luckily do not have to go across during my usual routine, is a high, old bridge which spans over a river gorge. It's old, and in an out-of-the-way spot, therefore I do not trust that the safety is being monitored. When you go over this bridge, you look straight down, way down, into the rocky, rushing river miles below. And the two ends of the bridge just seem to be on the rocky edges. I don't really see any support, there is none, because of where the bridge is and the conditions below it. Whenever I must cross that bridge, I usually slow down as I approach it, giving any cars or trucks coming in the opposite direction time to cross before I have to get on the bridge. I want to be the only car on the bridge. Then, I drive over it fast.

Of course my husband teases me about my phobia, which I probably inherited from my dad who doesn't like heights and has never been in an airplane. And the other day we had to cross that bridge (when we came to it) in order to drive out to a pumpkin patch to retrieve my lost cell phone that had been found (see prior post about this). As we approached this bridge, I told my husband to slow down, and then told him what I do when I cross that bridge. He scoffed at me, of course, and didn't do it.

Last week we got a lot of rain. One day coming home from school I saw this rather small, unobscure sign that said that this particular bridge was temporarily closed. Odd, I thought, since even if all of the rain had made the river flood, this bridge was so high up it would not affect it. I told Eric, who thought they were probably just doing some safety checking on the bridge, and didn't that make me feel better to know it was getting checked regularly (No, it does not.).

Then yesterday as he was reading the paper, he said, "Well, maybe there is something to your fear of bridges after all..." The small article was titled "Safety Worries Shut Green River Span." The article goes on to say "...after reviewing data gathered by electronic sensors in the landslide zone near the bridge, DOT geotechnical engineers have determined the structure is vulnerable to significant land movement. Engineers say the soil supporting the bridge is showing unusual movementnt that could be aggravated by recent heavy rain. DOT officials are worried the soil may not be able to support one of the bridge piers..."

The bridge will be closed for at least 6 months. And I shall never go on it again.