Bridging the Bridge Metaphors
Yes, this weekend at the 2010 AAAS annual meeting, we've bridged science with society, science with the public, science with Hollywood (with the White House and White Castle), scientists with hostile regimes, scientists with other scientists, scientists with journalists, and not the least, scientists with a lot of wine and beer.
But what about that big bridge thing just outside the conference? What does that bridge?
That would be the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. It bridges, uh, San Diego with Coronado.
Cheeky attitude aside, I was curious about the Coronado Bridge after looking at it all weekend. So, here are some Coronado Bridge facts from Caltrans:
- It's about 2 miles long and at its tallest, about a 200-feet clearance over the water. Sorry, I mean it's about 3.2 kilometres long and 61 metres tall.
- The concrete piles it rests on are driven 100 feet into the sediment at some places.
- Construction began in February 1967 and completed August 1969. What did you do get done with your research in two years? (Kidding, kidding...)
- The steel superstructure of the bridge span was built and partially erected in the San Francisco Bay Area -- over 500 miles away -- then barged down down the coast.
- It's got a movable median barrier -- you can switch from two eastbound/three westbound lanes to three/two, depending on traffic needs. Imagine that for your lab commute.
- It has concrete railings designed to be low enough to give people an unobstructed glimpse of the surrounding vista, but still safely corrals errant drivers. Engineers have hearts, it seems.
Welcome to ScienceBloggers,
home of the 2010 Science / AAAS blogging contest.
The contest is now closed, but you can see details and participate next year!
For coverage of the meeting by Science staff, see our AAAS 2010 news page.
home of the 2010 Science / AAAS blogging contest.
The contest is now closed, but you can see details and participate next year!
For coverage of the meeting by Science staff, see our AAAS 2010 news page.
About the Blogger
Ben Landis is a fish geek, hockey fan, and science scribe in search of that elusive Writing Prompt of Life.
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