“Basically intolerable”
Posted by pittgirl on 30 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Random
So I was browsing the Trib’s website when I saw a link to a multimedia page that would show me the “basically intolerable” bridges in Southwestern PA.
I assumed I would click on it and would see maybe a little slideshow of 10 bridges or so and then I would avoid those bridges like couscous (I hate couscous like the plague.)
Shit.
I opened that page up and was greeted with craploads and craploads of little red triangles of bridge-falling doom.
I don’t know about you, but if I was taking a hike in the woods and I came across a little pedestrian bridge over a river and at the entrance to that pedestrian bridge was a sign that said, “This bridge is structurally deficient and basically intolerable. Walk at your own risk,” I would sooner make out with Steely McBeam than set a toenail on it.
And here I find out I’m daily driving my heavy SUV over bridges that should have that exact sign posted at them.
I was joking before, but now I’m serious. We ARE all going to die.
11 Comments »
on 30 Aug 2007 at 10:45 am 1.TC said …
Son of a B, that is a lot of red triangles.
Now I am going to drive over the Liberty Bridge twice as fast, screaming the entire way, in hopes that if the bridge collapses I will reach shore in a Dukes of Hazzard-esque moment of impossible car-jump glory. Where does one get a car-horn that plays the “Here we go” tune?
on 30 Aug 2007 at 10:52 am 2.Heather Downey said …
Holy freakin’ crap. Just another reason for me not to leave the house with the kids. I’m afraid my mom-mobile may be to heavy. Maybe I need to buy one of those mini-coopers.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 10:54 am 3.REARless said …
TC,
Sorry but that is “Dixie” that it plays and you do live above the Maxon-Dixon line.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 12:30 pm 4.TC said …
REARless - oops, should have been more specific - I meant that I want a horn that blasts “pittsburgh’s goin’ to da superbohl.” (Yee-ha!)
on 30 Aug 2007 at 1:22 pm 5.Bulldog said …
Well since you asked, you can go here to get a musical car horn that allows you to record and play back music of your choice…
http://www.cogapa.com/
on 30 Aug 2007 at 2:15 pm 6.bucdaddy said …
WARNING: Basically intolerable rant ahead.
You know, your chances of being killed in a bridge collapse are probably about the same as they are of being killed by a rattlesnake bite or a bee sting or a lightning strike. You probably have a considerably better chance of being stabbed to death by your older brother. But let one bridge fall down and it’s all this angst and hand-wringing. Even worse, now we all have to slow down on the highway for innumerable bridge inspection crews. If we took all the money and time we’re sinking into these inspections and, oh, I dunno, maybe rebuilt the worst five bridges in the country, we’d all be a lot better off. This is typical of an issue where people’s fears and emotions get the better of their common sense. I suspect this is because there are a WHOLE LOT more people who have that bridge phobia than even the sizable number who will admit it. Still, all of you posting here have driven over bridges, dozens, maybe hundreds of bridges, hundreds, maybe thousands of times, all your lives and you’ve lived to tell about it. So everybody just CALM THE F*** DOWN.
Thank you.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 2:39 pm 7.Babyoucantdrivemycar said …
I think they should have “driver” inspections.
I’m more afraid of being killed by an aggressive driver (and much more likely to be, exponentially) than by a bridge collapse.
Other drivers (and in many cases, ourselves) are what we should fear most on the road.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 4:27 pm 8.TC said …
Bulldog - Thank you, that is awesome. This is such a bad idea I now feel completely obligated to follow through with it.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 9:47 pm 9.Gunn Lino said …
bucdaddy…..Word dude, word.
on 31 Aug 2007 at 8:50 am 10.M. Silenus said …
bucdaddy, I’ll make a reasoned argument in favor of panic:~D Taking care of infrastructure is not a sexy issue in the public consciousness. It’s one of those things that usually we ignore at our peril until their is a tragedy like the one in Minneapolis. So I say, if there is enough of a public outcry to actually address the issue, then that’s a good thing. In the mean time though, I’ll drive over bridges loudly singing
“Some things in life are bad,
They can really make you mad,
Other things just make you swear and curse,
When you’re chewing life’s gristle,
Don’t grumble,
Give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best, and
Always look on the bright side of life…”
Complete with whistling.
on 31 Aug 2007 at 8:52 am 11.M. Silenus said …
there. until there is a tragedy (ugh)