Study sturdy bridges

When the Waldo-Hancock Bridge was constructed, it was a source of pride to my family. Several times one summer I remember my father loading the car to spend a day visiting the bridge site to, as he said, “see how they are coming along” building the bridge. A few years after completion, my brother did a handstand on one of the towers, which was considered quite a stunt at the time.

It would now appear that the bridge was not properly constructed and there are arguments about what type of bridge can replace it. It is my belief that when you build something, do it right or don’t do it at all. I suggest that instead of letting bridge engineers play games with designs they dream up, check out the bridges that have worked.

The bridges over the East River in New York City seemed to have worked without problems for a long time. I don’t recall the Brooklyn Bridge swaying in the wind like the one in Washington state.

Maybe we should seek some help from the Chinese. Their engineers have built several enormous bridges over the Yangtze River to prepare for the flooding of the lake behind the largest dam in the world. The bridges are beautiful. Everything we buy seems to be made in China, so they must be doing something right.

Donald McEdward

Eagle Lake