Friday, August 12, 2011

Prince Edward Island bridge built to withstand rising sea levels

CBC News: P.E.I. opened a new bridge this week designed in part to withstand the effects of global warming. The $4.5 million Darnley Bridge was built about a metre higher than the wooden one it's replacing.

Darrell Evans, a manager at the department of transportation, said the province made the change so the bridge would not be overwhelmed should sea levels rise. "It costs more, absolutely. More fill, [but] cost for fill is cheap compared to structure. As you get higher, the structure gets longer, and it does cost more," he said.

Given the added cost, the government wants the bridge to last longer, possibly for 75 years. "Certainly wouldn't last longer. It would be more exposed to certain environmental considerations, such as ice, which would be a big factor. Ice loading, ice floes," Evans said....

Not the bridge in the story -- the Confederation Bridge links since 1997 Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick over the Northumberland Strait at the east side of Canada. Shot by Colin Bowern, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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