surely this is a good idea that doesn’t have the capacity to end real fuckin badly
Bridges aren’t supposed to have weight restrictions on them. That is, they don’t come with weight restrictions on them when they’re new. So a bridge with a weight restriction on it is a sign that something has gone wrong and the bridge does not meet current standards.
The maximum weight that a vehicle is allowed to carry on the Interstate System per federal law is 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (with a max of 20,000 pounds per axle). That’s 40 tons. That limit applies to every inch of pavement, not just the bridges. Since this is a known cap, a new Interstate bridge will be designed to accommodate an 80,000 lb GVW load on it. You could say the bridge’s weight limit is 80,000 lb/40 tons but that doesn’t really have much meaning, because a load higher than that would be illegal to transport on public roads anyway, and the road leading up to the bridge has the same weight restriction. (In practice, the bridge doubtlessly will be designed to have a little bit of let to it just in case some idiot tries to squeak by a few hundred extra pounds.)
Now, note that that law applies to the Interstate System only, because the federal government only has a governing interest in the Interstate System (and other roads that together make up something called the National Highway System) because they partially fund it. Most long-distance roads are owned and funded by the states. The states could theoretically set lower standard weight limits and/or design bridges with lower weight limits…but in practice they don’t.
One, because all of that 80,000 lb GVW traffic on the Interstate system has to go somewhere when it exits the system.
Two, because a group called the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO, who are best known for picking the road numbers) maintains a catalog of standard components for making bridges that meet Interstate System requirements. Engineers are expensive on a per-hour basis, so if you can direct your engineer to use standard components and make a standard bridge, that’s a lot cheaper than having them design a bridge from scratch to go over the creek in Nowheresville. As a result, most new bridges meet Interstate standards and have an 80,000 lb GVW rating even if they aren’t on the Interstate system. (This is also why all new bridges kind of look the same, but we’re not worried about how boring the bridges are for the sake of this post.)
So a bridge only has an explicit weight limit if it has been damaged in some way (through failure to properly maintain it usually) or because it predates the application of Interstate System standards and the standard AASHTO bridges.
Older bridges often have other problems in addition to the weight limits: many older designs are what we call “fracture critical”, which means that if one component of the bridge fails the whole thing collapses. Modern bridge designs have redundancy designed into them so that if one beam fails the other beams will carry the load until the damaged beam can be replaced. Older bridges also often don’t meet other standards, like height (16 ft clearance) and width (12 ft per lane plus 14 ft for shoulders) requirements.
Biden isn’t advocating eliminating weight limits and letting it be a laissez-faire free-for-all where trucks can just go wherever they want. He’s advocating for replacing bridges that carry weight limits with new ones that don’t have them.
wow i got absolutely schooled thank you for all this this is really informative. i have learned so much
This is a great explanation of what the fuck Biden was talking about in his tweet. because I will freely admit that I also went “…….wtf?????” when I read it. So thank you.
My favorite Andrew headcanon still remains that upon retiring from Exy—a good several years before average, and waaaay before Neil and Kevin, because he’s finally secure enough in his life and desires to recognize that he doesn’t need to keep doing something he doesn’t enjoy just because hes good at it—he goes back into law and becomes a public defender.
It’s not like he forgot anything since college, and most of the bar exam is rote memorization, so picking it back up is simple. Neil is too happy that Andrew is making such a major decision on his own initiative to be disappointed about losing pro exy.
On the other hand. Can you imagine sitting in a jail cell for auto theft waiting for some underpaid schmuck to offer you a plea deal when fucking LeBron James walks in.
One of the most decorated athletes of the decade sits down and says he’s your legal council. You start looking around for the prank cameras.
Your sister’s first celebrity crush starts reading you your rights for the interrogation in twenty minutes. You’re still looking for the cameras so you don’t notice he stopped until you realize he’s just been staring at you unblinking for three minutes. You squirm.
“Do you want to go to prison?” The man who went viral bench pressing another dude twice your weight asks. You somehow manage to not piss your pants long enough to say “No?”
“Then listen when I speak and do as I say.”
The police barge into the room. It’s clear from their faces that someone in the break room told them that Vogue’s sixth sexiest man alive was here and they had to check for themselves. “You’re Andrew Minyard,” the officer says incredulously.
“And you’re intruding on a private meeting without due cause,” says the man who’s dirty sweats auctioned last year at $30k, then turns back around and goes back to reading you your rights. You try to listen.
He asks if you have any questions. You say, “Why the hell are you here?”
“Because it’s my job,” says the best goalkeeper on the planet. He doesn’t say it, but dear god, why are you so dumb is heavily implied.
You decide to drop the subject. If his signature ends up being on your arrest papers, you are so framing it.
You know:
1. Neil is the kind of S/O that goes to as many of Andrew’s trials as he can (he treats it like GAME DAY for Andrew).
2. I love that he’s a defender even in law. There are plenty of trials that he just completely shuts out the prosecutor with his arguments and evidence.
3. Various news media are absolutely framing every article about his retirement and subsequent employment as a lawyer as: “From one Court to another”
What a time to be trans and alive in America. If you follow me, you
are probably already horribly aware of the hundreds of pieces of
anti-trans legislation that have been introduced in nearly every state,
some seeking to ban trans healthcare for both minors and adults, some to
ban drag, to ban trans people from restrooms, from sports teams, and in
some of the most extreme cases take trans children away from parents
who support their transitions. I highly recommend following The Trans Formations Project for their daily updates on the progress of
these bills through the state government. They also have a very helpful
tool on their website where you can search representatives by state and
see exactly which legislators have introduced or voted on anti-trans
bills, so you know exactly who to call and complain to about their
terrible policies. The Trans Formations Project is active on insta,
tumblr, twitter, discord, tiktok and FB. They are currently seeking
volunteers and taking donations through their website. If you have the
means, here are some other organizations you can support to combat these
bills:
ACLU or especially the ACLU of Tennessee, which is ready to fight Tennessee’s new anti-drag bill in court
The Trans Law Center especially their Trans Health Legal Fund, which provides resources for
trans people facing investigation, arrest or prosecution for seeking
healthcare
Keep
up your courage! Keep up your strength! We’ve also had some pieces of
good news this week too- Minnesota has become a refuge state for trans
folks seeking gender-affirming healthcare, Michigan just expanded their
protections of LGTBQ citizens, and Wyoming rejected a trans healthcare
ban. All is not lost, but if you see a bill moving through your state’s
legislation, please do make some noise about it!
I once spent a large portion of a thesis meeting talking to my advisor about about how much time I used to spend drawing dragons as a kid. He looked me dead in the eye and said “Seems like you should maybe draw some more dragons,” which was a real refreshing take from within in the halls of academia I tell you what
You know I love to draw a dragon… or draw myself as a child drawing dragons :D
ALT
