![]() Also like real-world engineers, students analyze their bridge designs by calculating strength-to-weight ratios as a measure of structural efficiency.Īfter this activity, students should be able to: They also experience the use of scale models in engineering to study how the forces and loads acting on bridges (or any structures) can result in damage. Students experience the engineering design process to achieve effective designs, creating and testing prototype bridges to failure. Through this classic introduction to engineering activity, students gain an understanding of some of the challenges faced by engineers whose designs must protect public safety, such as bridges like the Golden Gate Bridge that thousands of people depend upon every day. Structural engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines. Studies will continue into 2024, with more public comments included in the report and a final version expected to be released by next Spring, according to Caltrans.Copyright © 2006 Michael Grindstaff, Wikimedia Commons As required by state law, the project will undergo technical studies, and by the end of the year Caltrans will circulate a draft environmental impact report before holding another public meeting to gather more feedback. The agency has extended the window for public comment through May 26. An in-person meeting held in April was attended by only three local residents and others vented their frustration during a May 4 meeting about how Caltrans notified the public. Other residents in the Harbor communities expressed frustration about the lack of notice for the project’s public comment period. “My belief is rip the bandage off at once.” “Nobody is going to like any of it closed,” he said. He advocated for a full bridge closure with the shortest construction timeline. San Pedro resident Luis Dominguez said that whenever there is construction on the bridge, the backup in traffic is severe. “I’m not hyperbolizing when I say people will die,” Hernandez said. She said that the corridors that already see heavy traffic will become even more dangerous with an influx of heavy trucks snaking their way around residential neighborhoods to freeways and the ports. ![]() “I think we all agree that we need a safe Vincent Thomas bridge, but we have to make sure that this project does not mean more trucks cutting through the community of Wilmington, which they tend to do when there is not a specific route for them,” Hahn said.Īshley Hernandez, a Wilmington resident and organizer with Communities for a Better Environment, said during the scoping session that she worries that the increase in truck traffic could pose a serious risk to pedestrians and local residents. She requested that Caltrans consider funding a ferry to take workers to Terminal Island and avoid the gridlock on the bridge.Īmong the many issues that Hahn said could dog the project are the noise and air pollution created by the traffic that could impact more heavily on residents in the Wilmington neighborhood once the bridge work begins. “This project will be a major headache for so many people,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said during a May 4 virtual scoping meeting hosted by Caltrans. ![]() ![]() Motorists who take State Route 47 on the bridge to travel between San Pedro and Long Beach will also be delayed. Port workers operate on three shifts throughout the day. The agency could also try for a partial bridge closure with a limited number of lanes shut down and night work schedules that could span two to three years.Įither way, the project would pose a major inconvenience for residents, employees and truck drivers who use the bridge. Caltrans could order a full bridge closure - with 24/7 work - that would take nine to 12 months. The agency could implement several options for the construction phase. ![]()
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