04-09-2021, 08:08 PM
(04-09-2021, 07:58 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Actually that saves zero time. At least by Google Map's imprecise measurements, because that's a 6 minute drive around, but over the bridge is a 1 minute drive, and it's also a 1 minute walk...so if the bridge was closed to cars, they could just walk across the bridge in 1 minute.
True enough. But my purpose was to put an upper bound on time saved by using the bridge. Replacing a route that crosses the bridge with one that goes to the bridge, then detours around to the other side of the bridge, then continues on, is the best case scenario for the bridge saving time. In most routes the shortest non-bridge route won’t go particularly near the bridge at all so the actual time savings will always be less.
I would argue that horse carts should be able to use the bridge too but I’m pretty sure that can be done without opening it up to motor vehicle traffic. Somewhere I saw video of some overweight vehicle using a bridge it definitely shouldn’t have. It got across but obviously put a huge amount of wear on the bridge in just a few minutes. I hope we don’t someday lose this bridge due to overuse of that nature.