
Know Why El Paso’s International Bridges Are So Tall?
El Paso doesn't see a lot of ship traffic along the Rio Grande ... it's barely got enough water in it for a raft ... so, why are the bridges tall AF? Science.
El Paso has several ports of entry into the United States of America from Mexico and the biggest ones are bridges that stand super high. They're way taller than they need to be to allow vehicle, truck and train traffic to pass under them so; what's the deal?
That is a good question, those suckers are huge. Ask anyone who has ever tried to walk up them after a night of drinking in Juarez, they're steep. (I've heard.) Why though? They don't get you over a major ship channel or anything, they just go up and down for no apparent reason.
Yes, there are train tracks running under the bridges as well as truck traffic but no train or 18 wheeler is that dang tall.
Another reason for the bridges' height has to do with engineering. Geek alert:
There's an important safety reason for all these sloping structures. Arched bridges, as they're called, distribute the weight they're carrying more evenly along the bridge's span, rather than in the center, which would be the case on flat bridges. This helps make the border bridges sturdier, able to carry more weight, and more resistant to damage from things such as cracks in the concrete. - kfoxtv
Sturdier and more resistant to damage means cheaper to maintain and cheaper always makes Uncle Sam a happy camper.
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