The Melkweb Bridge

Can anyone explain to me why this is not just a "monumental" waste of money?

I can see no practical reason, nor any need, for such an expensive structure.

It's an engineered attraction, and a lot more practical and functional than other structures I could mention.

There are other similar separating designs for roadways and bridges which are also engineered more for attraction than for cost and efficiency.

Just consider if modern art that actually performs a useful function.

One could say the same about the Eiffel Tower, Nelson's Column, the Statue of Liberty, the CN Tower, etc., etc......

Don't try to confuse me with facts!

I can see several reasons that this is not a monumental waste of your money from just the pictures provided. And as everyone here knows, I'm not a civil engineer.

• The approaches to this bridge fit very neatly between roadway and drainage ditch on each side of the bridge. While the ditch could probably be moved at low cost the roadway and city infrastructure would be very costly to move and are likely the actual reason for having this bridge in the first place.
• The load points for this dual bridge reside inside the waterway. As such the reinforcing of the waterway banks were minimized. The proximity to bedrock below the waterway may have made this the most cost effective load points. The relatively short distance between water and ground levels imply to me that this is a controlled waterway like a canal. So I expect excessive rip-wrap is not needed.
• The pedestrian step bridge that requires less rotational support on the base due to the high arc and presumed lower traffic load mass is always available when the lower bridge is open to boat traffic.
• The most important reason, they did not spend your money. They spent their money after going through their proper political channels.

I NEVER made any reference to MY money.

It looks like modern art.

so does Munch's paintings. more interesting and alot cheaper.

I'm not sure about the "cheaper"; I think a copy of "The Scream" sold for more than that at recent auction.

And unlike a bridge you cannot walk on it (they get really upset if you try).

"...the top level is for pedestrians:This deck was designed as a pendulum over the water, so that the slope could be limited to a minimum." I've puzzled over this a while and can only guess what this means.

"A pendulum over the water'??? But it does not appear to move, not does it look like a pendulum. "So the slope could be limited to a minimum"??? Looks pretty steep to me. The center section appears to be 4X the height of an average person, which is much higher than it needs to be, I think, unless they want to accomodate stilt walkers.

By 'deck' do they mean the lower level? By 'pendulum' do they mean it zig-zags so that there is a single point where the upper section crosses the lower section? But why cross at all?

You can't completely separate the bicyclists from pedestrians since some people can't climb stairs, and other people need to push strollers or use wheelchairs. So why not just build one wide span with a section marked for cyclists and another section marked for pedestrians and another section where people have benches to sit on?

But hey, it looks cool in a post-modern sort-of 'this will go out of style in 20 years' kind of way.

And, they had 6,000,000.00 Euros to spend.

Both the engineering and the editing are weird.

Typical of what happens when the "powers that be" start to forget where the public money comes from and listen too closely to the artists, artisans, architects, greenies, "sustainable development" types and general socialist freeloaders in the population, who all want to leave their footprints in the sands of time by this kind of waste. And god forbid, not on their dime!!

And don't forget to put some moving parts in it, too, so it can employ some government hack for the next century to operate the swing span when a boat comes along once a day.

As someone else pointed out, it will likely be out of style in 20 years.

Jon.

Breaks in the middle and swings horizontally, like a pendulum.

I think you've got it.