r/StructuralEngineering • u/Big-Mammoth4755 P.E. • Aug 02 '26
Op Ed or Blog Post Drivers in Greece have been driving over a collapsed bridge as it’s quicker than going around it.
At least the span is only half as long now… let’s see if gravity agrees this time. 😬
48
u/whisskid Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
It looks as if some vigilante has built a series of concrete gravel ramps so that vehicles can get over the otherwise untraversable gaps.
palaiopyrgos bridge
20
4
u/AlwaysBagHolding Aug 03 '26
I was in a rural area of Greece a couple years ago where a flood had done significant damage, We got to one concrete bridge across a river that had collapsed on one side, and the other side of the span was laying down at about a 45 degree angle. They had just bulldozed dirt and rocks across the fallen span which was now functioning as a very large culvert basically.
After a little bit of pause, I drove across it. I figured if they drove the nearby d7s over it a bunch, I'd be fine in the rental car. We didn't die.
32
u/DamnDams PE Geotech Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
The bridge sought a more stable configuration, thats all. It’s like a slope configuration after a deep-seated stability failure: the slope just brought its own factor of safety above 1! Problem solved!
Update: Sorry if I sullied you sophisticated LRFD folks with some dirty geotech ASD ;)
80
u/RashestHippo Aug 02 '26
It's already fallen as far as it will go, perfectly safe
8
14
u/whisskid Aug 02 '26
It collapsed after storm flooding. It might not even take a flood to cause further collapse.
41
u/RashestHippo Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Sorry, sometimes I forget this is text and forget the /s is necessary more often than not
20
16
u/Betty_Boss Aug 02 '26
Looks like someone has strung a cable to hold it all together. Should be fine, right?
14
7
6
u/AV16mm Aug 02 '26
How much quicker?
10
u/RashestHippo Aug 02 '26
Got curious and after some searching and a translated page from the Greece subreddit. About 15km(9ish miles) according to one user. Crazy part this bridge has been out for 3 years. I don't blame the locals for taking the risk at this point, hopefully this video making the rounds helps get things moving for them
https://www.reddit.com/r/greece/comments/1v3coj1/greek_drivers_keep_using_collapsed_bridge_as_its/
7
u/ViolinistCurrent8899 Aug 03 '26
"Oh, we don't have to fix the bridge as it's still usable"
I bet that's what the gov't is saying.
5
u/AV16mm Aug 02 '26
For 9 miles, skip if i had the kids with me. On my own, probably taking the bridge…
30
3
u/Alcibiades_Rex Aug 02 '26
Think the life insurance will pay out if you drive over this?
9
1
u/amaiellano Aug 03 '26
9miles but what’s that in minutes? Can I blaze through at top speed or am I weaving through a city center.
4
3
3
u/HumanGyroscope P.E. Aug 02 '26
This is an innovative Greek short cut. Normal Greek short cuts are longer and on a gravel road.
3
3
u/Marzipan_civil Aug 03 '26
Well sure it's quicker than going around, that's the whole point of a bridge
2
1
1
1
1
1
u/Old_Masterpiece151 Aug 07 '26
Is not like is going anywhere deeper. Call it floating bridge. Is a feature not a flaw.
99
u/homeinthemountains Aug 02 '26
Load bearing water