Construction of bridges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Construction of bridges - Essay Example In 1932, the government commissioned the construction of Sydney Bridge. Interestingly, during the construction of the bridge, engineers used steel made up of 6 million hand driven rivets. Also, the bridge has huge hinges to absorb expansion due to the hot Australia sun. In terms of size, Sydney Bridge boasts as one of the largest bridges in the world measuring 1149 meters in length. Its arch spans 503 meters wide and 134 meters above the sea level.Amazingly, the bridge has eight vehicle lanes, a sizable footway, and a series of train lane. Due to many features, engineers used a great deal of materials to meet the design requirements. For example, contractors utilized around 95000 tons of concrete, 52,800 tons of steel, and 58.8 meters of long hangers. In the modern days, most Australians use the bridge to link them between the city and other northern towns. One of the benefits associated with the bridge include the reduction of long distance travel and transportation via the ferry.Du e to its massive size, the bridge needed a huge workforce to undertake the construction. Hence, the bridge needed the service of specialized personnel such as engineers to design different parts, surveyors to do the access the site, and craftsmen among others. Unfortunately, the size of the bridge posed some health threats to workers. Health specialists did not implement health and safety standards such as the handling of red hot rivets. As a result, fifteen workers lost their lives during the construction process .