A Natural Root Bridge

A Natural Root Bridge Across a Valley at Cherrapunji, India — Cherrapunjee is a valley in North Eastern part of India, where the rain lashes the entire place 5 months in a year. Due to heavy rains as well as cyclones the locals in this place have developed in genuine way of building a bridge across valleys. The process is that the root of a rare Indian rubber tree is made to grow in a particular direction with the support of the bamboos and a constant watch is kept on the growth. More images after the break...

As the root further grows, more and more bamboos are added to provide direction so that it reaches the other side of the valley crossing dangerous rivers below. These roots grow very slowly, at times a few millimeters in a few months and hence a small bridge of say about 40 feet takes a period of 23 years. This being the case, imagine how much time would have taken to build a double decker bridge as shown in the picture.

The locals say that it has taken 500 years to form this bridge that can withstand 90 people at a time without any sign of fear. Since the roots are continuously growing with their other end firmly set the strength of the bridge only gets enhanced as the days pass by. This bridge receives a good amount of tourists who have to trek quite a distance. Now this has become a trend in that area where the present generation creates a facility so that the next generation can use the same to cross the valleys in Meghalaya.

Who's there on the Bridge

Who's there on the bridge ? Find the answer after the break...

Here is the perfect example of how a moonlight stroll can go horribly wrong.Two young goats that wandered onto the thin ledge of a 60ft railway bridge had to be rescued by a crane after two days high above a remote highway.The poor animals' plight was only discovered when a passing motorist contacted a local charity and alerted them to the situation.Rimrock Humane Society called the police, who then enlisted the help of a local coal mine to bring in a crane and pluck the animals to safety near Roundup, southern Montana.

The young female animals, weighing about 30lb each, mostly stayed on the angled ledge - even though there was a wider surface area on a pillar just a few feet away. Rimrock Humane Society president Sandy Church said: 'The whole time, we thought they were going to fall off. These guys are just babies.' Ms Church said it wasn't clear how the nimble-footed animals got into the predicament, but she speculated they wandered onto the ledge at night and then froze after the sun rose and they discovered where they were. She said that the goats sometimes stepped to the pillar but returned to the narrower ledge, where they tried to rest their tired legs by tucking them under their bodies for a few seconds at a time.

Authorities were called on Tuesday, when the goats were first spotted. But confusion about the location delayed the rescue until another caller alerted the humane society yesterday. The sheriff's office, Ms Church and Cory Freeman, a humane society volunteer who runs the Animal Edventures Sanctuary, enlisted the help of officials at Signal Peak Energy, which operates a nearby coal mine. Mine boss John DeMichiei volunteered a mining crane with an arm high enough to reach the stranded goats that eventually moved to the pillar. Both animals were thirsty and tired but have recovered well after their ordeal - and are undoubtedly giving late-night walks a miss for the time being.

Via - Link

World’s Top 10 Longest Single Span Bridges

1. Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan – 1,991 m

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan heads the list of the top 10 longest single spand bridges in the world. Europe’s longest singel span bridge is the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark, although current plans for a bridge between mainland Italy and Sicily across the Messina straights would surpass it if given the go ahead. The Tsing Ma (Hong Kong to China), has the longest span for a bridge with both road and train traffic. More Images after the break...

2. Xihoumen Bridge, China – 1,650 m

3. Great Belt Bridge, Denmark – 1,624 m

4. Runyang Bridge, China – 1,490 m

5. Humber Bridge, England – 1,410 m

6. Jiangyin Suspension Bridge, China – 1,385 m

7. Tsing Ma Bridge, China – 1,377 m

8. Verrazano Narrows Bridge, USA – 1,298 m

9. Golden Gate Bridge, USA – 1,280 m

10. Yangluo Bridge, China – 1,280 m

Via : Link

Suspension Bridge made of Grass

Qeswachaka, the hanging bridge located at the southern province of Canas in Cuzco, Peru. It is hand-woven from a local grass called "Qoya". It is 120 feet long and is rebuilt every year by a local community. More images after the break...

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Glass Bridge

Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Glass Bridge Construction of the Skywalk began March of 2004 and is estimated to be completed by 4th quarter of 2006. Glass Bridge will be suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon. On May 2005, the final test was conducted and the stucture passed engineering requirements by 400 percent, enabling it to withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes (more that 71 million pounds). The bridge will be able to sustain winds in excess of 100 miles per hour from 8 different directions, as well as an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles. More than one million pounds of steel will go into the construction of the Grand Canyon sky walk..................More images after the break...

Water Bridge Over River

Even after you see it, it is still hard to believe !

Water Bridge in Germany ....

What a feat! Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long.......

now this is engineering! This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration. To those who appreciate engineering projects, here's a puzzle for you armchair engineers and physicists. Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water?
Answer: It only needs to be designed to withstand the weight of the water! Why? A ship always displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the ship, regardless of how heavily a ship may be loaded.