| Pages: 1 2 |
rts551
Super Nomad
Posts: 1403
Registered: 9-5-2003
Location: Tucson, Az/Punta Abreojos, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 8-28-2010 at 12:31 AM
|
|
|
No lack of experts here Diane.
| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
"You will see many trucks making their way to Mexicali"
Now that will be a welcome change on Mex. 1 - fewer trucks. Yeh!!! A little quiet at night at Catavina, way fewer scary hairpin turns.
|
The new road will create quite a short-cut for the trucks coming from the mainland of Mexico that are headed far south. I agree that it should make
Catavina a quieter place.
A local friend told us that so many bridges wash out because of the way the approach from the highway joins the bridge---the builders often short cut
the process and use nothing but dirt fill. Then with the first big rains and floods, the dirts washed away and undermines the bridge.
I certainly am no engineer, but we started looking at the bridges along highway 1 that were washed out last year and it does look like they had dirt
filled approaches.
Hope one of the engneers around here comments one way or another. |
|
|
|
RnR
Junior Nomad
Posts: 31
Registered: 5-2-2010
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 8-28-2010 at 02:00 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | | Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
A local friend told us that so many bridges wash out because of the way the approach from the highway joins the bridge---the builders often short cut
the process and use nothing but dirt fill. Then with the first big rains and floods, the dirts washed away and undermines the bridge.
I certainly am no engineer, but we started looking at the bridges along highway 1 that were washed out last year and it does look like they had dirt
filled approaches.
Hope one of the engneers around here comments one way or another. |
|
Here goes:
The bridges are built with sacrificial dirt approaches by design. Ninety percent or more of the cost of the crossing is in the concrete portion of
the bridge so the designers strive to protect the major investment while minimizing the overall cost of the structure.
The bridges are built with the concrete sections in the deepest part of the arroyos. When the arroyo starts to flow it first passes under the
concrete span section of the bridge. If the water flow exceeds the capacity of the concrete section, it washes out the dirt approach and increases
the channel width. When the flow starts to recede, the water retreats back to the concrete section of the bridge allowing the dirt approach area to
be dewatered and rapidly repaired.
That is why the road was back in operation at three of the four bridges in about a week after last Februaury's storms. The fourth bridge, at El
Rosario, really exceeded the channel capacity and dropped a span into the arroyo in addition to washing out the approaches. That is why the bridge is
still out of service. It takes a long time to repair the concrete sections.
This design theory is very evident on several bridges near Santa Maria and El Cien. The approches are built of dirt and are up to five feet lower in
elevation than the concrete decks.
This design theory is also used on small dam spillways in the US. A portion of the embankment is built lower than the remaining crest of the dam in
order to allow for a controlled breaching of the embankment and iniciation of flow down the spillway. It's called a "fuse plug" spillway.
Whew!
|
|
|
DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 5521
Registered: 12-18-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Peaceful
|
|
posted on 8-28-2010 at 02:09 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | | Quote: | Originally posted by RnR
| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
A local friend told us that so many bridges wash out because of the way the approach from the highway joins the bridge---the builders often short cut
the process and use nothing but dirt fill. Then with the first big rains and floods, the dirts washed away and undermines the bridge.
I certainly am no engineer, but we started looking at the bridges along highway 1 that were washed out last year and it does look like they had dirt
filled approaches.
Hope one of the engneers around here comments one way or another. |
|
Here goes:
The bridges are built with sacrificial dirt approaches by design. Ninety percent or more of the cost of the crossing is in the concrete portion of
the bridge so the designers strive to protect the major investment while minimizing the overall cost of the structure.
The bridges are built with the concrete sections in the deepest part of the arroyos. When the arroyo starts to flow it first passes under the
concrete span section of the bridge. If the water flow exceeds the capacity of the concrete section, it washes out the dirt approach and increases
the channel width. When the flow starts to recede, the water retreats back to the concrete section of the bridge allowing the dirt approach area to
be dewatered and rapidly repaired.
That is why the road was back in operation at three of the four bridges in about a week after last Februaury's storms. The fourth bridge, at El
Rosario, really exceeded the channel capacity and dropped a span into the arroyo in addition to washing out the approaches. That is why the bridge is
still out of service. It takes a long time to repair the concrete sections.
This design theory is very evident on several bridges near Santa Maria and El Cien. The approches are built of dirt and are up to five feet lower in
elevation than the concrete decks.
This design theory is also used on small dam spillways in the US. A portion of the embankment is built lower than the remaining crest of the dam in
order to allow for a controlled breaching of the embankment and iniciation of flow down the spillway. It's called a "fuse plug" spillway.
Whew! |
Thank you VERY much for taking the time to explain the design---always good to learn something new. Good to know there is a good reason for that
design.
Diana
|
|
|
mcfez
Nomad
Posts: 142
Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: Sacramento/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 9-2-2010 at 07:35 PM
|
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
the road to nowhere - now really - how many people drive that road in a year? Most people in Gonzaga fly in don't they? politics, waste, folly
I'm beginning to think Calderon is in cahoots with the drug cartels to launder money. that's how Panama City was built. |
We be driving that new road so much...we'll wear the asphalt down! Gonzaga Bay has got to be the top ten places in Baja...we love it there. Great
beaches....snorkeling...FISHING is awful though 
Just put up.....or shut up!
|
|
|
David K
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 23462
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
posted on 9-3-2010 at 01:10 AM
|
|
|
Sadly, we heard the new highway alignment south of Gonzaga will not pass in front of Coco's Corner... It will be about a mile west, closer to the old
(pre-1982) road to Laguna Chapala.
|
|
|
k-rico
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 1906
Registered: 7-11-2008
Location: Playas de Tijuana
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 9-3-2010 at 01:18 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
the road to nowhere - now really - how many people drive that road in a year? Most people in Gonzaga fly in don't they? |
Hmmmmm, I wonder if folks fly in because there's no road to speak of and if a good road is put in, folks will drive there.
Waddya think? Maybe? 
|
|
|
desertcpl
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 9-3-2010 at 01:51 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sadly, we heard the new highway alignment south of Gonzaga will not pass in front of Coco's Corner... It will be about a mile west, closer to the old
(pre-1982) road to Laguna Chapala. |
maybe we all could do some thing about this,, like move Coco closer to the new highway
|
|
|
elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2175
Registered: 11-20-2002
Location: Yes
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 9-3-2010 at 02:47 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by desertcpl
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sadly, we heard the new highway alignment south of Gonzaga will not pass in front of Coco's Corner... It will be about a mile west, closer to the old
(pre-1982) road to Laguna Chapala. |
maybe we all could do some thing about this,, like move Coco closer to the new highway |
Coco's Offramp! 
Land of the Free because of the Brave!!
Life is too short to drink lousy tequila!
-----------------------------------------------------
Support our troops and their loved ones!!
Don't sweat the small stuff.
|
|
|
David K
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 23462
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
posted on 9-3-2010 at 05:48 AM
|
|
|
Yah.... maybe Coco will prefer to not hear the roar of semis and their jake brakes... and stay on the dirt track to Calamajue for the off roaders...
|
|
|
SFLowTide
Newbie
Posts: 2
Registered: 5-7-2010
Location: Elk Grove, CA/Km 31
Member Is Offline
|
|
posted on 9-4-2010 at 07:12 PM
|
|
|
I think you hit the nail right on the head, David. We were through a couple of weeks ago and asked him about the highway coming by his place. He, in
his "infamously candid" way, expressed to us that there is no way that he will be next to that NOISY &%$# ROAD! Besides, it would take lifetime
to move all of those beer cans and underwear...lol
Have you heard where the Main Hwy. 5 is to meet up with the Puertecitos road? The word is that they plan on bypassing San Felipe just north of town
(keeping the large trucks off of the city streets), but nobody seems to know where it will re-connect.
|
|
|
David K
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 23462
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
posted on 9-5-2010 at 03:20 AM
|
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by SFLowTide
I think you hit the nail right on the head, David. We were through a couple of weeks ago and asked him about the highway coming by his place. He, in
his "infamously candid" way, expressed to us that there is no way that he will be next to that NOISY &%$# ROAD! Besides, it would take lifetime
to move all of those beer cans and underwear...lol
Have you heard where the Main Hwy. 5 is to meet up with the Puertecitos road? The word is that they plan on bypassing San Felipe just north of town
(keeping the large trucks off of the city streets), but nobody seems to know where it will re-connect. |
The old road south from San Felipe junctions with the new road just a couple miles south of Coloradito's road... that would be close to my guess as
the mountains would limit the route from being any more inland... ???
|
|
|
| Pages: 1 2 |
