Joe Biden’s Bridge to Nowhere
By spokesman | October 2, 2008
Sarah Palin and the controversy over the Alaska Bridge to Nowhere has been getting significant attention in the media. However, Joe Biden also has a bridge to nowhere in his State or more precisely, a bridge where the construction is going nowhere. The Delaware Route 1 Bridge at the Indian River Inlet needs to be replaced due to deepening of the inlet that has resulting in a weakening of the supports for the current bridge. Funding for the new bridge was partially financed with earmarks from Congress (see OMB site with details on earmark from 2005 and earmark from 2009) The Delaware bridge has been subject to escalating costs, construction delays, a major rebuilding of the first phase and the need for 3 redesigns of the bridge. The above picture is an artist’s rendition of the third and current design.
As a bicyclist, I was initially excited about the project. The new bridge will have a bicycle lane and be less likely to collapse. The current bridge has no bike lane, just a 15 inch shoulder with expansion joints and sewer grates. However the reason for replacing the bridge is due to the weakening of the supports. While the current bridge is still deemed safe; despite earlier reports that it would not last this long; Delaware has installed sensors to closely monitor the bridge. The replacement bridge is still several years from completion. The race is on.
Sequence of events for the new Indian River Inlet Bridge
Oct 2004 - Groundbreaking for new bridge (see Del DOT press release)
May 2005 - Cost of original design increases by $58 million. The total cost for the project, which will create the longest arched span in the world, is estimated at $218 million. The price tag was $160 million when ground was broken in October. (see article at delawareonline).
Spring 2005 - Construction begins on approach ramps for the new bridge
Fall 2005 - Only 1 company remains in the bidding on the bridge project at a cost of $200 million - more than 80% higher than the original $125 estimate. (see article from The News Journal - Wilmington DE). The bid opening is canceled and the State looks at alternatives. Based on some changes in the bridge design, Delaware identifies a short list of 3 bidders.
2006- The new approach ramps are completed and given a period of time to settle before proceeding to the next phase - installment of roadway and the bridge span. However the approach ramps continue to settle and shift. A new bridge design is needed with bridge supports located on land. The approach ramps, built at a cost of over $20 million) need to be partially removed.
May 2007 - The bridge is delayed again due to procurement problems All bids are set aside.
Oct 2007 - Delaware DOT announce a new plan with a modified bridge design and a new procurement process (see Del DOT document on new plan)
April 2008 - Work begins on removal of approach ramps (see article in Cape Gazette Newspaper)
August 2008 - Delaware DOT awards contract for bridge construction (see article). The bridge will cost $150 million and will be less elborate than the original designs.
Under the current schedule, the bridge is expected to open to traffic by December 2011, nearly eight years after the groundbreaking. It took less time to realize President Kennedy’s goal of reaching the moon than it will take to build the new Indian River Inlet Bridge.
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Topics: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
DealExtreme.com Bicycle Accessories
By spokesman | September 30, 2008
DealExtreme.com is a website featuring many low cost products. A reader recently e-mailed when he found a $4.46 Electronic Bicycle Speedometer (including shipping). I looked at the website and there is a page of bike accessories including speedometers, lights, bells and mounting brackets. The bike accessories are under the Hobbies & Toys category on the homepage.
The site has reviews on some of the products. The reviews on the speedometer indicated that it was cheap, but it worked and is a value at the price. They also sell a bell with compass where the major complaint is that the compass points south rather than north - a minor inconvience for a $3.56 item. I have ordered a few items and will provide reviews on a future post.
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Topics: Bike Accessories, Bicycle Websites | No Comments »
Lance Needs To Be Good and Lucky
By spokesman | September 28, 2008
Lance Armstrong is an extremely talented cyclist, but winning the Tour De France seven times also required some luck. Over the course of a 23 day race that covers more than 2000 miles, many things can go wrong. The loss of just a few minutes due to an accident, mechanical mishap or a bad day could have cost Lance one of those Tours. I have included 2 videos in this post of near mishaps that Lance had in those 7 Tours.
The first video is from the 2003 Tour where Jose Beloki, crashed in front of Lance, breaking his femur and his arm. Lance avoided the crash, but had to detour off of the road. He crossed a grass field and rejoined the race. If he had collided with Beloki, gotten a flat tire in the field or twisted an ankle while crossing the ravine to get back on the road, Lance could have lost that tour.
The second video is from later in the 2003 tour. Lance crashed when his handlebar got caught on a feedbag held by a spectator. Ullrich continued up the road and there is a debated if he waited. Regardless, a more serious injury on that crash could have cost Lance that tour.
These were just two close calls out of many from the Tours that Lance won. As Lance tries for his eighth Tour, the question is not just - is he as good as ever?, but also has his luck run out?
If you want to see more video of Lance’s Tours, Amazon has a 12 hour DVD collection called Magnificent 7 (2005 Tour de France 12-Hour DVD; 6 pc.)
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Topics: Professional Racing | No Comments »
Pepperjam Network
By spokesman | September 28, 2008
The Pepperjam Network is an excellent way for website publishers to monitize their blogs. The network represents a large (and growing) number of advertisers. To encourage website publishers to sign up, Pepperjam is offering a number of incentives. If you sign up through an affiliate link (such as this one - Join Pepperjam Network today!) you will get a $10 bonus. Additionally after joining Pepperjam Network and their affiliate program, you can write about the Pepperjam Network program or any Pepperjam Network tool and you will earn another $10. You have to notify Pepperjam Network to let them know about your post prior to publishing it. Simply by signing up and writing about Pepperjam, you can earn $20. Then for each additional person who signs up via your affiliate link, you will earn another $7.
Pepperjam has a number of advantages over other affiliate ad networks including.
- A lower payout threshold ($25 vs. $50-$100 for other networks)
- Excellent customer service - Each publisher is assigned a Pepperjam representative that they can contact to help with problems or questions.
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Completing the Final Segment of the Great Allegheny Passage
By spokesman | September 26, 2008
The Great Allegheny Passage; the rail trail from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh, PA; is nearly complete. The final nine miles of the trail near Pittsburgh are in various stages of construction. An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the last piece, a railroad bridge that will carry the trail across the Monongahela River, has just been acquired by the Allegheny County Government. The bridge is scheduled to open to bicycles and pedestrians on October 4, 2008. Once the bridge and the other segments of the trail are completed later this year, it will be possible to ride the entire distance from Cumberland, MD to Point State Park in Pittsburgh via the trail.
When I rode from Pittsburgh PA to Washington DC in 2000, there were large segments of the GAP trail that were not completed. Due to the missing segments, we had to be creative in finding detours. The detour near Pittsburgh, because we could not use the bridge across the Monongahela River, was quite an adventure. At one point we had to line up and hand our bikes across a ravine. My next trip in 2009 should be much easier. I have written other posts on the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage discussing sights along the trail and information for travelers.
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Topics: C&O Canal/GAP | No Comments »