Publications [#268058] of Henry Petroski

Papers Published

1. Petroski, H, Unbuilding a maine landmark, American Scientist, vol. 101 no. 6 (January, 2013), pp. 414-417, Sigma Xi, ISSN 0003-0996 [Gateway.cgi], [doi]
   (last updated on 2023/06/01)

   Abstract:
   The Waldo-Hancock Bridge, which connected the two Maine counties for which it was named, stood for 75 years as a structure with much engineering and historical significance. The construction of a suspension bridge, like that of a lot of building projects, necessarily proceeds in a mostly serial manner, with subsequent stages dependent on the completion of prior ones. One the piers are then erected the towers, which for a major bridge can be as high as a skyscraper. While the towers are being erected, the construction of the anchorages at each end of the bridge usually advances apace. Hanging the roadway from the main suspension cables takes place in stages, with manageable sections of the bridge deck added and connected in a pre-determined order. The disassembly of the bridge proper began with the removal of signage, lighting standards, and the paved surface of the roadway, leaving the skeletal steel deck sections lighter and more easily cleanly handle.