Comments on: That bridge freezing thing

by: Adam

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 18:09:14 +0000

I wuv google:
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/question566.htm

by: Augie De Blieck Jr.

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 17:00:41 +0000

OK, so here’s what has always confused me about that sign: I was assuming they were referring to the roadway on the bridge’s surface. Does that make any sense? I thought it meant that the bridge, itself, would freeze before the macadam on top of it on which you drive.

Now it makes more sense that the bridge’s road surface freezes before the road surface found on solid ground.

Wow, the things you learn around here.

Thanks, everyone, for clearing that up for me. Today, I am a better person.

by: rob

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 15:45:27 +0000

Don’t listen to these people. It’s because of the trolls. Seriously. They’ve had it in for us for a while. Never trusted the guys.

by: EarlLantern

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 14:37:01 +0000

Exactly! If a person is driving on roads that are not covered with frozen precipitation, and that person drives onto a bridge that is covered with ice, that person might be inclined to drive as if there were no ice. And everyone knows that can lead to an accident.

On the other hand, as evidenced by your query, not everyone knows that bridges freeze before non-bridges roadways. And even fewer know why. But, thanks to the second reply here, all the readers of this fine blog now know.

by: Odis

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 12:46:05 +0000

There is no earth (directly) under a bridge. The earth can “hold” heat longer, so water on a bridge will freeze before water on a typical road surface with ground underneath.

by: Bart

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 12:20:55 +0000

I’m no road expert, but I do live in a part of the country where during the winter the temperature kinda hovers around the low 30s, but doesn’t typically drop below it that often.

Given those conditions, water on the road might not freeze, and driving conditions are all right. But if you come across a bridge, the road running across it might be icy. So if you’re driving at normal speeds and then unexepectedly hit an ice patch, you’re likely to lose control of your car.