OT(?): UK road design - bridging hills

[Jethro_uk]

I noticed a story recently about a demolition snafu in Germany

Which set me wondering why we don't see that design of road/bridge more in the UK ??

Anyone who knows the A417 in Gloucestershire near the Hot Air Balloon pub will know of at least *one* road where a short (1/2 mile) elevated section would save a lot of traffic problems. (To say nothing of reducing emissions, which again makes me suspect there a lot of bullshit in being green).

I know across Spain, France and Italy (as well as Germany from the video) use these bridges all the time.

Is there any practical reason they aren't used in the UK ? OR is it just they are a "bit foreign, old bean ...." ?

[Robin]

I couldn't tell from that video what aspects of the design distinguished it from eg

and

[newshound]

The old steel flyover at St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol was remarkably effective. To my mind the new routing around Temple Meads is pretty dreadful.

Agree with you about the Hot Air Balloon too, but structures like that are not going to be cheap, and that location is only really bad at peak hours. Not to mention what those of a green persuasion would say.

[Jethro_uk]

But surely the amount of "saved" emissions (and reduced wear and tear on vehicles, and reduced fuel usage) would generate a net win for the polar bears ?

Posit: there are many easy, cheap ways that energy consumption and emissions could be reduced. The startling absence of any initiatives in these areas at the expense of FIT-type renewables suggests that climate change is not really that big a deal.

Discuss.

[Jethro_uk]

Cheers, not having driven every road in the UK, I did wonder if I was suffering from parochialism :)

[damduck-egg]

Do you mean past the Golden Heart rather than the Air balloon?

The dip doesn't look as severe on there as it seems in real life. Further South the modernised road does have a viaduct , other places I know have some raised sections. Beyond Exeter the M5 crosses the Exe flood plane on a long section of viaduct ,

The North Devon link road reused the supports of a former railway viaduct.

which saved a bob or two.

But on the whole I don't think we have the more extreme topography in the areas in this country where roads are busy enough to justify large constructions.

G.Harman

[damduck-egg]

The Iron Bridge in Exeter is an early example in the UK of raising a road even though it doesn't reach the lofty heights of some.

G.Harman

[paul.mccann]

ISTR many years ago an all steel flyover, one car wide I think, at a junction on the outer reaches of Birmingham where the road from Coventry entered.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Or indeed the run up to the dartford crossing bridge

Only the span over the thames is a suspebnsion bridge

[The Natural Philosopher]

Of course. The total lack of concern over anything expect

(a) government control of energy (b) governement(mandayed*) subsidy to internmittent renewables

Shows its all about profit and power and the environment is just a convenient lie.

• we dont pay for FITS and ROCS via taxation but via govt. mandated higher electricity prices.

[Jethro_uk]

It's *almost* as if climate change is made up ????