City of Bridgetown

Memo

To: Devine Street Construction Inc.

From: Benjamin Q. Hazzard, Mayor of Bridgetown

Date: 3/26/04

Re: Designing A New Bridge For Our Town

Introduction

You have been hired to design a bridge that meets the needs of Bridgetown. We need to replace the bridge that runs over the river in the center of town. The river is used be freighters and the bridge must allow these ships to pass through. Storms with high winds also occur every summer in Bridgetown.

Design Task

Design and build a model of a bridge over Bridgetown’s river. It must carry two lanes of traffic and a pedestrian walkway, and will be able to withstand the dynamic loads of winds and traffic. It also must support its static load, its own weight and the weight of traffic, while allowing ships to pass.

Design Checklist

r The bridge model must span a 50 cm gap.

r Freighters must be able to pass under or through the bridge safely (maximum height of 30 cm).

r The bridge must support the loads of a traffic jam and high winds.

r The bridge must be strong, but should be as light as possible to save materials.

r There must be a set of diagrams and planning documents included in the presentation of the model.