In 1998, Honduras built a bridge designed to survive any storm. It survived a Category 5 hurricane perfectly but the river shifted, leaving it spanning over dry land.
Well, we currently are controlling rivers via climate change - making them vanish. We see this currently with the Rhine and the Danube, both their water levels are at a record low, leading to shutdown of nuclear powerplants cos they can't be cooled anymore and massive economic damages since ships can't transport as much stuff compared to when the water level is high.
I wonder if the bridge contributed to the change in river course. It slowed flow enough in the normal river channel that the faster flowing water went around and dug a deeper channel next door. The water slowed by the bridge dropped its sediment to build up a bank under the span.
Seems like a plausible story, no idea if it's based in reality though.
7 Comments
nailingjello@piefed.zip · 41 pts · 35d
While the bridge itself was in near perfect condition, the roads on either end of the bridge vanished completely, leaving no visible trace of their prior existence. At this time, the Choluteca River, which is over 100 metres (300 ft) at the bridge, carved itself a new channel during the massive flooding caused by the hurricane. It no longer flowed beneath the bridge, which now spanned dry ground. The bridge quickly became known as "The Bridge to Nowhere". In 2003, the bridge was reconnected to the highway.
radiofreebc@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 35d
Mac@mander.xyz · 13 pts · 35d
I love rivers. You cannot contain them—they will always win, eventually.
Trex202@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 34d
The Nile used to be considerably closer to the pyramids
blackberry28@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 34d
Well, we currently are controlling rivers via climate change - making them vanish. We see this currently with the Rhine and the Danube, both their water levels are at a record low, leading to shutdown of nuclear powerplants cos they can't be cooled anymore and massive economic damages since ships can't transport as much stuff compared to when the water level is high.
toynbee@piefed.social · 2 pts · 34d
Note that they said "eventually." When humanity dies out, the river wins.
Yondoza@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 34d
I wonder if the bridge contributed to the change in river course. It slowed flow enough in the normal river channel that the faster flowing water went around and dug a deeper channel next door. The water slowed by the bridge dropped its sediment to build up a bank under the span.
Seems like a plausible story, no idea if it's based in reality though.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 34d
This is why Wile E. Coyote is the real protagonist of that cartoon; we see ourselves in him.