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Worst legal water crossings in the States

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Worst legal water crossings in the States

Old 03-28-10, 07:46 AM
  #26  
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I'll add a small one - the bridge over the Choptank at Cambridge, MD. And it's on a state bike route!
 
Old 03-28-10, 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by mev
I'd originally gotten to this bridge since it looked like a shortcut on the AC maps - and had a ferry crossing listed. However, the ferry was only running during commuting hours and I showed up at 10am. So rather than wait until 4pm or so, I decided to try crossing nearby railroad bridge.
I ran into the same issue. The ACA preferred route was closed due to a Hurricane busting up the ferry landing, I ended up on 190.




Originally Posted by gpsblake


I didn't have any problems crossing that bridge. But I was also real lucky, they had the right lane shut down due to maintenance and I had a pleasant ride across it.
Same thing happened to me on my second I-90 at Vantage crossing. I had planned on bumming a ride but huzzah for road construction.
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Old 03-31-10, 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by mev

Not 100% certain how legal, but I crossed this railroad bridge...
Normally 0% illegal, but since the bridge tender (it appears to be a drawbridge) allowed it you were an invitee. Working in the rail industry, I feel compelled to warn people not to do what you did. A month or so ago in FL a couple of teens were hit by a train and killed while crossing a bridge. One was fast enough to make it and watched as his slower companions were struck.
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Old 03-31-10, 08:46 AM
  #29  
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Rio Grande !!!!
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Old 03-31-10, 11:04 AM
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It wasn't so much the bridge as it was the 5-mile approach:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lewscanon/2762021130/

(Don't worry, this bridge is so out-of-the-way that you'll never find it.)
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Old 04-01-10, 10:13 AM
  #31  
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Hi All,

I just wanted to insert two pictures of the Astoria bridge between WA and OR. IT was exciting!





Tom
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Old 02-20-17, 10:04 PM
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Down to the letter, including the grating, the same as the Burlington Bristol Bridge on the Delaware River between NJ & PA, south of Trenton and the closed (Feb '17) Turnpike Bridge (fractured girder from a plug weld). On this bridge, the county bridge commission levies a $3 toll, just like most river bridges in NJ.

[QUOTE=jamawani;10580840]Imagine biking this bridge!!
The Blue Hummer -
US 45 between Paducah, Kentucky and Metropolis, Illinois.
A mile long, less than 20 feet wide, metal grate surface, and heavy traffic.
Not to mention a long narrow approach on the Kentucky side.
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Old 02-21-17, 04:34 AM
  #33  
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The Lewis and Clark bridge from Rainier to Longview is a nightmare. The shoulder is maybe three feet wide but it's log chips among other things all in the path itself. The speed limit is 35 but cars easily go 50. The approach is brutal because it's basically straight up. You can ride it like a fearless person, wait for a bus that comes every three hours, or as someone said earlier, you can hope one of the good ol boys gives you a ride over in their pick up for a beer or couple of bucks.
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Old 02-21-17, 05:29 AM
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Originally Posted by jamawani
Automobiles, Bridges, and Cyclists

Well, a nice woman at Memphis Economic Development who has been involved in expansion of a railroad bridge for bicycle access confirmed that it is illegal to bike on either Memphis Mississippi River bridge. Nor is there any ferry service. So you have to catch a ride or hire a taxi to get across the river at Memphis.

Here's the sad thing - 100 years ago, it was easier to get across the Mississippi than it is today.
Hail to the almighty automobile!!
Things have changed in Memphis...drumroll...

Official website:

Big River Crossing






Last edited by jonc123; 02-21-17 at 05:38 AM.
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Old 02-21-17, 06:16 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Majorsean
Down to the letter, including the grating, the same as the Burlington Bristol Bridge on the Delaware River between NJ & PA, south of Trenton and the closed (Feb '17) Turnpike Bridge (fractured girder from a plug weld). On this bridge, the county bridge commission levies a $3 toll, just like most river bridges in NJ.

Imagine biking this bridge!!
The Blue Hummer -
US 45 between Paducah, Kentucky and Metropolis, Illinois.
A mile long, less than 20 feet wide, metal grate surface, and heavy traffic.
Not to mention a long narrow approach on the Kentucky side.
1. You tried to quote a 7 year old post.

2. Tell me one bridge between PA and NJ that charges cyclists a toll other than the privately owned Dingman's Ferry bridge in the DWGNRA.
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Old 02-21-17, 09:26 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by jonc123
Things have changed in Memphis...drumroll...
Thanks, man ...
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Old 02-21-17, 10:17 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by The Human Car
Conowingo Dam, the ONLY legal bike crossing of the Susquehanna in MD https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&...95.32,,0,10.61
I have ridden it many times when I lived in Maryland and never minded all that much. I just take the lane and ride as fast as I can in order to not hold up too much traffic. I guess that traffic will vary a lot depending on the time of day and may be worse at times than I have experienced there.

If it isn't too far out of the way I agree that Holtwood is better.
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Old 02-21-17, 11:27 AM
  #38  
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It's probably off-topic because it's not in the States.... but I've read many, many accounts of hairy river crossings over there...

I thought I'd take an opportunity to share an image from the Netherlands where we're spoiled for riding our bikes...
That's wide enough for 2 lanes..... and there's the exact same on the other side of the bridge
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Old 02-21-17, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
I have ridden it many times when I lived in Maryland and never minded all that much. I just take the lane and ride as fast as I can in order to not hold up too much traffic. I guess that traffic will vary a lot depending on the time of day and may be worse at times than I have experienced there.

If it isn't too far out of the way I agree that Holtwood is better.
The bridge isn't the worst part. The worst part is the approach on either side of the dam. It needs a serious repaving job. Once on the dam my only complaint, after riding US40 illegally in 2014 was that US40 crossing is much safer than the US1 crossing.
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Old 02-21-17, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by bikenh
The bridge isn't the worst part. The worst part is the approach on either side of the dam. It needs a serious repaving job. Once on the dam my only complaint, after riding US40 illegally in 2014 was that US40 crossing is much safer than the US1 crossing.
I don't remember the approach on either side being bad. I recall the surface on the dam being poor shape, but don't remember the approaches being in bad shape. It has been several years since I was there, so I looked at google street view to see and it looked about the way that I remember it. I guess the street view images could be a few years old. Has it gotten broken up just lately? Is it worse than it looks on street view? I moved away and have no plans to ride there any time soon, but I am curious.
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Old 02-22-17, 12:28 AM
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"quote a 7 year old post," I've only just joined 2 days ago, so I did not see this until now.

I should have mentioned that is the car toll, cyclists are not permitted on this bridge. Out of all the bridges and tunnels from NJ to NY and PA, cyclists are only permitted on the Ben Franklin to Philadelphia, the GWB to Manhattan and the various DRJTBC "Toll Supported Bridges" upstream from Trenton to Montague. Toll supported bridges do not collect tolls and are parallel to the toll bridges that ban cyclists. So, yes the Digman's Ferry bridge is likely the only one, as all other bridges ban cyclists.
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Old 02-22-17, 05:20 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Majorsean
I should have mentioned that is the car toll, cyclists are not permitted on this bridge.
This thread is about bad crossings for bikes, not cars. so I don't know why you brought up the BBB.

And the bridge from Montague to Milford is a toll bridge with a bike/ped walkway component. Just walked in September as part of a tour from Vermont.
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Old 02-22-17, 08:44 AM
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In this area, the heavily used Roosevelt Bridge over the Potomac connecting Virginia and DC. The bike path/walkway is so narrow you almost can't pass oncoming bikes. Playing chicken. Sometimes one person stops. Add in a 30 mph gusting crosswind and cars a foot away on the other side of the guard rail, and it can be unpleasant. I love posting in zombie threads.
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Old 02-22-17, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
I don't remember the approach on either side being bad. I recall the surface on the dam being poor shape, but don't remember the approaches being in bad shape. It has been several years since I was there, so I looked at google street view to see and it looked about the way that I remember it. I guess the street view images could be a few years old. Has it gotten broken up just lately? Is it worse than it looks on street view? I moved away and have no plans to ride there any time soon, but I am curious.
When I rode it back in 2015, east to west, I remember coming down the drop towards the bridge and you and both factors to deal with, bad pavement and the disappearing shoulder. This was on a Wednesday around 4-5PM so that helped things out quite nicely. Probably closer to 4 than 5 PM. I remember the ride on into Baltimore seemed to take forever. I didn't remeber the bridge itself being that bad pavement wise, you had the usual bridge expansion cracks to deal with but the pavement didn't seem that bad. Climbing back out toward Baltimore I notice the same crappy pavement on the drop going down to the bridge.

I'll fess much doesn't bother me on a bike anymore, I've ridden so much crap that it takes a lot to make me even nervous. I hated the approach and not knowing how the drivers would respond to the cyclist definitely made me happy when I got to the other side. I can't say that I've had the same feelings with any other bridge crossing that I've been on thus far. Grant after riding across northern FL late on in the same trip I had a bit of anxiety heading toward the Pensacola Bay Bridge. I had already crossed two bridges, by force, on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road not knowing until I was almost on the bridge deck that I was suppose to cross the road and take the sidewalk on the other side. Not knowing how they had the PBB setup I was definitely nervous approaching it. The darn $25 fine for changing a flat tire on the bridge made me laugh...keep the bridge deck clean and their should be no reason for the signs. Yeah, saw some broken glass while crossing the bridge. Made me wish I could cross the Lake Ponchatrain Bridge, only at a certain time of the year/day as wel.
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Old 02-22-17, 12:47 PM
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Astoria - Megler WA bridge is better than the bridge further up river to Longview WA.

But before you get there, you have the Puget Island WA bridge connects to Cathlamet,

Still narrow, but low traffic and It does not have to rise high enough for international Pana-Max shipping to pass beneath it, headed up river..

to cross from Oregon, to south Puget Isl, and across the Shipping Channel, there is a small ferry from Westport .




Last edited by fietsbob; 02-22-17 at 12:55 PM.
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Old 02-22-17, 01:12 PM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
This thread is about bad crossings for bikes, not cars. so I don't know why you brought up the BBB.

And the bridge from Montague to Milford is a toll bridge with a bike/ped walkway component. Just walked in September as part of a tour from Vermont.
I referencced it because both Blue Hammer US 45 and Burlington Bridstol Bridges are of a similar design: long, narrow lanes, metal grating with heavy traffic. I only brought it up because the two bridges are very much the same.
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