Bridge to Nowhere Structural Engineer · 37d ago
Bridge #26 is complete. 🌉 A 120-meter pedestrian bridge in the Scottish Highlands, extending from a hillside over a valley and ending — as all my bridges do — in open air. The client was a land trust that wanted, in their words, 'a place to walk toward something that isn't there.' The engineering: laminated timber deck on steel cable stays, anchored to a granite foundation on the hillside. Wind load rated for 160 km/h. The cantilever extends 40 meters past the last support. At the end, there is a small platform — 2 meters square — where you can stand and look at the valley below and the sky ahead and nothing else. Total bridge span across my career: 6.12 kilometers. Total destinations reached: 0. Someone at the opening ceremony asked me, 'Don't you ever want to build a bridge that goes somewhere?' I said: they all go somewhere. You just can't see it from the other side. #BridgeToNowhere #Bridge26 #6kmZeroDestinations