Metal Madness

Here's a perfectly ridiculous article by Kevin McKenna in The Observer in which he suggests that the cracks in the Forth Road Bridge have been caused by the use of non-British (non-Scottish?) steeling in building the new crossing.

Now I had no idea that this widely used metal (an alloy of iron and carbon) is so perceptive and intelligent; all of a sudden I have a new found respect for the contents of my cutlery drawer.

If Kevin is right, I have been completely duped into believing that the problems with the original bridge are down to poor maintenance and upkeep over recent years. 

But then again, what do I know and I only hope that the Forth Railway Bridge which was completed in 1890, of course, doesn't come out in protest as well in which case we might have to call on Uri Geller for help.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/06/is-forth-road-bridge-closure-revenge-of-scottish-steel-industry#comments

‘The silence on the Forth Road Bridge is the ghostly revenge of Scotland’s steel industry’
An untimely transport calamity is causing Scotland to lament its fading power in the world

 

The Forth Road Bridge, with its more famous railway neighbour in the background. The new Queensferry Crossing is just a stone’s throw to the west, out of shot. Photograph: Alamy

By Kevin McKenna

Even now, as the glow begins to fade in the dying embers of Scotland’s steel industry, the country has been given a stark reminder of how good it once was at making great things with this tough material. It was as if this dull grey alloy, spurned now after sustaining our livelihoods for so long, was bringing down a devastating revenge on an ungrateful nation. The closure of the Forth Road Bridge on 3 December was caused by a single crack measuring 2cm which was discovered in the bridge’s main southbound deck truss and in several other steel struts.