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> Bridges are designed for extreme loads, including pessimistic pattern loading, and the requirements for pedestrian bridges aren’t any less safety critical.

In terms of maximum load you are right, but wear and tear is completely different.

Trucks are terrible, pedestrians and bikes have zero impact.



> Trucks are terrible, pedestrians and bikes have zero impact.

Truck loading is very large, but pedestrians do have a non-zero impact - look at the solid marble steps of ancient buildings, for example.


I think though that the pedestrian wear is only on the roadway surface, rather than structural wear from, say, trucks vibrating enough to crack the bridge or throw off bits of concrete.


That's some pointless nitpicking. Ok, humans have near-zero impact to the point of needing double-digit decades to erode a surface. Happy now?




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