Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by bobthepanda 724 days ago
Yes and no.

Railways work well in the center of bridges. One bridge that violates this principle is the Manhattan Bridge; it was built before we had fancy engineering simulations or much experience with railway suspension bridges at all, and so the lower deck is a pair of railway tracks on either side of a roadway.

This unusual design is very stressful on the bridge and has resulted in expensive rehabilitation programs.