The article is crappy, but click on the link to see the pictures! It's one of the coolest bridges I've ever seen! Think... if all bridges over interstates were like that... I bet deer accidents would go down!

Oh man, this really gets me excited! :yes:

http://www.urseurope.com/hot_topics/page02.htm

URS to Design 'Green Bridge'

URS has been selected by May Gurney as Contractor's Designer for the A21 Lamberhurst Bypass, a £12m design and build contract awarded by the UK Highways Agency. This represents our third consecutive success on design and build projects and is the first major highway scheme that URS have won out of the Highways Agency's Dorking office.

The work involves 0.5km online improvement of the A262 and the construction of 2.5km of dual carriageway to the east of the village of Lamberhurst in Kent. The bypass is within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and also skirts hop gardens and Lamberhurst Golf Club. As the route of the bypass crosses the River Teise flood plain, a new bridge and culverts will be constructed to provide continuity for the flood plain.

A land bridge or "green bridge" will be built over the bypass to form the new approach to the National Trust's HQ Scotney Castle and gardens. The land bridge is much wider than a normal bridge and will be landscaped and planted with trees and shrubs to maintain the historic access and hide the bypass from visitors to the castle. In view of the rural nature and environmental sensitivity of the area, ecological and nature conservation features will be integrated into the landscape design.

The fee to URS and its subconsultants for the tender period, detailed design and site supervision is approx £1.3M. URS subconsultants on the project are Fira (Landscape), Humphries Rowell Associates (Ecology) and The Heritage Network (Archaeology).

Detailed design work and on site geotechnical and environmental surveys commenced in April and design work is progressing well. Site work will start this month. The bypass is expected to take about 18 months to complete, opening to traffic in late 2004.

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing, mikie! :rockon:

I'm so glad someone posted! I had hoped I wasn't the only person to think this was cool. :p

Oooh...that is nifty :) It's gorgeous, way better than those cement and steel things :p

"way better than those cement and steel things "

It may well be made of steel reinforced concrete. Simply covered with a foot or so of soil and planting put in the soil. There would be no need to use expensive cut stones if the whole thing is going to be covered with soil.

Soil of course, with roots in it, and enzmes from micro-organisms who are always busy turning stone (and concrete) into soil, will very likely eventually turn whatever is underneath the soil, into more soil.

Wow! That's really neat. :)

Most bridges have a mere life of 70 or so years Soilman. Currently there's a large percentage of bridges that need to be be rebuilt because the highways were first being built about 50 years ago, and they're all starting to decay around the same time. I think other natural phenomenon, such as stress, weather, and quakes will all ruin bridges much faster than some plants will turn bridges back into soil. Though, no doubt, it will happen.

There are plenty of precautions one can take when building a green bridge to insure that it doesn't turn into soil before it's used up too, no doubt.

Here we have "ecoduct", brigdes over the highway so wildlife can cross the highway safely.

http://www.iees.ch/cs/cs_3.html (bad picture)

http://www.minvenw.nl/rws/dww/periodieken/vianatura/000601/images/wildviaduct.jpg (better picture)