• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Whistling Bridge (Shaldon Bridge)

punychicken

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
374
BBC story all about a bridge:

Engineers are trying to work out why a newly re-opened south Devon bridge whistles in the wind.

The Shaldon Bridge was officially opened this week after £3m of strengthening and widening work.

But its piercing F-sharp tone is keeping residents awake at night, and on one occasion has even disrupted a church service.

It is believed changes in the bridge's structure could be deflecting the wind.

Reg Ashbury from Shaldon recorded the whistle to demonstrate how just how bad it was.

He said: "There are really two aspects of it. One is humorous and most people can see the funny side of it.

"But to people living nearby, it is a nuisance and it has been taken seriously."

Councillors said re-building the bridge was a great success. It was finished on time despite terrible weather.

But engineers are still baffled about the whistle.

Edward Cholton, Devon County Council's Environment Director, said: "We're discussing it with noise experts and looking at the details.

Intermittent problem

"They're looking at if the hardwood hand-rail, for people to lean on when they look at the view, is having an effect on the wind direction and speed."

The reason the problem is difficult to track down is because it is intermittent.

It only tends to whistle in high winds at night and normally there are no engineers present.

Councillor David Morrish from the county council said: "Clearly, if it becoming a nuisance to nearby residents, that's another issue.

"But the assurance I'm getting from engineers is that it is a problem they can manage and I'm sure they will."
 
Update from April 2006 ...

Singing bridge changes its tune
THE mystery of the Shaldon singing bridge may have been solved.

The bridge has had engineers baffled since residents first reported high pitch howling in high winds. They installed monitoring equipment and thought that the problem lay with the railings, but a simple case of a bias-cut drainpipe may be the cause. Sharp-eared resident David Postlethewaite, who has been monitoring weather equipment on the bridge for Devon County Council, noticed that one of the drain-pipes was cut on an angle and may be causing the problem. Following his hunch, Devon County engineers cut the end of the drainage outlet pipe. Now residents at the Shaldon end of the bridge say they have noticed a much softer sound. But there is still whistling at the Teignmouth end. Teign Estuary county councillor David Cox said engineers have explained that the drain pipes may be acting like organ pipes. ’By modifying the offending pipe, the bridge has changed its tune from a high pitched whine to something akin to whale song. ’Well done to David for his public-spirited assistance,’ said Cllr Cox. Parish councillor Ron Evans suggested that the all the pipes should be cut to different lengths so the bridge could play a tune in high winds, and become a tourist attraction. Ian Perkins, principal bridge engineer at Devon County Council, said that Mr Postlethwaite’s help was greatly appreciated. ’It will be another month or so until we can correlate the data from the anemometer on the bridge, but the modification to the drainage outlet pipe would seem to have had the desired effect, according to residents,’ he said.

SOIURCE: http://www.middevonadvertiser.co.uk...anges its tune&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2006
 
Yet another update from 2007 ...

Roadbridge starts 'singing' again
Engineers are to investigate why the bridge is still whistling

Devon's notorious "singing bridge" is making residents angry again with its strange noise.

After it was refurbished in 2002, Shaldon Bridge developed a piercing F-sharp whistle in high winds which kept residents awake at night.

A local man traced the problem to some tubes acting like organ pipes and the problem was solved.

Devon County Council engineers are to reinvestigate because residents have complained about a new lower note.

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/6233329.stm
 
BBC story all about a bridge:

Engineers are trying to work out why a newly re-opened south Devon bridge whistles in the wind.

The Shaldon Bridge was officially opened this week after £3m of strengthening and widening work.

But its piercing F-sharp tone is keeping residents awake at night, and on one occasion has even disrupted a church service.

It is believed changes in the bridge's structure could be deflecting the wind.

Reg Ashbury from Shaldon recorded the whistle to demonstrate how just how bad it was.

He said: "There are really two aspects of it. One is humorous and most people can see the funny side of it.

"But to people living nearby, it is a nuisance and it has been taken seriously."

Councillors said re-building the bridge was a great success. It was finished on time despite terrible weather.

But engineers are still baffled about the whistle.

Edward Cholton, Devon County Council's Environment Director, said: "We're discussing it with noise experts and looking at the details.

Intermittent problem

"They're looking at if the hardwood hand-rail, for people to lean on when they look at the view, is having an effect on the wind direction and speed."

The reason the problem is difficult to track down is because it is intermittent.

It only tends to whistle in high winds at night and normally there are no engineers present.

Councillor David Morrish from the county council said: "Clearly, if it becoming a nuisance to nearby residents, that's another issue.

"But the assurance I'm getting from engineers is that it is a problem they can manage and I'm sure they will."
 
One of the Dee bridges outside Chester whistles, or rather hums. We used to cycle along there wondering where the sound was coming from.
 
A farm just down the road from me has its name picked out in horseshoes on the top of the gate. When you go past on a windy day, the horseshoes hum in the wind, with a pleasant musical note. It's well away from any habitation though.
 
The whistling/humming bridge over the Dee is the Saltney Ferry Bridge.

We cycled over it today. The wind was strong and the hum was so loud, I thought a plane was buzzing us on way to the nearby Hawarden Airport. On way back I video'd it with my phone. The hum is clear on the recording and sounds mechanical.
 
Back
Top