disconcerting

Nothing like driving across a bridge and looking to the right only to notice that a replacement bridge is being built. A bit disconcerting - particularly if you have an aversion to bridges, as I do. I try to keep my fear in check so I don't turn into one of those extremists who drive 200 miles out of their way to avoid going over a bridge. But I could feel my fear increasing exponentially as I was gazing at the new pilings and the new bridge (which looked more like a pier, since it just stopped in the middle of the water).

I know that the likelihood of a bridge collapsing while I am on it is pretty slim, but I also know that it CAN happen (just ask the fine folks in Minneapolis). So I take precautions to aid in my survival, should it be necessary. I open my window a crack so that in the event that my car careens off the edge (which would be quite a feat, since I always drive in the middle lane) and I survive the however-many-feet plummet to the icy waters below, I will be able to open my door to escape. Science (in particular, the Mythbusters show) says that due to the difference of the pressure of water on the outside of a sinking car and the pressure of air on the inside of the car, mere human strength cannot open the door until the pressure is equal (which means: it is filled with water... which would make it tough to breath, I think. So, I want to be prepared. Yes, these are the things I am thinking about when I drive over a bridge... ESPECIALLY when I see new bridges being built to replace the one I am on that very second - and strangely enough, that has happened THREE times recently. Either bridges are all reaching their expiration date as printed on the container, or the Dept. of Transportation had an excess of money in their budget this year. Ummm.... probably the former.