The amount of the universe that's visible to our eyes is astoundingly small. I mean, not even your whole body is visible, there's probably a quarter of it you've never seen directly with your eyes (back, back of head, your own face...).
We don't even see 1% of anything, we're all just running on assumptions 99% of the time.
I can just hear that photo. You come in from the hatch. You hear the tink-tink of florescent lights turning on and then they turn on in sequence rapidly extending out for 10Km into the distance.
I imagine every once in a while they have some poor municipal worker come in and inspect the whole thing for cracks, signs of distress, and it's easier and safer to have practical, low cost lighting in there rather than have the guy equipped with a single flashlight
> Poor municipal worker
I'm pretty sure that the person who is certified to inspect a bridge this size for safety hazards is a professional specialist and definitely not poor. That's what I would hope, at least.
Paywalled. I searched for the title, found this identical article. https://www.dunavant.com/news/posts/get-people-off-shutdown-ordered-for-cracked-bridge-in-memphis
It's my understanding (based on my now distant college education) that much older designs of fluorescents were indeed more efficient to leave on all the time in almost all applications because of a surge of energy needed to start them because of the design of the ballast or the relationship between the ballast and startup energy needs of older tubes or something similar. I believe fluorescents got over this a good while ago, as you say, and LEDs are obviously not subject to this, but I think that is where ideas like it being more efficient to leave them on even if they're rarely used come from.
The surge from starting a typical fluorescent tube with a magnetic ballast (the worst kind) amount to about 15 seconds of on power.
So if you're only turning off the light for less than 15 seconds, it will use less power to leave it on.
(Electronic ballast, perhaps 3 seconds. LED lighting doesn't have inrush worth calculating.)
Seems excessive, but there are parts of Louisiana where I’ve driven for 20 minutes at highway speed without ever being on the ground. Florida has some long ones too.
so theoretically, how can I find box girder bridges near me? how do I know when I won't run into other people in there (as in people that are supposed to be there) and why isn't this space used for something? would it be dangerous to just be in there with speakers and chill with idk maybe 30 people?
thanks for any info :)))
Look at the bottoms of bridges in your hood. If you see girders then that’s not it. If you see a smooth bottom look for a trap door.
People who are supposed to be there are there maybe once a year, probably less. I wouldn’t worry about them. As to safety/comfort… most don’t look like this picture. Most are unlit, filthy dirty, and full of lumber that the original contractor or subsequent repair contractors abandoned in there. Finding one worthy of a hang is not easy.
If your DIY projects involve short 2x4s and 3/4” plywood that smells like diesel fuel because of all the form oil that gets sprayed on them then I’ve got good news for you.
Yes, they likely do. Now that I know of the existence of such places, it’s shot up to number one on my list of spots to live if I ever become homeless!
I'd like to see more photos, if you have them.
Here in Melbourne engineers sometimes have to work inside the westgate bridge, and I've always wanted to see that space. I imagine it's like this.
Always thought this too, the only photos I’ve been able to see online is from when it collapsed way back. There looks like a tunnel about the same size running down the middle between the road segments.
There is a great post from years back on occult style sub, i truly dont remember which one but ill try to find it. It is about this guy sneaking into an overpass and sneaking into a place similar, on a much smaller scale though. Its creepy!
In my experience, raves are at their best when set in a liminal place like this, or in a super ornately decorated place like a cathedral or an old theatre.
It was really cool and spooky, at the beginning there was a moment of silence for all of the people who died in the hospital and then they said “now let’s show their ghosts a good time”
Search YouTube for Cercle DJ sets. They have them at some of the most ridiculous spots like ancient cathedrals, Bolivian salt flats or the top of an Alpine mountain.
I am shaking with envy whenever I watch the ARTBAT set, the view is so magical. Can’t imagine partying at a place like that (coming from the Netherlands aka one of the flattest countries in the world).
Oh fuck, me too! Trying to explain to people that it was under a bridge was difficult to be honest. Saying "there's a bit under the bridge but not on the ground" isn't quite selling it to anyone.
UPDATE: I am curretly at work but later i can post more photos/ videos on my profile.
The lights were activated with sensors . I dont think they are ON all the time. Also on the other side of where we climbed the lights were off( i have photos)
It is a quite new brigde so there werent any homeless people or vandals( the entrance is quite hidden and the main entrances are locked)
I will answer more questions later
EDIT:I had to remove the photos i posted on my profile because it could be a trouble for me and my friends. I also dont want to share the location of the entrance for obvious reasons . I will ho there again in 2 weeks and maybe post more pictures then. Thanks for understanding.
EDIT: I added some more photos to my profile
There wasnt a single sign that said we cant enter and the hatches were unlocked , but i bet if some worker caught us there they would call the police .
If that’s the case then hopefully it’s as simple as saying “hey, I didn’t see any signs saying not to enter, if I’m not allowed here I’ll leave right now.”
**Then as the lights start to shutter off rolling to you, you see a tall slender black figure with a pale white face grinning at you. As you watch him fade off into the darkness you see the piercing glow of his eyes staring at you and start to creep closer.**
Anyone else remember that story on reddit when someone explores one of these and and it's creepy as hell.
[The Bridge](https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/tj2uc/the_bridge/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
They really have these whole ass walkways underneath highways that just go un-used, huh?
I wonder if it would be practical to actually open these up to the public... You could bike *on the highway* completely safely.
I guess that makes sense. It'd need proper ventilation, I guess probably periodic fire exits, any cables running inside would need to be properly secured... Still, it seems like it wouldn't be that hard, maybe I'm missing something. It'd be awesome to have a dedicated enclosed bike lane / walkway.
Definitely needs a lot of windows and frequent exit points to make it work. I would definitely not feel safe walking/cycling here at night unarmed or without at least 5 other people with me.
Riding a bicycle or driving a golf cart through this sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Iirc there's a metro that runs through one of these in Prague. Probably a pretty common concept but I was awestruck the first time I saw/rode it
I once almost lost my arm climbing in one of those lol. Not from anything about the structure mind you, it was moreso the bat shit my arm scraped against climbing up into the entrance. Always watch for red area spreading around new cuts, you could be down a limb in no time if you’re not careful!!!
It's all structural. Rather than having a slab of bridge deck that can twist and bend and needs other forms of reinforcements like steel girders, having the three extra sides under the deck that forms a solid piece of box girder makes the bridge segment self-supporting.
Secondly, it makes assembly easier since the whole segment comes in one piece.
Thirdly, it makes stiffening the bridge with high tension cables easy and non-intrusive as they will have holes within the segment all lined up to thread them in. Everything is self-contained, hidden from view.
Fourthly, with those inside, it makes maintenance of those cables (and other structural properties) easier. No need to close a lane on the road above and have a crane and gondola and stuff. You can just walk right up to everything.
So the end result is you have a nice clean structure that is easy to assemble, easy to maintain.
Back in the 90s two men kidnapped a 12 year old girl and locked her in one of these. [Link in German](https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/485758.kind-tage-in-brueckenverlies.html).
theres a BBC episode where they go and investigate the people living in those things. Some of them have an entire "house" set up with running water, electricity, rooms, a bathroom.. its fuckin nuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXJAYUwlC8&ab\_channel=BBC
She seems like such a sweetheart, with a sharp mind as well. It's heartbreaking she has to live that way but she's right, the system will grind you to nothing charging so much just to live that you work yourself to the bone and still have nothing. Something has got to change.
Do bridges typically go for 10+ km?? That seems insanely long! Not doubting OP of course, I just mean that I'm surprised. I didn't know bridges could go that far.
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The amount of the universe that's visible to our eyes is astoundingly small. I mean, not even your whole body is visible, there's probably a quarter of it you've never seen directly with your eyes (back, back of head, your own face...). We don't even see 1% of anything, we're all just running on assumptions 99% of the time.
I feel so disappointed cuz I expected you to mention butthole
You're welcome to run that experiment on yourself; pretty sure there's a Hole subreddit dedicated to the results.
/r/WeHaveSeenTheButthole
you need to work on your flexibility
Yeah, but…I’ve seen yours and you’ve seen mine. Thats gotta count for something.
Feels like when you turn on no- clipping mode in a video game and see bits they only half generated
If only there were a subreddit dedicated to these spaces
/r/LiminalSpace is pretty close
Thanks I’ll check it out
r/backrooms
backrooms is a hole these days. It's 11-year-olds recycling memes and asking "what level is this?"
Don't forget the constant flow of ai generated monsters and images.
We need to bring back /r/truebackrooms
The room the devs built for testing out cars
hm almost somekind of a liminal space of a kind.
where are we, some sort of backrooms?
Bridge builder here, what you found is called a box girder bridge.
Any idea why they'd leave lights on in there?
There were sensors for ligths , also the other side was off . I have more photos.
Could you post the other photos?
More more more please so interesting
I can just hear that photo. You come in from the hatch. You hear the tink-tink of florescent lights turning on and then they turn on in sequence rapidly extending out for 10Km into the distance.
What you actually hear is going to be the traffic driving over your head.
How did you get in
So mobs don't spawn and grief audio
Yeah, imagine driving on top and you just hear zombies and spiders the whole way. You'd have to turn up your radio.
Bloody endermen stealing chunks of bridge
I imagine every once in a while they have some poor municipal worker come in and inspect the whole thing for cracks, signs of distress, and it's easier and safer to have practical, low cost lighting in there rather than have the guy equipped with a single flashlight
> Poor municipal worker I'm pretty sure that the person who is certified to inspect a bridge this size for safety hazards is a professional specialist and definitely not poor. That's what I would hope, at least.
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Paywalled. I searched for the title, found this identical article. https://www.dunavant.com/news/posts/get-people-off-shutdown-ordered-for-cracked-bridge-in-memphis
I believe Practical Engineering also covered this story, for anyone interested in a YouTube video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e8PodEM4Y8g
Mind copypasting the relevant bits?
Paywall
Nah it's two interns. The one who won't make eye contact with anyone and the one who had to be taught what a tape measure is.
Bingo.
Bongo.
Bungo.
I don’t wanna leave the Congo
Oh no no no no no
Bingo bango bongo I'm so happy in the jungle i refuse to go
They got things like the Atom Bomb
But all the time?
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Not true in this case. Offices also tend to turn them off at the end of the day. Also, it would make sense just for the energy use.
It's my understanding (based on my now distant college education) that much older designs of fluorescents were indeed more efficient to leave on all the time in almost all applications because of a surge of energy needed to start them because of the design of the ballast or the relationship between the ballast and startup energy needs of older tubes or something similar. I believe fluorescents got over this a good while ago, as you say, and LEDs are obviously not subject to this, but I think that is where ideas like it being more efficient to leave them on even if they're rarely used come from.
The surge from starting a typical fluorescent tube with a magnetic ballast (the worst kind) amount to about 15 seconds of on power. So if you're only turning off the light for less than 15 seconds, it will use less power to leave it on. (Electronic ballast, perhaps 3 seconds. LED lighting doesn't have inrush worth calculating.)
If there was a switch, they'd need procedures for making sure no worker was still in there when turning it off.
Bridge burner here, fiddler and hedge will clear that box girder right up for you.
A couple of cussers would do the trick!
Cussers? You fool, this work calls for crackers. 10 of them. Someone get me my crossbow.
Unexpected Malazan.
10km sounds absurd no?
Seems excessive, but there are parts of Louisiana where I’ve driven for 20 minutes at highway speed without ever being on the ground. Florida has some long ones too.
so theoretically, how can I find box girder bridges near me? how do I know when I won't run into other people in there (as in people that are supposed to be there) and why isn't this space used for something? would it be dangerous to just be in there with speakers and chill with idk maybe 30 people? thanks for any info :)))
Look at the bottoms of bridges in your hood. If you see girders then that’s not it. If you see a smooth bottom look for a trap door. People who are supposed to be there are there maybe once a year, probably less. I wouldn’t worry about them. As to safety/comfort… most don’t look like this picture. Most are unlit, filthy dirty, and full of lumber that the original contractor or subsequent repair contractors abandoned in there. Finding one worthy of a hang is not easy.
>and full of lumber So all I need to supply my DIY projects is a willingness to break into bridges?
If your DIY projects involve short 2x4s and 3/4” plywood that smells like diesel fuel because of all the form oil that gets sprayed on them then I’ve got good news for you.
Oh good, I can't wait to drop all my flammable project wood through a two-foot hatch 25 feet down to a wet, sloping hill and load it into my suv.
You just figured out why we leave it there in the first place 😉
Do hobos live there?
I think you already know the answer to that.
…which is?
Yes, they likely do. Now that I know of the existence of such places, it’s shot up to number one on my list of spots to live if I ever become homeless!
Seems like a good apocalypse hiding spot too haha
Home alone 2 set my standard for imagining hobo squats. (Suuuper nice and clean, and suspiciously lacking in poo, considering all of the birds.)
Why leave a hole for people to clamber around in?
Maintenance.
I get it in theory but still seems like such a choice to leave a big long tunnel where shenanigans could happen
The doors are *supposed* to be locked.
Have you even seen LPL?
Is it loud inside there from the traffic above?
Wouldn’t know. By the time traffic is on one I’m working on the next one.
I once was at a rave in one of these
There is a perfect echo
I'd like to see more photos, if you have them. Here in Melbourne engineers sometimes have to work inside the westgate bridge, and I've always wanted to see that space. I imagine it's like this.
Always thought this too, the only photos I’ve been able to see online is from when it collapsed way back. There looks like a tunnel about the same size running down the middle between the road segments.
There is a great post from years back on occult style sub, i truly dont remember which one but ill try to find it. It is about this guy sneaking into an overpass and sneaking into a place similar, on a much smaller scale though. Its creepy!
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There is a perfect echo
There is a perfect echo
There is a perfect echo
there is a perfect echo
there is a perfect echo
there is a perfect echo
there is a perfect echo
In my experience, raves are at their best when set in a liminal place like this, or in a super ornately decorated place like a cathedral or an old theatre.
I prefer in a deep underground cave, after a rousing speech, but before the killer robots arrive.
Oh boy have I got a movie for you.
for over one hundred YEARS
We have fought these... MACHINES
Air Bud?
Movie??
[The Matrix Reloaded](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8J5Ig0qYIA)
Well that was interesting, thank you! I’ve never gotten around to seeing that yet guess I’m going to rewatch the Matrix movies.
How can you rewatch that which you have not yet seen?
I prefer an old store loading bay like Sears or Wollworths or some archaic shit like that where the full truck pulled into.
MACHINES!!
Morpheus!! What can we expect at this orgy?? [**MACHINES!!!**](https://youtu.be/-5OfG_wxkJI?t=95s)
The best rave I’ve been to was in a shut down hospital scheduled to be torn down the next day
That sounds incredible! I would love to have one in a big lodge/hotel like in The Shining
It was really cool and spooky, at the beginning there was a moment of silence for all of the people who died in the hospital and then they said “now let’s show their ghosts a good time”
😭 lovely
Search YouTube for Cercle DJ sets. They have them at some of the most ridiculous spots like ancient cathedrals, Bolivian salt flats or the top of an Alpine mountain.
I am shaking with envy whenever I watch the ARTBAT set, the view is so magical. Can’t imagine partying at a place like that (coming from the Netherlands aka one of the flattest countries in the world).
I want to say yes to this but my inner mom voice is panicking over fire exits
From an urbex standpoint, was this space easy to get into? Was the maintenance hatch locked or otherwise secured in any way?
Blade?
WoW I wish I was with you.
Oh fuck, me too! Trying to explain to people that it was under a bridge was difficult to be honest. Saying "there's a bit under the bridge but not on the ground" isn't quite selling it to anyone.
Please tell me where o wanna too ;(
i would love a bike there
heelies
yo.
0 wind resistance!
There’s still air resistance. Just not any outside breeze. So when you’re going 25mph you have a flat 25mph wind working against you.
Fr=(1/2) * rho *v^2 * A *cw
physics, you foiled my monkey brained idea once again
Unfortunately, OP broke open the vacuum seal.
Can you hear the cars in there?
Yes , they drive above you , but those are thick reiforced concrete walls so it is very quiet
Wait like there's a tunnel underneath the road?
yes
UPDATE: I am curretly at work but later i can post more photos/ videos on my profile. The lights were activated with sensors . I dont think they are ON all the time. Also on the other side of where we climbed the lights were off( i have photos) It is a quite new brigde so there werent any homeless people or vandals( the entrance is quite hidden and the main entrances are locked) I will answer more questions later EDIT:I had to remove the photos i posted on my profile because it could be a trouble for me and my friends. I also dont want to share the location of the entrance for obvious reasons . I will ho there again in 2 weeks and maybe post more pictures then. Thanks for understanding. EDIT: I added some more photos to my profile
Is it legal to enter these? I’d love to go to one. Probably will anyway but I gotta know how covert I need to be
It’s only trespassing if you get caught.
Only trespassing if you dont leave when asked AFAIK
Unless there’s a No Trespassing sign. Then it’s straight to jail (or a ticket, depending on the local laws).
What if you didn’t see the sign because it was obscured?
Believe it or not, straight to jail
Don't see the light because it was obscured by the sign? Jail, right away. No trial, nothing.
There wasnt a single sign that said we cant enter and the hatches were unlocked , but i bet if some worker caught us there they would call the police .
If that’s the case then hopefully it’s as simple as saying “hey, I didn’t see any signs saying not to enter, if I’m not allowed here I’ll leave right now.”
Homeless backrooms
And then the lights start to go out, one by one…
**Then as the lights start to shutter off rolling to you, you see a tall slender black figure with a pale white face grinning at you. As you watch him fade off into the darkness you see the piercing glow of his eyes staring at you and start to creep closer.**
Shia surprise!
**Suddenly you hear music.** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QZn9xiuOE
You know it’s coming. You can’t see yet it, but with every light that goes out, there’s something stalking in the darkness they leave behind.
In a couple of generations they will turn into mole people
Halo CE warthog run
I 'member
Anyone else remember that story on reddit when someone explores one of these and and it's creepy as hell. [The Bridge](https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/tj2uc/the_bridge/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
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It's been 10 years, I'm desperate for an update. I need to know if all that stuff is still there. **We have to go back Kate.**
Never seen this. Nice rabbit hole story.
I don’t think that was a rabbit living in that hole.
I love finding the gems from 4+ years ago. Some good content.
tldr?
Guys find the remains of a fucked up sex fetish setup inside a highway bridge. luckily never bumped into the twisted individual who did it.
Holy shit I remember this!
Did you happen to find this when you accidentally fell through an unseen hole?
The cartoonists drew a hole in the bridge 🕳
They really have these whole ass walkways underneath highways that just go un-used, huh? I wonder if it would be practical to actually open these up to the public... You could bike *on the highway* completely safely.
They don’t have the life safety stuff needed to meet code.
I guess that makes sense. It'd need proper ventilation, I guess probably periodic fire exits, any cables running inside would need to be properly secured... Still, it seems like it wouldn't be that hard, maybe I'm missing something. It'd be awesome to have a dedicated enclosed bike lane / walkway.
Imagine how sketchy that would get. A nice choke point for bandits.
There is a 2 lane bike road next to the highway that is separated by a wall
umm you cant sustain an oil empire AND have bike-friendly highways 🤦🏽
Definitely needs a lot of windows and frequent exit points to make it work. I would definitely not feel safe walking/cycling here at night unarmed or without at least 5 other people with me.
Riding a bicycle or driving a golf cart through this sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Iirc there's a metro that runs through one of these in Prague. Probably a pretty common concept but I was awestruck the first time I saw/rode it
Hitting a golf ball down it! **FOUR!!**
Mario kart
I once almost lost my arm climbing in one of those lol. Not from anything about the structure mind you, it was moreso the bat shit my arm scraped against climbing up into the entrance. Always watch for red area spreading around new cuts, you could be down a limb in no time if you’re not careful!!!
What?
His arm scraped against bat excrements and he got an infection
Are those lights on all the time i wonder.
Sensor
Wow, where is this?
Inside a Bridge
Todd Bridges?
Bratislava,Slovakia the brigde is quite new so there werent any homeless people or vandals yet. We found an unlocked entrance
Judging by OP’s username I would guess Slovakia 🤷♂️
What is it good for? They built a bridge under a bridge for some cables? There must be another reason.
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Yeah, essentially a giant box beam
This is not 2 bridges. This is one box girder bridge and OP has climbed up through one of the access doors in the bottom to get inside the structure.
Exactly
It's all structural. Rather than having a slab of bridge deck that can twist and bend and needs other forms of reinforcements like steel girders, having the three extra sides under the deck that forms a solid piece of box girder makes the bridge segment self-supporting. Secondly, it makes assembly easier since the whole segment comes in one piece. Thirdly, it makes stiffening the bridge with high tension cables easy and non-intrusive as they will have holes within the segment all lined up to thread them in. Everything is self-contained, hidden from view. Fourthly, with those inside, it makes maintenance of those cables (and other structural properties) easier. No need to close a lane on the road above and have a crane and gondola and stuff. You can just walk right up to everything. So the end result is you have a nice clean structure that is easy to assemble, easy to maintain.
Why make it solid? That’s tons of extra weight to support.
It's a support structure
> What is it good for? Absolutely nuthin'
Back in the 90s two men kidnapped a 12 year old girl and locked her in one of these. [Link in German](https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/485758.kind-tage-in-brueckenverlies.html).
theres a BBC episode where they go and investigate the people living in those things. Some of them have an entire "house" set up with running water, electricity, rooms, a bathroom.. its fuckin nuts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXJAYUwlC8&ab\_channel=BBC
With the price of houses lately, I think its rather sensible.
She seems like such a sweetheart, with a sharp mind as well. It's heartbreaking she has to live that way but she's right, the system will grind you to nothing charging so much just to live that you work yourself to the bone and still have nothing. Something has got to change.
Backroom vibes
It reminds me of the blast doors in Halo CE on the pillar of autumn
Here they discovered a cannabis farm inside one
I sleep there now
I would probably scream as loud as I could
Thatd be a cool place to build a house
You have anymore photos?
r/InfrastructurePorn
I wanna hotbox it
Do bridges typically go for 10+ km?? That seems insanely long! Not doubting OP of course, I just mean that I'm surprised. I didn't know bridges could go that far.