(June 19, 2015) When you mix a lot of hot air with loads of cool water, you donโt just get a recipe for fixing Congress, sometimes you get a stuck bridge too.
The Town of Ocean city reported via its Twitter account on Tuesday morning that the Harry Kelley drawbridge was stuck in the โupโ position, and that the problem had been resolved a few minutes later. While the phenomenon was not new, it was a novel incident in Ocean City in one respect.
โWhen the bridge tender closes the drawbridge it has to seat properly โ a sensor has to say itโs OK,โ David Buck of the State Highway Administration said, โWhat weโve never seen in Ocean City is the significant difference between the air and water temperatures affecting the sensor.โ
The sensor is attached to a metal spring that must compress to a certain degree for the sensor to show the bridge is seated properly for safe travel. The warmer air, measuring almost 80 degrees near the time of the incident by www.wunderground.com, caused the metal spring to expand; the cooler water, measured at about 67 degrees around the same time by NOAA, was enough to play havoc with the sensorโs tolerances. The bridge, which may have been seated properly, was still showing the bridge was in the โupโ position.
The fix is somewhat underwhelming.
โWe just had to reopen and reclose the bridge,โ Buck said, โThe operator let off the button too early. If it was held down for a couple of seconds longer it would have seated properly.โ
Buck said the incident was a โlittle bit of operator error and a little bit miscalibrated sensor.โ
A potentially more exciting fix Buck suggested would be to โget out there with a fire hose and cool everything down,โ but instead the State Highway Administration said it would send someone out on Wednesday to adjust the sensor.
โWe know what it is because weโve seen it on other bridges,โ Buck said, โWe just need to convince the sensor the difference is much less than what it is.โ
