# How do they know the load limit on bridges?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-the-load-limit-on-bridges/984541
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 24, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-the-load-limit-on-bridges/984541 "2023-05-24T23:01:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2023, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-the-load-limit-on-bridges/984541/21 "2023-06-04T05:40:46Z")

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> [@Banksiaman](#):
>
> When the Sydney Harbour Bridge was constructed they loaded almost a hundred locomotives on it as a weight test.

By chance I just saw this on Reddit:

[66 T-55 tanks being used to strength test the Nussel bridge, Prague(1970).](https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/13zn3oi/66_t55_tanks_being_used_to_strength_test_the/)

[https://preview.redd.it/w2ge9j5bvu3b1.png?auto=webp&v=enabled&s=117f1141bd5fc191a91c110864bcab933a8c6b1e](https://preview.redd.it/w2ge9j5bvu3b1.png?auto=webp&v=enabled&s=117f1141bd5fc191a91c110864bcab933a8c6b1e)

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### Author: ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-the-load-limit-on-bridges/984541/22 "2023-06-04T14:48:44Z")

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> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> Professor F\*rhey got all the credit, but didn’t really do anything

Yes, when Banting and Best isolated insulin, a discovery that still saves millions of lives - the Nobel Prize went to Banting and… Prof. MacLeod who ran the lab.

> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> 66 T-55 tanks being used to strength test the Nussel bridge, Prague(1970).

1970? I think I saw those exact same tanks in the news the other day. They didn’t look as nice.

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### Author: ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-the-load-limit-on-bridges/984541/23 "2023-06-04T15:07:05Z")

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> [@md-2000](#):
>
> They didn’t look as nice.

After the bridge fell in they did have a little mud on them. And a few dents, but nothing that wouldn’t buff out.

Years later, as you say, they made the really silly mistake of trying to take a group tour of Ukraine. They _really_ looked raggedy after that sojourn. Ukrainian roads are real hard on Russian tanks.

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