# How does a mariner arrange to have a rarely used drawbridge opened? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465 "2026-07-06T19:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/41 "2026-07-11T17:07:49Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > As I understood it at the time, it was because the laws on the books still gave water traffic right-of-way over all land traffic. I was taught that it went back to the days when ships were dependent upon the wind and tides to move up and down rivers. Delaying them could be catastrophic, both literally and in the economic sense. Everybody acknowledged their need to go while the gettin’ was good. ---
**Author:** ![Humbagger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Humbagger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humbagger)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/42 "2026-07-12T02:16:35Z")
I stumbled across this video by chance, showing a freighter moving through Miami to reach its port, with 8 draw bridges being raised to let it pass: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4NZw5VDXL_c/maxresdefault.jpg "One of America’s Most Unusual Shipping Routes 💥😮") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NZw5VDXL_c) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/43 "2026-07-13T02:33:35Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Though I’m pretty sure that some of them do go up. Here ya go. At the bottom of the article are tiny animations showing the way various moveable bridges move. > **[Moveable bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moveable_bridge)** > > A moveable bridge, or movable bridge, is a bridge that moves to allow passage for boats or barges. In American English, the term is synonymous with drawbridge, and the latter is the common term, but drawbridge can be limited to the narrower, historical definition used in some other forms of English, in which drawbridge refers to only a specific type of moveable bridge often found in castles. An advantage of making bridges moveable is the lower cost, due to the absence of high piers and long appr... ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/44 "2026-07-13T03:14:13Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > some do exceedingly weird things On railroads the maintenance of way (MOW) equipment can putter about the tracks on their own but to move an appreciable distance to the next job they are loaded onto track-equipped flatcars. To facilitate the loading, the last flatcar in the string has a ramp, called a scorpion, that unfurls from the top of the car down to track level, making a ramp. It is not as elegant looking at the Heatherwick bridge when it moves, though. The video is queued to where the last of the equipment is loaded and the ramp curled up. If you want to see the entire MOW parade, back up to about 3:40. A couple had to make two tries to get up the 7% grade and one tie-grabber used its tie-grabbing arm to crutch its way aboard. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9NXZ19w7ars/maxresdefault.jpg ""THE SCORPION FLATCAR" And loading MoW equipment onto Flatcars in Laramie, WY! November, 21, 2020") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NXZ19w7ars&t=493) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/45 "2026-07-13T11:16:00Z")
Neat video – thanks. I was tickled by the port-a-potty on the small trailer. Bruan ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/46 "2026-07-13T12:40:51Z")
Sadly, they don’t show the hydraulic wench. I would have liked to have seen her. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/47 "2026-07-13T14:53:06Z")
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of track maintenance. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/48 "2026-07-13T15:15:31Z")
Your comment reminded me of the pneumatic female characters in a SF story whose details I don’t recall. And which IMO _almost_ brought the term “pneumatic” into general use for attractive women. Somebody here will know which story I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/49 "2026-07-13T16:10:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > pneumatic female characters in a SF story whose details I don’t recall _Brave New World_ ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465/50 "2026-07-13T16:50:16Z")
Montreal’s Victoria Bridge(s) has four sets of lift bridges - two for road, and two for rail - over the St Lawrence Seaway canal. The way the bridges are arranged - road and rail traffic never needs to halt, so that the bridges (one set or the other) can be raised on demand when ships require it (they are passing through a lock between the two sets of bridges). I don’t know what happens in winter, when the canal may freeze, and ship traffic is infrequent. I assume an attendant would be available if a (rare) ship needs to pass after advance notice. (it usually closes for a couple of weeks in mid-January). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-mariner-arrange-to-have-a-rarely-used-drawbridge-opened/1031465.md?page=2)