Video: NYC's Verrazano Bridge Shut Down As It Swings & Rolls In High Winds

It's been a little windy here this week and one of the consequences of that?... 1,265,000 tons of steel, cables & concrete, 14 football fields long, just swaying in the breeze like a swing, to which I say, "Nope!" And clearly I'm not alone:

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From Gothamist: 

The city was hit with such extreme winds on Monday that the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was shut down as a safety precaution. The Verrazzano, the longest bridge in the city, closed both its upper and lower portions to traffic for various parts of the day as a result, something which is relatively rare.

Of course, the fact that the suspension bridge is acting in this way is completely normal—this is how they've supposed to respond in extreme conditions, as opposed to more rigid structures.

Fun fact, thermal expansion from summer heat makes the bridge hang 12 feet lower than it does in the winter. It's pretty flexible. Still, despite learning that I maintain my solid, "Nope!" from the start of this blog… On a blustery day I'm taking Big Cat's cue & going the long way around.

Then again it could always be worse: