Are there any unique ways the bridge is designed to withstand quakes?
MACDONALD: The main tower is like a cantilever — the deck [roadway] is not attached — allowing the tower to have about three feet of movement. Inside the main tower leg are four steel link beams that are like sacrificial beams. They are expected to deform and rupture under the stress of an earthquake, but the bridge will be able to stay in operation until we can go back in and fix the beams. Engineers design the beams for the steel’s elastic limit, so they can tune the link beams to pop at different periods, so as you go up the tower, the harder the earthquake, the more link beams will rupture. And [the stress] can happen in any direction, because there are four legs to it. It’s a pretty unusual tower. BBG: What’s your take on the free-for-all we’re seeing in Dubai? MACDONALD: If you’re an architect or a bridge designer, it’s the place to be, because there are no rules. They’re letting you fly. There’s a lot of criticism, sure. All of a sudden you’ve got an instant city in the desert
