Read yesterday that the Forth Rail Bridge is being coated with special paint that will last for 25 to 40 years - work will finish in 2012 so from that time on we are going to need a new metaphor for never ending tasks.
It took 7 years to build the thing and work was completed in 1890 - those Victorian engineers sure knew how to build things to last down the ages. Compare and contrast the Forth Road Bridge which was completed in 1964 and is currently predicted to close by 2020 due to corrosion and heavier traffic levels than originally predicted.
One and a half miles in length it is not only an engineering marvel but also a thing of great beauty - have crossed it on many occasions but it is amazing to look at from the edge of the water.
Here is the BBC's take on the ending of this (and other) metaphors.
3 comments:
There is a similar saying here in New Jersey. They start at one end of the highway and repair/update it, and then by time they are finished, they start all over again. Guess it keeps people employed. Heh.
Wow. Sisyphus would be so proud.
Great link to dying metaphors - can't believe stores are stopping accepting checks? This speaks to my inner paranoiac...
rt, Too much traffic everywhere then.
Phlegmmy, The stores all claim that most of their customers use credit cards or direct debit card to pay at the checkouts - so they say that they are withdrawing a little used service.
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