Members venturawest Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 looks bad. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/bridge.collapse.ap/index.html i was just on that stretch a month ago. looks bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted August 2, 2007 Moderators Share Posted August 2, 2007 Oh no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunburstbasser Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Any word on how that happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 damn that sucks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walkerci Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 looks bad. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/bridge.collapse.ap/index.htmli was just on that stretch a month ago. looks bad. Amazing. Its a damn good thing that it happened in summer time.I wouldn't want to hit that water in subzero temps. So... Now the USA has joined the ranks of banana republics as far as safe highways go. You would expect these things to be a historical artifact after the bridge collapse on the Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) not so long ago. And it happened in Minnesota no less. If it were Massachusetts, Connecticutt, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, DC, etc, no one would be surprised. And people actually ask me if it is safe to travel to Brasil!Yes, just don't into Congonhas airport (CGN - Sao Paulo) on a wet day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vismund624 Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 wow that looks horrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members __tony__renaud Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Any word on how that happened? No word as of yet - this bridge was around 40 years old and was in the middle of being repaired. It was reduced to one lane for traffic so work could be done. There was a school bus full of kids on a span of the bridge that fell, all of whom got away unharmed. No word of fatalities yet, but there was confirmation of a few as I'm writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Undead Sycip Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Amazing. Its a damn good thing that it happened in summer time.I wouldn't want to hit that water in subzero temps.So... Now the USA has joined the ranks of banana republics as far as safe highways go.You would expect these things to be a historical artifact after the bridge collapse on the Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) not so long ago. Remember that we have far more infrastructure than all banana republics combined. Considering the tens of thousands of roadways we have here, we are actually doing very well AFA engineering safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walkerci Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Remember that we have far more infrastructure than all banana republics combined. Considering the tens of thousands of roadways we have here, we are actually doing very well AFA engineering safety. Yes, we do have more highway miles. And more engineers, and more lawyers too. To your point, I have been over many bridges outside the USA that will fail sooner or later, but almost certainly before they are closed by authorities. And I hope than I am not on one of them when they do fail. One would hope that bridge inspectors in the USA don't take bribes as is commonplace in other parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members collinwho Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Usually we are offended when the midwest, and Minneapolis/St Paul are called flyover land. But, I think, in the back of our heads, a lot of Minnesotans think that way, also. These disasters aren't supposed to happen here. They are supposed to be in NY or LA or San Francisco. Not here. This is flyover land, where nothing big ever happens, and we like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I've driven over that bridge many times when visiting family in the Twin Cities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB900LE Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I caught this radio program last week about Our Nation's Aging Infrastructure. This accident may or may not be age-related but apparently the possibility of more similar events in the future is looming. A bridge I travel over almost every day, half a mile from my house, is apparently way overdue for replacement but the city/state are juggling highway funds to support (much needed) new projects in this area, while fixing the old ones falls further and further behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anothertxn Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Whoa...I didn't drive over that end much since I lived in St. Paul, but I can still visualize it. Not something you would expect at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Wow! That article was terrible. Did an 8th grader write it? There are no details, and it even goes off on a tangent about how a tractor trailer caught on fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ezstep Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Most of the errors are due to the rush to get something on the air or in print or on the 'net a.s.a.p. Details will be checked later, just get it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Most of the errors are due to the rush to get something on the air or in print or on the 'net a.s.a.p. Details will be checked later, just get it out! Sure...I understand that...but the only details given were: Bridge collapsed @ 6:05MinneapolisPeople are hurt (not sure how many)Tractor trailer on fire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NeonVomit Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6927113.stm Very sad and as is often the case with such matters, entirely preventable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hawkhuff Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Thay also have it on film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hi.flyer Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I hope that Prince is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thelurker Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I hope that Prince is ok. Of course he is, he has an assistant to drive over the bridge for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hearafter Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Security camera footage Crazyness... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hawkhuff Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I just listened to a series of news conferences by the Governor and DOT reps, also some federal reps. They tell us that they had inspected the bridge each year and noted that all the cracks and fractures were OK; at least not bad enough to close the bridge. The bridge has a traffic volume of 141,000 per day. They went on to say they hired additional consultants to inspect the bridge in 2005 then had the structural engineering department of the UM to further inspect it in 2006. These consultants were above and beyond what the state DOT reps were alledgedly doing. Well, if it wasn't a terrorist attack and I am not convinced yet it wasn't, then what does this say about all the idiots who are doing these inspections? To be a bit more cynical since it was the most heavily traveled bridge in the state, wouldn't you think they would pay even closer attention to it than others in the state? Especially since MN experiences such extremes in temperatures, road salt (my assumption here) and heavy loads? I don't think the state reps realize how incompetant and inept they are presenting themselves to be in front of the world media. And what's all this back slapping at what a good job these idiots are doing on the federal and state level?? Makes me want to puke. This event certainly restores MY faith in the government. :rolleyes: And we want them to take over our healthcare? Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NeonVomit Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I'm no expert in this field, but from what I know and can deduce, bridges and other large structures don't just collapse for no apparent reason. We have some engineers and architects on this forum. Anyone have any possible explainations/reasons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members __tony__renaud Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I hope that Prince is ok. He's on tour in England. There's a little bit of footage of the bridge falling that just got released - it's from a security camera. The collapse literally happened all at once in about two seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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