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Author Topic: OT: Minneapolis Bridge  (Read 19120 times)

Matt

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OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« on: August 01, 2007, 11:38:48 pm »

This happened about a mile from JRiver this evening:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/bridge.collapse/index.html#cnnSTCText

I used to live three blocks from the bridge, and still drive it often.
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skeeterfood

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2007, 11:43:17 pm »

Hope everyone at JRiver made it home OK!

BTW, We must have been typing at the same time...  I removed the thread I just started, so we can keep the discussion in one place.

-John
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benn600

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2007, 12:05:39 am »

Some family members live near the bridge as well.  Luckily everyone seems to be alright but relayed stories of people almost taking the bridge that day.
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Mr ChriZ

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2007, 03:37:12 am »

Just read it on the beeb
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6927113.stm

Crazy.  Hope all JRiver people/friends are ok.

KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2007, 05:44:37 am »

I keep thinking about the bridge i go over a few times a day, and is on the north Carolina's worst bridges here in Fayetteville, N.C.

Every month or so they are out there trying to fix the cement that always cracks again. I wonder if we will need to see the same thing happen here before someone does something about it.
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glynor

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2007, 08:01:49 am »

I drove in to work this morning listening to the radio reports from Minneapolis and thinking "I hope everyone from JRiver and families are okay"...  My thoughts are most certainly with you all today.

I keep thinking about the bridge i go over a few times a day, and is on the north Carolina's worst bridges here in Fayetteville, N.C.

Every month or so they are out there trying to fix the cement that always cracks again. I wonder if we will need to see the same thing happen here before someone does something about it.

The state of America's bridges is appalling, but there is little money to fix most of these issues unfortunately.  Near my home in Maine, we recently got "forced" to completely replace a major bridge (the Waldo Hancock Bridge across the Penobscot River).  They were doing a repair on it, like they do on so many of the bridges in America (duct tape and chicken wire), and "discovered" that it was a hop-skip-and-a-jump from falling down.

We were just lucky, really...
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AoXoMoXoA

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2007, 08:30:18 am »

America's infrastructure is seriously deteriorated and this continues unchecked.
Unfortunately there will likely be more of this sort of thing.   :'(
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mlefebvre

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2007, 08:40:21 am »

America's infrastructure is seriously deteriorated and this continues unchecked.
Unfortunately there will likely be more of this sort of thing.   :'(

Similar situation here. Last year an overpass bridge fell and crushed 3 cars that were driving on the highway below it.

After a one year probe, the goverment of Quebec just banned large truck from using 138 overpasses and bridges in the province. But still no word if they will be repaired or replaced...

My thought go out to Minneapolis. I think I may have taken that bridge when I went to visit JRiver a couple of years ago...

Michel.
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Yaobing

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2007, 08:48:43 am »

This morning, as I told the story of Minneapolis bridge, our nanny's reaction was: "This happens in the US too?!".

We are used to hearing about bridge/building collapses in China, where, due to greed of contractors and corruption of officials, many infrastructures are constructed with subclass materials and work.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2007, 11:15:06 am »

Out Of 18,540 bridges in North Carolina, 5,647 are substandard

If you visit north Carolina's visitor site, they tout that north Carolina has more roads than any state in the U.S.A.

The bridge i go over every day has a one foot gap in part of the road where the first 6 inches has crumbled and re-bar is showing.

The underside of the bridge is collapsing and it is not on the top 10 list of our worst bridges.

I may call the radio station tomorrow AM 640 Talk Radio, and ask the question whether we need to see someone die first before someone reacts to the state of this bridge.


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glynor

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2007, 12:12:31 pm »

This morning, as I told the story of Minneapolis bridge, our nanny's reaction was: "This happens in the US too?!".

We are used to hearing about bridge/building collapses in China, where, due to greed of contractors and corruption of officials, many infrastructures are constructed with subclass materials and work.

Those problems are certainly not limited only to old structures, or to China.
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hit_ny

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2007, 12:38:50 pm »

Shocking news   :o

..reports say the bridge was checked in previous years and some signs of structural fatigue were present but there was no cracking...

Conclusion being, not an immediate threat at all, maybe this incident will be a wake-up call.
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tunetyme

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2007, 01:41:59 pm »

I am glad to hear that everyone at JRiver is OK.  I agree that our infrastructure is suffering from 2 and 3 times the weight and traffic loads that they were designed for.  The real tragedy is that we all pay into a Federal trust fund when we buy gas.  Why this isn't being used to upgrade the Interstate system is inexcusable.  This isn't the first bridge to collapse.

Tunetyme
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2007, 01:58:13 pm »

Quote
Why this isn't being used to upgrade the Interstate system is inexcusable.

What happens is the state and federal taxes collected are siphoned off into other pet projects that our legislators want to spend money on to line the pockets of there friends and relatives.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2007, 04:24:01 pm »

I drove across that bridge yesterday lunchtime and remember being a little annoyed by the construction that was going on. I am thankful that I am still here, and my thoughts go out to the families of those who did not come home last night.

A friend of mine, who is a Minneapolis firefighter, reminded me that we should be grateful for the things we have and the important people in our lives because, in the blink of an eye, it could all be gone.

The local paper ran this article today. It raises some interesting questions about responsibility and local government spending.

http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1339911.html
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tunetyme

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2007, 04:55:24 pm »

Sadly, that is our world of politics.  It won't change until we start voting them out of office.  Remember, the first thing any poitician does when the are elected is to start their re-election campaign.  Sadly, it is tragedies like this one that finally motivate the people to start demanding that the poiticans (mostly lawyers) be accountable.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2007, 07:57:09 pm »

A great tragedy but still *very* early to make conclusions about what caused the catastrophic failure.  How many of us are engineers?

Bridges are designed to prevent catastrophic failure... which is why inspections are important.  It seems the inspection last year did not find any major problems - certainly nothing to take the bridge out of service for.

King:  What makes you think your bridge in question is structurally unsound?

I hope the death toll stays low - but it sounds like it could go as high as thirty.
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #17 on: August 02, 2007, 08:19:19 pm »

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King:  What makes you think your bridge in question is structurally unsound?

There are big gaping holes where the expansion joints are, the re-bar is showing, and the cement is falling off the underside with more re-bar showing, and it is on the 20 worst bridge list for north Carolina.

I think about it falling everytime I go over it.

I did talk to someone today from the city about going out and looking at it.
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2007, 11:19:30 am »

Today DOT is fixing (bandaid) the bridge.

Maybe I and others pushed the right buttons
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2007, 12:06:56 pm »

As is often the case a tragedy will cause them to start paying attention. Seems suddenly all our "political leaders" are aware of the deteriorated infrastructure.

Public awareness has also risen, I have seens several photos in the press of bridges showing obvious disrepair. Most of these have been in that condition for some time without anyone ever noticing until now.
Human nature in play here I imagine, although I suspect the case with the politicians is somewhat otherwise motivated.
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hit_ny

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2007, 02:37:32 pm »

..and how long till it slips under the radar, for the next crisis.

i'm still trying to figure out who's fault this is..from the looks of it no one seems to have made a mistake.

Broken bridge, no who dunnit
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2007, 04:29:35 pm »

I am betting the new construction on the bridge may have been part of the problem.

if you take a marshmallow and put a ton of cement on it something is going to give.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #22 on: August 03, 2007, 08:07:25 pm »

I am betting the new construction on the bridge may have been part of the problem.

if you take a marshmallow and put a ton of cement on it something is going to give.

Pure sensationalism.

I'll gladly take your bet.  It is *highly* unlikely that dead loads played the contributing role in the failure.  It seems probable that fatigue (caused by cyclic loading) or corrosion was responsible for the failure...  at which point, of course, the live and dead loads on the bridge made it "fall down".  So, what will I win (or lose)?

Again - it's too early to make conclusions.
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JimH

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #23 on: August 03, 2007, 08:09:36 pm »

Yes, it's too early, but I think they had removed the surface, and the surface could act as a compression layer on the top of the deck.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #24 on: August 03, 2007, 08:25:45 pm »

Yes, it's too early, but I think they had removed the surface, and the surface could act as a compression layer on the top of the deck.

The deck truss doesn't need the deck for structural stability.  I think I read that over half the lanes were not being used, so loads were lower than normal anyway. 

It's incredible this wasn't a greater tragedy - though certainly even one death is unacceptable.

I'm writing to this topic because I think it's easy to draw quick conclusions and expect knee-jerk reactions.  The bottom line here is that this bridge was inspected recently and determined to be acceptable for continued use.  We *CANNOT* afford to fix every deficiency immediately so we depend on DOTs to prioritize.  Was there a failure in the prioritization process?  Maybe...  or maybe the testing failed to uncover something it should have.

Also remember new bridges aren't designed like this for good reason...  bridges should not fail catastrophically.
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JimH

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #25 on: August 03, 2007, 09:11:04 pm »

I agree with everything you're saying, but you also can't rule out construction as a contributing factor.  Yet.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2007, 09:16:36 pm »

I agree with everything you're saying, but you also can't rule out construction as a contributing factor.  Yet.

Nor can you rule out that the original constructors (who may have skimped on costs like it has been the case around here) have not "influenced" somehow the inspection reports over the years...

Just this one person's opinion...

M.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2007, 12:46:46 am »

I'm happy to hear that nobody in the JRiver family was affected and my prayers go out to those who were.

I wouldn't overlook a jackhammer or other cutting/smashing tool in just the 'right' place.
The construction workers are strangely silent after riding a bridge deck down 60 feet.
My money is on construction related cause(s).

I'm not a big believer in coincidence.
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ADDiCT

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #28 on: August 04, 2007, 02:28:04 am »

I was shocked when i heard about this tragedy. I mean, it's a nightmare come true - you're driving home from work, and some construction crumbles beneath you, and you don't have any chance of escaping.

Quote
We *CANNOT* afford to fix every deficiency immediately

OK, let's get a bit political here. I'm pretty sure that the US government _would_ have the money to care about all these important bridges, buildings, etc.. But from what i see, they decided to spend the budget they have on other things instead. We all know that the US military budget was raised to gigantic number in the last few years, and the "war against terrorism" is costing huge amounts of money, too. That's were a large portion of your tax money goes. It's a matter of priorities.

Quote
..and how long till it slips under the radar, for the next crisis.

That's the way it works, sadly. What will happen now? An investigation comitee will be formed, and time will pass. In the meantime, the people that may be responsible for this tragedy will blame each other, and say "i'm not responsible for this", until you don't know what or whom to believe. When the investigation is finally complete, after one or two years, there will be some small notes in the papers, but no-one will notice it.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #29 on: August 04, 2007, 05:18:46 am »

I agree with everything you're saying, but you also can't rule out construction as a contributing factor.  Yet.
  Absolutely true.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #30 on: August 04, 2007, 05:40:22 am »

Nor can you rule out that the original constructors (who may have skimped on costs like it has been the case around here) have not "influenced" somehow the inspection reports over the years...

Just this one person's opinion...

M.

It was built by MnDOT who readily acknowledged that fracture-critical members (FCM) were a concern because there were no redundancies in the truss.

Maybe there's a better chance we've got little green men swimming in Groom Lake...
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #31 on: August 04, 2007, 05:57:12 am »

OK, let's get a bit political here. I'm pretty sure that the US government _would_ have the money to care about all these important bridges, buildings, etc.. But from what i see, they decided to spend the budget they have on other things instead. We all know that the US military budget was raised to gigantic number in the last few years, and the "war against terrorism" is costing huge amounts of money, too. That's were a large portion of your tax money goes. It's a matter of priorities.

You're suggesting the GWOT requirements are the reason MN didn't have enough money so didn't perform immediate repairs on the bridge?  Absurd!  Over 90% of GWOT costs are emergency funded, not budgeted...  so there's no direct way to move money in the existing budget to take from highway maintenance budgets to pay for GWOT.  Of course, we could have a great thread about how GWOT is being funded... but it's truly absurd to suggest GWOT contributed to the bridge's failure.

Please help me better understand your point...  how much is "gigantic"?  what is "huge"?  Now I won't argue that all the GWOT costs could replace thousands of bridges.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #32 on: August 04, 2007, 07:04:05 am »

It's quite difficult to get exact numbers, but i suggest a look here. But my statment was based mainly on a simple, logical conclusion: war costs money. I'm no expert in politics, or US politics. I'm from europe, and of course i have a different viewpoint than you may have (i think you're an US citizen). But i think my conclusion is correct nevertheless.

Quote
Over 90% of GWOT costs are emergency funded, not budgeted

Hmmm... That sounds illogical to me. Where does that "emergency" money come from, then? Even if it would consist of freshly printed dollars (which i don't think is the case), there would be a price to pay for everyone, in the form of an increased inflation rate. As i said, i'm no expert in politics or economics, but i think i understand the basic principles: people and companies pay taxes to the government. The government decides what to do with that money, and how much to spend on which topic. As the amount of money is (more or less) limited, priorities have to be set. And judging from the current reports about the state of the US traffic system, the preservation of the traffic system was not given a high priority.

Damn, i wish my english was better. I hope i did get my point across. Politics is always a "dangerous" topic, and i don't want to start a fight or something like that. I'm just tying to express my point of view.
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #33 on: August 04, 2007, 07:35:21 am »

It's quite difficult to get exact numbers, but i suggest a look here. But my statment was based mainly on a simple, logical conclusion: war costs money. I'm no expert in politics, or US politics. I'm from europe, and of course i have a different viewpoint than you may have (i think you're an US citizen). But i think my conclusion is correct nevertheless.

Fair enough.

Hmmm... That sounds illogical to me. Where does that "emergency" money come from, then? Even if it would consist of freshly printed dollars (which i don't think is the case), there would be a price to pay for everyone, in the form of an increased inflation rate. As i said, i'm no expert in politics or economics, but i think i understand the basic principles: people and companies pay taxes to the government. The government decides what to do with that money, and how much to spend on which topic. As the amount of money is (more or less) limited, priorities have to be set. And judging from the current reports about the state of the US traffic system, the preservation of the traffic system was not given a high priority.

The military uses a budget process where six years of future expenditures are presented by the President (in the Presidents Budget) to Congress.  While Congress approves an appropriation for just one year, it has visibility into the future.  The GWOT requirement is not included in the Presidents Budget so Congress doesn't have the ability to review the expenditures as part of a comprehensive program.  Some have called for this "emergency funding" to end so that more oversight and justification is provided.

"Money" is not limited in government spending...  that's why we have a deficit!

**, i wish my english was better. I hope i did get my point across. Politics is always a "dangerous" topic, and i don't want to start a fight or something like that. I'm just tying to express my point of view.

You're English is fine...  I think you expressed your view kindly and without malice.  What's your first language?  I read an interesting article in the Economist last week talking about the languages of Europe and how some feel that English as the standard intermediary language is unfair and counter-productive.  Interesting!
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #34 on: August 04, 2007, 07:39:08 am »

There is a Good Show On The National Geographic Channel, It Is Called "Seconds From Disaster"

It takes every case like this and they go step by step in detail of how Disasters happen. Normally it is not just one action or event but a combination of actions or events build up to create the disaster.

Sometimes it is people doing there job as it is written in their procedures manual that add one key step to the sequence of events to create the disaster.

So lets say you have metal fatigue, cement that was taken off and was being put back on, you could see in the images more than one cement truck on the bridge (they are very heavy), We know the water is swift and 60% of bridge failures happen at the footings, as we know the bridge shifted 50 feet, that could have been because one side of the bridge was heaver that the other, maybe a bad footing, metal over stressed due to the traffic on the bridge, added with the new construction could have created a structure failure, and caused the bridge to shift 50 feet.

"Seconds From Disaster" It is a very good show and here is a link.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/seconds/
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IlPadrino

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #35 on: August 04, 2007, 08:04:10 am »

So lets say you have metal fatigue, cement that was taken off and was being put back on, you could see in the images more than one cement truck on the bridge (they are very heavy), We know the water is swift and 60% of bridge failures happen at the footings, as we know the bridge shifted 50 feet, that could have been because one side of the bridge was heaver that the other, maybe a bad footing, metal over stressed due to the traffic on the bridge, added with the new construction could have created a structure failure, and caused the bridge to shift 50 feet.

"Seconds From Disaster" It is a very good show and here is a link.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/seconds/

I'll notify the NTSB they can call off their investigation... :-)

That looks like a good show...  I'm hoping I can find an air time.
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #36 on: August 04, 2007, 08:11:20 am »

Yes, it's too early, but I think they had removed the surface, and the surface could act as a compression layer on the top of the deck.

I saw a show on Roman Arches a few weeks back, They also went into modern construction and arches, and most bridges are made from arches. Normally when a Arch Fails It Fails Due To Stress Being Too High For The Material That Is Used, Be It Brick, Rock Or In This Case Metal.

Since Arches Transfer There Loads Evenly Thru The Arch, Then Transfer There Loads To the Footing thru the spandrel wall. If The Footings Move And Can Not Transfer The Loads From The Arch Correctly The Arch Will Fail.

There Was No Other Reason Given Why A Arch Would Fail
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #37 on: August 04, 2007, 08:26:09 am »

I'll notify the NTSB they can call off their investigation... :-)

That looks like a good show...  I'm hoping I can find an air time.

next shows on my Tivo are at

8/6 10am est, 8/8 3 am, 4 am & 5 am, 8/14 3 am

They take data from the NTSB and other sources to recreate the event, and explain both visual and verbal the key steps\events in the Disaster.

my wife hates it, but I am always thinking about how things break or failed and what could be done to make it better. I have made suggestions to companies I normally work with on how to make this work better or safer.

I have seen some disasters closeup, and when someone dies you know it makes you think about many things at many levels.
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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #38 on: August 09, 2007, 08:48:08 am »

There was more talk in the local news today about the possible causes of the collapse, and one possibility is a design flaw in the steel (gusset) plates that connected beams. On top of this there more speculation about contributing factors from the construction that was taking place. The constuction company are adamant that their repairs did not cause the failure.

Here are some extreme close up photos taken shortly after the bridge went down:
http://drugoi.livejournal.com/2280005.html
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scthom

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #39 on: August 09, 2007, 07:49:03 pm »

Those are some pretty amazing photos.

I'm not a forensic structural engineer, but...

I've heard about the gusset plate too.  I believe that most of these events are connection failures as opposed to gross failures of the members, so the gusset plate makes sense, though it might be possible that the reduced concrete thickness where the construction was taking place might have made the bridge more flexible (I understand they were removing & replacing 2" of the 10" concrete deck).  Which might have contributed to extra movement and loading on any reportedly fatigued members.

I also heard this particular bridge was only really supported in one direction (longitudinally -- along the roadway) and there wasn't much support in the lateral (across the roadway) direction.  Given the dead weight of the bridge itself, it's not usually possible that the vehicles could unbalance it.  But between the lighter concrete deck(20% removed), rush hour (all the traffic on one side?) and the construction vehicles, they may have been able to do it.  It's not clear to me which direction it moved in relation to those factors.

In any case, it's still a miracle there weren't more casualties.
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #40 on: August 09, 2007, 08:06:01 pm »

I would like to read the final report, I find it interesting because of the size of the failure (The whole bridge) I would expect that in the design they should have had a redundancy where if a failure would happen that only part of the bridge would fall.

we have learned allot about construction since the bridge was built and computers now days should make designs better (as long as the contractor does not cheat).
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glynor

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #41 on: August 09, 2007, 10:19:30 pm »

Here are some extreme close up photos taken shortly after the bridge went down:
http://drugoi.livejournal.com/2280005.html

If anyone's curious... Here's that page in Googlese.
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hit_ny

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #43 on: August 10, 2007, 12:01:22 pm »

They work fine but a quick glance does not reveal anything conclusive that has not already been mentioned in the press.

Before it collapsed, the structure had been inspected every year since 1993.

Stellar inspection record, no smoking gun etc.
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benn600

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #44 on: August 10, 2007, 01:57:27 pm »

I wonder what engineering mistake was made.  Aren't engineers supposed to catch these things?  I understand weird things do happen, though!
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KingSparta

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #45 on: August 10, 2007, 04:56:48 pm »

Quote
Aren't engineers supposed to catch these things?

In the case of a hotel walkway that failed and killed over 114 people the engineers had the correct specs, but the contractor made an error. Where the contractor used two I beams welded together when he should have used a Box beam. There were other issues with the length of the connecting rods for the other suspended walkways.

The engineers were held liable because they failed to check the contractors work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_walkway_collapse

http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/175/Walkway-Collapse.aspx
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benn600

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #46 on: August 10, 2007, 09:09:48 pm »

Quote
This happened about a mile from JRiver this evening:

I have relatives very close to the bridge as well.  So, that shows that when I visit, I am probably very close to the J River offices.  Do you ever give tours?  lol.  It would be fun to see what we're dealing with here.
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HTPC4ME

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #47 on: August 12, 2007, 01:55:54 am »

just wanted to say i live in the cities also. and have been on that bridge many times myself. And it's good to see that a topic has been started about it here. Good to hear everyones opinions comment and CONCERNS!   :)
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mlefebvre

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #48 on: August 12, 2007, 07:42:06 pm »

I have relatives very close to the bridge as well.  So, that shows that when I visit, I am probably very close to the J River offices.  Do you ever give tours?  lol.  It would be fun to see what we're dealing with here.

I was there a couple of years ago while on a business trip. Emailed JimH and stopped by their office for a couple of hours... VERY VERY nice people at JRiver! After using the product since the 7.2 (or so...) days, it was really nice to meet all the folks there!

If I had an American work visa, JRiver is where I'd want to work!!

Michel.
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benn600

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Re: OT: Minneapolis Bridge
« Reply #49 on: August 12, 2007, 11:31:43 pm »

Just this forum alone gives me good impressions of the J River group.

I already said that I have relatives near the J River main office and it would be tempting to ask to visit.  It would completely change everything dealing with the forum and MC, though!  I would be able to picture lots of the employees in their work areas--just a different experience.
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