35W Freeway Bridge Collapse

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This is terrible. :-(

I was thinking about you, Robert. :-) Like Seamus, my little ‘radar ears’ listened out when I first heard something on the TV.

I caught this this morning on BBC News 24, one of the UK’s TV news channels. Mum told me about it.

The most important things are to support the bereaved, look after those hurt or in shock and to carefully and calmly find out exactly what happened.

All the very best to those involved and those affected in any way.

Regards,

Carl
 
The "blame game"

You can call it what you like. Bridges and buildings should not just fall down. If they do, then someone should be held responsible for it. If things such as this are allowed to happen and no one is held accountable, then things such as this will become the norm. In some counties buildings and bridges do fall down, ferries sink, and nothing much is ever done about it. I am not ok with things like this happening in the U.S. I want to know what happened, and why? This type of thing is unacceptable.
 
Glad you and Neil are safe, Robert! You're the first person I thought of when I got the news.

Les
 
It's not MY fault..........

There may be a number of factors. If anyone gets put in jail as a scape-goat, that is not OK.

In my LIMITED opinion, rarely does an emotional response while an issue is hot lead to the best possible productive results.
 
As A Matter of Fact...

How many of these newer bridges were poorly designed, *and then hastily constructed,* to accommodate our growing desire to have our blankity blank cars and drive them, too!?--Laundry Shark
 
Our Tax Cuts at Work

I just made it to work. We can see the bridge (or we used to be able to see the bridge) from my office parking lot as it was about 1/4 or a mile away. Our office parking lot has been closed as it is being used for the MPD and MFD (Police and Fire Department) command centers. I had to park a few blocks away in the Guthrie Theatre parking lot, but our company says they will reimburse us for the expense. I had to keep my work ID out and visible just to get anywhere near this area.

A helicopter just landed across the street, maybe it’s our senators flying in from Washington. They are due in any time now.

All I can say about this whole horrible incident is thank the big 3-Ring Agitator that the bridge was down to two lanes on each side down from its normal eight lanes of traffic, plus the ramps due to major construction. Of course it hasn’t been ruled out that the construction was the cause of the collapse, but we will find out in time. Had it been a normal day on the bridge the tragedy would have been much worse.

Thank you for our tax cuts, who needs infrastructure when I have DVD's to buy.
 
Considering what they knew

CNN is reporting:

"A 2001 study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation found "several fatigue problems" in the bridge's approach spans and "poor fatigue details" on the main truss.

The study suggested that the design of bridge's main truss could cause a collapse if one of two support planes were to become cracked, although it allowed that a collapse might not occur in that event. But, the study concluded, "fatigue cracking of the deck truss is not likely" and "replacement of the bridge ... may be deferred."

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Bridge Inventory database said the bridge was "structurally deficient."

The Minneapolis Star Tribune quoted Jeanne Aamodt, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, as saying the department was aware of the 2005 assessment of the bridge.

The bridge received a rating of 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. A bridge receives a rating of 4 when there is "advanced section loss, deterioration.""

Somehow I don't understand "could cause a collapse" and "replacement of the bridge ... may be deferred." within the same report. The over due bill for the repairs and replacements required in this country is truly staggering, but as long as we insist on further tax cuts, and securing oil sources in hideous parts of the world, the deterioration will continue.
 
Robert, I got into my car after getting a haircut yesterday evening, turned on the radio and heard about the bridge and immediately thought of you. I haven't even met you but through this site it feels like you are a part of my circle of friends. I have not had access to a computer until now and was glad to see your quick post advising us that you guys are both OK.

It will take a while for the numb feeling to go away. Like Rich said above, this is reminiscent of the Cypress structure collapse on the 880 freeway in Oakland back in 1989, and the images will stay with you forever.

You will definitely be in my thoughts as this tragedy continues to unfold.

Ralph
 
20 to 30 people still missing

Imagine the fear and the horror, theirs and the people who watched the road they were driving on fall into the river as their cars followed. And the terror and sadness of all of our friends who live in the area and must deal with such a tragedy. It would be the same as if the Peace Bridge fell into the Niagara River. Unimaginable! Everyone would know someone involved.

And Robert working a half mile away--this scares us half to death.

So relieved that you're all safe. But those missing people, still under water---God help them and their loved ones.

Sending my heart out to my magnificent friends in Minneapolis,

Michael

XXOO
 
When I heard of this disaster, I just couldn't stop thinking about Robert, Eugene, and all of the other members who might have inadvertantly been endangered by this disaster, and it really came into my heart how quickly all the little resentments and squabbles disappear when you realize that life is at stake.

The only thing positive I can think of is to just ask forgiveness of any members I may have offended in the past, and mention how glad you folks are a part of this online community, and how much I've gotten from "knowing" all of you.

In regards to the bridge....yep, the deterioration of our vital infrastructure is a HUGE problem here, because our city is so old.

I think we as a nation have to begin paying more attention to this, even if the Minneapolis bridge disaster proves to be from other causes (or, as Toggle mentioned, a combination of factors).

The rust on the bridge in that picture is nothing compared to the disrepair on some of the beautiful old bridges we have here, and it's always better to preserve and restore in advance than it is to have to just junk the old structure and live without it, until some cheap thing (that costs a lot of money anyway) is thrown up.

I also believe that the weight of our vehicles and trucks is a problem. A lot of these structures simply weren't meant to hold our behemoth vehicles suspended in midair, especially when they sit for extended periods of time in our epic traffic jams.
 
I am convinced I will be perfectly fine in life, because:

~It could have been a whole lot worse......
See the link- thank God it wasnt 10 seconds before!(see the bit about the School bus!)

G-d protects fools and children.

When your time is up and your number is called, there is no denying it or avoiding it. Worrying solves nothing.
 
Back 40 years ago when this bridge was built, cars were bigger and heavier than they are now. I don't think this was an issue of too much weight. With 2 lanes closed in both directions, even the construction equipment sitting on the bridge wouldn't likely add up to the weight of 4 lanes worth of stopped traffic.

If it had been the George Washington bridge that failed, I wouldn't have been surprised at all. I have never been on a bridge in a worse state of repair, at least where the roadway itself is concerned.

15 years ago Bill Clinton was talking about infrastructure and it appears that we are still in a situation where nobody feels any sense of urgency. Maybe this tragedy will get Congress moving but with Bush siphoning every last dollar to fund his misguided war on terror it will be hard coming up with the billions that will be needed.
 
Between this bridge, the steam pipe explosion in new york and i think there was something else, i hope some peoples gets off there butts and starts fixing up the infrastructure..
 
I had been trying to think of something else recent too, but
the only thing I found that seemed similar was the bridge
collapse in CA when a tanker truck ran into it?
 

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