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Main Area => Odds n Ends => Topic started by: adidasguy on May 23, 2013, 09:47:18 PM

Title: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: adidasguy on May 23, 2013, 09:47:18 PM
Yep - oversized truck took down the I-5 bridge north of Seattle.
That will make for one mess for people going between Seattle and Canada.


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Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: Kiwingenuity on May 24, 2013, 01:50:37 AM
Has even made the news this side of the world...

Corrosion + poor maintenance?

EDIT: maybe someone could Dukes of Hazard it...
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: john on May 24, 2013, 08:54:28 AM
Wow.  Truck clips one of the supports and the whole things collapses.  Now that's pretty bad.  More amazing is that nobody died.
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: yamahonkawazuki on May 24, 2013, 02:47:35 PM
You aint kiddin, am glad nobody died on this one. hate to see the bill on this repair tho. news was calling it "functionally obsolete" i wonder what they meant by this?
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: adidasguy on May 24, 2013, 03:23:41 PM
That just means old design.

The truck hit the cross beams. A driver next to the truck called the TV station saying the pilot car height stick was hitting the beams - which means the truck will hit the beams. Dumb ass truck driver is what it was.

The bridge was of a design where if one critical member was knocked out, the bridge would fall down. I guess that's true of you look at any girder style bridge: remove any one member and now you don't have a strong triangle for support and it will fall down.
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: yamahonkawazuki on May 27, 2013, 09:45:31 AM
Quote from: adidasguy on May 24, 2013, 03:23:41 PM
That just means old design.

The truck hit the cross beams. A driver next to the truck called the TV station saying the pilot car height stick was hitting the beams - which means the truck will hit the beams. Dumb ass truck driver is what it was.

The bridge was of a design where if one critical member was knocked out, the bridge would fall down. I guess that's true of you look at any girder style bridge: remove any one member and now you don't have a strong triangle for support and it will fall down.
Yup. you said it perfectly.  wonder if pilot driver knew of the stick hitting, and notified driver. ?
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: pliskin on May 28, 2013, 07:24:46 PM
I saw on the news recently that something like 70% of all bridges are not safe anymore due to lack of maintenance. I cross the Chesapeake Bay bridge a few times a year. It's 5 miles long and a little scary, expecally on a bike because it gets a little windy at times. They have a service where people will drive your car across it for you for free. It's old, high and skinny and does not look like it was built to hold much weight. 
(http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4822106847381695&pid=15.1)
(http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4738324924793679&pid=15.1)
(http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4841627435206559&pid=15.1)
Title: Re: Traffic has a slight problem north of Seattle - I-5 bridge falls down!
Post by: yamahonkawazuki on May 29, 2013, 02:03:42 PM
that the one near bethlehem steel?