Bridge Collapses in Minneapolis

[McVaaahhh]

:shock:

How crazy would that be to be driving along and have the bridge just fall out from under you?

I can smell the lawyers in Minnesota rubbing their hands together furiously in anticipation of the coming feast. :jerkoff:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20085333/?GT1=10252

[cdbouncer]

I can relate to my family and friends all not being able to find their people cuz the cell phones were all down and travel came to stand still. I had 20 emails this morning from them....all confirming that they got home ok, etc.

Crazy stuff!

[mclarke]

Sad that people lost their lives for some misjudgements on the local transportation people.... Bridge's condition was reported questionable in 05 I heard.

[RYBO]

I can relate to my family and friends all not being able to find their people cuz the cell phones were all down and travel came to stand still. I had 20 emails this morning from them....all confirming that they got home ok, etc.

Crazy stuff!

Glad to hear that...I thought of you first thing when I saw this.

[pilot]

The infrastructure in the US is deteriorating at a rapid pace. Many of these bridges were built during the post war booms in the 50/60's. Now with 50 to 60 years on them they are starting to go.

Thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved.

[AshliRider44]

First thing I did was call my girl who just moved here from Minnie, luckily her cousin just drove over it before it collapsed. I can't believe they let this happen :(

The bridge was built in 1967 and its longest span stretched 458 feet over the river. This is crazy. I couldn't even imagine.

[rforsythe]

Sad that people lost their lives for some misjudgements on the local transportation people.... Bridge's condition was reported questionable in 05 I heard.

Much like the beam that came down on I-70 I think last year. I think bridges are actually less safe when being worked on, just because of the increased chance that someone forgot to do something important, or got complacent.

The infrastructure in the US is deteriorating at a rapid pace. Many of these bridges were built during the post war booms in the 50/60's. Now with 50 to 60 years on them they are starting to go.

Thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved.

:yes: Concrete is good, but has a finite life - particularly that built so long ago, as technology has improved a lot since then. Bridges also undergo constant stress from weather and vehicles moving across them, which just makes it worse. Unfortunately I think this is hardly the last of these collapses, and given the turtle's pace our governments move at to get things done, is going to take a while to fix because of the cost involved.

Maybe I will just buy a helicopter and avoid driving altogether.

[mclarke]

ooo helicopter! Now were talking.

[konichd]

I have a few friends in Minneapolis and it sounds like thier all safe thank god

However, doesn't anyone find it odd the 29 of the 30 construction workers made it out before the collapse? :dunno:

[Shortcake]

This is the road I took every day to work.... omg! I can't believe it just went down. I spent the entire night at work on the phone trying to get a hold of all my friends in mpls. Everyone is fine.... what a relief!

[Suki]

i thought they said on the news last night that the bridge was undergoing some kind of maintenance or expansion.

[towneh]

not good.... took that stretch of the road August 5th, 2005 on the way to Riderwarehouse (the people who manufacture the Aerostitch suits...). In the late 80's, there was a rash of bridge failures in the state of NY. Their solution was a more centralized database to track regular inspection results and construction status. The schoolbus beside the burning semi on the collapsed deck was scarey!
bus_henry:(

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I have a few friends in Minneapolis and it sounds like thier all safe thank god

However, doesn't anyone find it odd the 29 of the 30 construction workers made it out before the collapse? :dunno:
Kanabiis would say it's all a conspiracy by the EEEEE-Vil Bush clan.......

[rforsythe]

However, doesn't anyone find it odd the 29 of the 30 construction workers made it out before the collapse? :dunno:

Not necessarily, if they started to see the structure fail you can bet they ran like hell, and it isn't like they have a good way to warn the people already on the bridge that their day is about to suck.

If ever in that situation however, remember that construction crews are like bomb squads - if you see them running, try to keep up.

[Bueller]

The infrastructure in the US is deteriorating at a rapid pace. Many of these bridges were built during the post war booms in the 50/60's. Now with 50 to 60 years on them they are starting to go.

Thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved.
We can't be funding maintenance of the infrastructure, we have a war or two that need waging!