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Highway Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

post #1 of 32
8/2/07 at 1:49am
Thread Starter 
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/...648017276.html

Wow. How did the repair/maintenance personnel not see this coming?
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post #2 of 32
8/2/07 at 8:33am
They Did. Apparently, a federal inspection report from 2004 said it was structurally unsound, and no one did anything about it.

Everyone who survived that collapse or was related to someone who didn't is about to become extremely wealthy.
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post #3 of 32
8/2/07 at 8:47am
Money for safe bridges?!

Pfft, we need that cash for war, dammit!
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post #4 of 32
8/2/07 at 8:52am
They said last night that there was refurbishing going on on the bridge at the time.

CNN has video of the actual collapse on their front page, it's unreal.
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post #5 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
They said last night that there was refurbishing going on on the bridge at the time.

CNN has video of the actual collapse on their front page, it's unreal.
I saw the photos last night, but someone caught the collapse in progress? Holy shit. What an age we live in.

All we need are flying cars now, which would render all this crazy bridge business moot.
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post #6 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:18am
It looks like some kind of traffic cam that usually monitors the bridge.
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post #7 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
It looks like some kind of traffic cam that usually monitors the bridge.
Oh okay, I wasn't even thinking of those for some reason.
I just looked at some more photos, there's one of a flaming semi. Shit.
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post #8 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:26am
My wife drove over that bridge about 20 minutes before it collapsed, so I feel pretty lucky to still have her. The entire Twin Cities area is in a virtual state of shock, right now. Losing that bridge is going to really fuck up traffic flow in a major way for a couple of years.
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post #9 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:38am
The Twins are considering cancelling their games this weekend.
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post #10 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:39am
I like the part of the video where a lady just casually walks by like nothing happened.
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post #11 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan
I like the part of the video where a lady just casually walks by like nothing happened.
The same lady is actually seen running by in the opposite direction earlier in the video. She'd probably composed herself somewhat by her second appearance.

And Judas, glad your wife is okay.
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post #12 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:55am
My wife and I had driven under the bridge about thirty minutes before the collapse. Just unbelievable. Driving on, under, and around that bridge nearly every day for the last several years, I had never even considered something like this a possibility.

As bad as it is, though, the loss of life could have been much worse. Cold comfort to those who lost loved ones, I know, but considering the sheer volume of people that use I-35 at that time of day, I'm thankful that the number of reported casualties has remained so low.
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post #13 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:01am
Thanks for the tip on the CNN footage. I knew that something would turn up from a traffic cam.

Highway 280 is being converted into the 'detour route' for the closed area of 35W, so we'll see what traffic ends up being like. Apparently, they're going to shut down all of the entrances/exits on 280 and make it one long green light in order to ease traffic flow. It will still suck in a major way. My wife's commute to work will probably be about 45 minutes longer, each way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
And Judas, glad your wife is okay.
Thank you. She's a little bit freaked and tired of having everyone call her to check in on her, but she's fine.
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post #14 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:03am
Here's the CNN footage of the collapse on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKK7rWfEpe4

To everyone posting here who had a close call, I'm glad you, or your loved ones, are okay.
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post #15 of 32
8/2/07 at 11:09am
Yeah this is probably the busiest bridge in the Metro Area. As I went over it yesterday morning for the 2nd time, the cabbie and I were actually talking about how cheap MnDOT is when it comes to infrastructure.

My assumption is that the vibrations from the jackhammers ruptured the girders, which were almost entirely steel. The weight is probably a non-issue, but with the wrong type of vibrations and that much steel, anything can happen.

It's pretty surreal for those of us in the proper Metro.
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post #16 of 32
8/2/07 at 11:34am
I had no idea we had so many Minneanapolia-- Minneanapolita-- people from Minneapolis around.
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post #17 of 32
8/2/07 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
I had no idea we had so many Minneanapolia-- Minneanapolita-- people from Minneapolis around.
Minneapolitans (Mini-uh-politans). There's a few.
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post #18 of 32
8/2/07 at 11:45am
I'm no engineer, but it strikes me as quite bizarre that there was absolutely no support over the river itself, either by trusses underneath, or cables above. On NPR there was a gentleman describing the reasons that the bridge was designed the way it was, but I wasn't quite buying it.


EDIT: spelling
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post #19 of 32
8/2/07 at 11:55am
I caught that video on the news this morning, and of all things, an exchange from The West Wing came back to me. It's from a scene with Sam & Leo talking to each other about a truck carrying nuclear waste crashing in a tunnel.

Sam: "Bridges and tunnels. That's my greatest fear. What about you?"
Leo: "Well now it's bridges and tunnels. Thanks!"

After seeing that video, I don't think I'll be freaked out or anything next time I go over a bridge. If I get stuck in traffic on one however....
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post #20 of 32
8/2/07 at 12:14pm
For the locals on this thread, I'm glad that you and your loved ones are okay.

I had emailed a friend of mine in Minneapolis about a half hour before I saw this on the news, and naturally she was the first person I thought of. Then I got an email back from her around midnight, so she's okay.

That CNN footage is scary as hell.
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post #21 of 32
8/2/07 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WayDen
After seeing that video, I don't think I'll be freaked out or anything next time I go over a bridge. If I get stuck in traffic on one however....
There's a beltway that runs around Orlando and it has an elevated exit that takes you onto Interstate 4. I've been stuck on that exit behind an 18-wheeler and thought the whole thing was coming down from the vibrations I felt. You could feel a steady up and down sensation, almost bobbing, partly from the rig and partly from the constant flow of traffic on the beltway. Unsettling. Can't imagine what it would be like to take that drop.
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post #22 of 32
8/2/07 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by India7
For the locals on this thread, I'm glad that you and your loved ones are okay.
Ditto that sentiment.
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post #23 of 32
8/2/07 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WayDen
I caught that video on the news this morning, and of all things, an exchange from The West Wing came back to me. It's from a scene with Sam & Leo talking to each other about a truck carrying nuclear waste crashing in a tunnel.

Sam: "Bridges and tunnels. That's my greatest fear. What about you?"
Leo: "Well now it's bridges and tunnels. Thanks!"

After seeing that video, I don't think I'll be freaked out or anything next time I go over a bridge. If I get stuck in traffic on one however....
Kinda/sorta/maybe off-topic, but my mom got freaked out for life when she saw the bridge scene at the end of The Mothman Prophecies.
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post #24 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:30pm
Bill Nye The Science Guy is talking to Paula Zahn right now offering his expertise! I hope he breaks out into a parody video explaining physics!
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post #25 of 32
8/2/07 at 9:57pm
Dammit, people, who cares about chewers' families? Is Prince ok?

Is Prince Ok???
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post #26 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:08pm
Now there's a not so minne-gap-olis in that bridge.
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post #27 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:09pm
Try the veal, it's great!
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post #28 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:12pm
I made a joke at work about 30 minutes after Wolf Blitzer broke the story on CNN that FOX News would run a piece about falling bridges.

"Bridges... are you really safe on them? Could it happen to you? What about your children? FOX News goes in depth to find out about America's death bridges. Tonight on FOX News."

Now, apparently, CNN is deciding to do it:

Quote:
CNN SIU: We Were Warned: Road to Ruin
Tuesday's show

Collapsing bridges, exploding streets -- Is America's infrastructure crumbling beneath us? And how safe are we really?

Soledad O'Brien investigates, “We Were Warned: Road to Ruin,” airs Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 8 p.m. ET.
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post #29 of 32
8/2/07 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan
I made a joke at work about 30 minutes after Wolf Blitzer broke the story on CNN that FOX News would run a piece about falling bridges.

"Bridges... are you really safe on them? Could it happen to you? What about your children? FOX News goes in depth to find out about America's death bridges. Tonight on FOX News."

Now, apparently, CNN is deciding to do it:
I happened to mention this to 2 million people from New Orleans this afternoon. Their response: "No shit?"
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post #30 of 32
8/3/07 at 2:06pm
This guy is pushing it now.
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post #31 of 32
8/3/07 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz
Dammit, people, who cares about chewers' families? Is Prince ok?

Is Prince Ok???
Prince is fine. But Wendy and Lisa... *oh, man*...

(Bursts into tears)
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post #32 of 32
8/3/07 at 7:21pm
Luckily here in California we build bridges to last, at least until the next major earthquake. Although every time I am driving on one of of the really long and high over passes I keep expecting the big one to hit. It would be just my luck. They say that they have built or rebuilt all bridges and over passes to with stand a 8. earthquake. I have my doubts about that, and even if they can hold up to a 8. quake. The Southern San Andreas is now rate over 8., and may be as high as 9.
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