Major bridge (in Minneapolis) collaspes during rush hour...

[Flickered Flame]

in Minney. Unbelieveable story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20079534/?GT1=10252

[Eddie Bronze]

I was just about to post this. I just saw it myself on Global Calgary. They showed footage of the bridge after it had collapsed and there were still cars and trucks sitting upright on the bridge as huge chunks of it sat there right on the river.

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=31051

http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNew...18596120070802

The bridge carrying Route 35W, which was under repair, buckled and fell into the river at about 6:10 p.m. local time (0:10 a.m. British time), local media reported.

Many more links by simply searching Google news.

[drew24]

CNN reports at least 3 dead.

[calf]

Saying on CNN just now that 7 people are dead (on TV, per a witness who talked to a police officer)...

[KevanGuy]

Holy s#it. That is unbelievable.

[Displaced Flames fan]

What a horrible thing to be involved in.

A similar thing happened a few years ago in Oklahoma. A large bridge over Grand Lake was hit by a tug boat and collapsed. It was before dawn and several cars drove right off the interstate and into the lake before they could get it blocked off. Can't remember how many died. Horrid.

[Regorium]

This is absolutely nuts. Bridges are supposed to be built to withstand the test of time. Someone's gonna be in deep trouble.

[greyshep]

Brutal.

Brings back memories of the collapsing overpass in Quebec last year I believe.

Ugh.

[KevanGuy]

That is a hell of a drop. I cant believe anyone could survive that drop in a vehicle. Just insane.

[BlackArcher101]

Wow... very lucky that both sides broke at once and the span fell flat. Could have been a lot worse.

[chummer]

Wonder if the train hitting it caused the collapse.

[KevanGuy]

It was the bridge at the bottom of this pic.

[Machiavelli]

They've postponed tomorrow's afternoon Twins' game, with good reason.

http://tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=215267&hubname=

[Resolute 14]

Interestingly, they plated tonights game, specifically to keep people off the roads.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by chummer

Wonder if the train hitting it caused the collapse.

I think the bridge hit the train, not the other way around.

[Eddie Bronze]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

That is a hell of a drop. I cant believe anyone could survive that drop in a vehicle. Just insane.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when they showed the shots on Global. I saw a few vehicles there sitting upright as if they'd landed in the exact spot they were in when it broke. It kind of blew me away that they fell that far and didn't get flipped over or at least turned sideways or something.

[Burninator]

That's wild!

Hard to believe things like that happen these days. Everything is so over designed and over built. I am curious to see what the cause was.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Burninator

I am curious to see what the cause was.

Probably Fotze's mom running to Famous Daves BBQ Ribs.

[FireFly]

As a side note because I don't know if it deserves it's own thread, (though it probably does,) One of the videos that comes up with the one from MSNBC is about a guy who's been in a coma for 6 years and the Drs used electrodes on his brain to 'wake him up'. That's spectacular.

[skins]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Hard to believe things like that happen these days. Everything is so over designed and over built. I am curious to see what the cause was.

not sure what you mean by "these days" but I think the bridge was built in the 60's. I thought I also saw that the bridge was under repair. can't find it now...

In my opinion, computer modelling has made the design process much more accurate, and structures shouldn't be built as conservatively as they have been in the past (when detailed design was much too tedious).

even still, as a structural engineer, things like this make me really shudder. you quickly remember what you're number one mandate in design is: public safety.