Ten Years Ago Today: the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Has it been that long already?

I-35W Mississippi River bridge

The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Saint Anthony Falls of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. During the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, it suddenly collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The bridge was Minnesota's third busiest, carrying 140,000 vehicles daily. The NTSB cited a design flaw as the likely cause of the collapse, noting that a too-thin gusset plate ripped along a line of rivets, and asserted that additional weight on the bridge at the time of the collapse contributed to the catastrophic failure.

[FakeNoose]

1. I surely do remember this

I live in Pittsburgh,PA - the land of bridges. Most of our bridges and ramps are over 50 years old, and many were in bad shape.

Allegheny County had delayed spending on bridge/ramp repairs for years - until this bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. I'm telling you it put the fear of God in our county inspectors and engineers. We started inspecting and repairing bridges immediately, and we're still working 10 years later. Several of our bridges have been replaced or else rebuilt in sections. This was a terrible thing for Minneapolis and surrounding area, but it woke up a lot people to the problems of aging infrastructure.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. They weren't woke enough

I just listened to a piece on NPR anout it today.

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/01/540669701/10-years-after-bridge-collapse-america-is-still-crumbling

"Still, ARTBA, the builders' association, estimates it would take more than three decades to repair or replace all those more than 55,000 bridges that need it."

It seems to me this is something EVERYONE would pay a few cents more per gallon to fund. Plus, it would mean jobs. What's the fucking hold up?

[irisblue]

2. I heard about the collapse after settling in to watch Keith Olbermann.

His clear horror was reflected in his reporting.
Infrastructure money held up by republicans in Congress.