Bridge Collapses in Baltimore

[intrepid27]

For those of you who think this is a nightmare scenario you might want to contact your state legislator. Iowa LEADS THE NATION in number of structurally deficient bridges.

https://artbabridgereport.org/state/profile/IA

https://www.kcrg.com/2023/09/11/report-iowa-has-most-structurally-deficient-bridges-us/

https://www.wqad.com/article/traffi...port/526-43a57130-e2bd-4d97-a594-cc3ac9751f47

 

[cstrunk]

Very scary tragedy. I've been in Baltimore a few times in the last year or so for work. Last time, I visited Fort McHenry and remember talking about how far away we thought this bridge was.

 

[KidSilverhair]

For those of you who think this is a nightmare scenario you might want to contact your state legislator. Iowa LEADS THE NATION in number of structurally deficient bridges.

https://artbabridgereport.org/state/profile/IA

https://www.kcrg.com/2023/09/11/report-iowa-has-most-structurally-deficient-bridges-us/

https://www.wqad.com/article/traffi...port/526-43a57130-e2bd-4d97-a594-cc3ac9751f47

Well, yeah, but there aren’t any giant container ships floating down the Racoon or the Wapsi or the Des Moines rivers, so we’re all just fine around here, thank you very much.

 

[chadly82]

Happened to catch the live stream during their press conference. At first, the camera they were using wasn't plugged into an audio multbox, but this is what I caught. (I think)

- Two people pulled from the water so far. One refused treatment(!), the other was taken to a local trauma center in very serious condition
- Many, many, many law enforcement agencies involved with search & rescue
- The ship has yet to be boarded as they have to assess the structural integrity of that ship before they can.

Just yikes yikes yikes.

Yeah…..all bad here. Terrible

 

[IlliniCy]

The potential supply chain issue here by far outweighs any commuter issues in my mind.

 

[CycloneErik]

I hate being on bridges for no real rational reason.

Also, the ship just needed to avoid the pillar. How difficult can that really be?

 

[MeanDean]

Been across it numerous times. Very good friend from there. It's a huge tragedy, and yes, traffic in an already busy metro area will be affected for probably 5 years or more.

 

[jcf817]

My biggest fear is dying in the water. This just compounds my fears. Being on a bridge, ship hits pillar, bridge collapses, and you crash into the body of water below and probably drown. I even think about drowning going over the mile long bridge at Saylorville.

The Saylorville bridge terrifies me.

 

[bos]

For those of you who think this is a nightmare scenario you might want to contact your state legislator. Iowa LEADS THE NATION in number of structurally deficient bridges.

https://artbabridgereport.org/state/profile/IA

https://www.kcrg.com/2023/09/11/report-iowa-has-most-structurally-deficient-bridges-us/

https://www.wqad.com/article/traffi...port/526-43a57130-e2bd-4d97-a594-cc3ac9751f47

The second article does a good job explaining the issues connected. We have one here in town that is especially bad that will be getting reworked here soon. These remedies arent a quick fix and obviously they are tackling them in order of immediate danger/importance. Hopefully with the newer contruction tech-methods, some of these 1940's era bridges will be redone to last longer and also make them more easily repairable moving forward.

 

[NoCreativity]

I hate being on bridges for no real rational reason.

Also, the ship just needed to avoid the pillar. How difficult can that really be?

It doesn't look like weather played a factor so it's likely the ship lost power and drifted into the pillar.

 

[jcf817]

Well, yeah, but there aren’t any giant container ships floating down the Racoon or the Wapsi or the Des Moines rivers, so we’re all just fine around here, thank you very much.

Nobody was terribly concerned about the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, either....until it fell into the river.

 

[Lexclone]

Nobody was terribly concerned about the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, either....until it fell into the river.

I don’t think that is true. I believe it was rated structurally deficient.

 

[Cyclonepride]

For those of you who think this is a nightmare scenario you might want to contact your state legislator. Iowa LEADS THE NATION in number of structurally deficient bridges.

https://artbabridgereport.org/state/profile/IA

https://www.kcrg.com/2023/09/11/report-iowa-has-most-structurally-deficient-bridges-us/

https://www.wqad.com/article/traffi...port/526-43a57130-e2bd-4d97-a594-cc3ac9751f47

How many of those are on dead end roads connecting farmers to their fields?

 

[Rabbuk]

This will not help my anxiety about feeling the bridge sway back and forth as I'm waiting at the light to get on the interstate.

 

[Peter]

How does a ship plow into a bridge like that? No one at the wheel?

 

[mctallerton]

How does a ship plow into a brodge like that? Was it coming into port or leaving port?

It looks like it loses power and the generator doesnt kick on right away

 

[BCClone]

How does a ship plow into a brodge like that? Was it coming into port or leaving port?

It lost power so it was basically drifting.

 

[jcyclonee]

I don’t think that is true. I believe it was rated structurally deficient.

This is correct. There were some serious cracks.

 

[CycloneErik]

I don’t think that is true. I believe it was rated structurally deficient.

Yeah, I believe that was the case.

 

[Cyclonsin]

Here in Savannah it's mandatory that cargo ships heave an escort team of tugs accompany them the length of the river and one of the largest reasons is to minimize issues from a loss of power.

It's mind blowing to me that other ports don't follow the same protocol. Granted, the Baltimore port looks to be quite a bit wider and easier to navigate (assuming the channel is also wider, anyway) but I would have expected ships would at least be accompanied past vulnerable man-made structures like the bridge.