MN bridge collapse

[427king]

Anyone in MN know what happened??

[Fhakya]

Most likely to be just an engineering defect/failure..absolutely amazing that there weren't more fatalities.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/

I drove over that one 2 weeks ago while heading to the CC nats.

[J_D]

Terrible tragedy. Hopefully no one here was affected by this horrible event. Our thoughts and prayers should be with those who were involved in one way or another with this tragedy. This morning on the news, there is still 20 people still unaccounted for.

[Chateau Slate 66]

That "20" is also just an estimate. They are using that number as just a guess due to the number of cars that were on the bridge at the time. Hopefully, the number is not much higher.

I assume that many of you saw the footage of the school bus carrying 60 kids that didn't go in the water. Supposedly, no one was seriously hurt on that bus. What a miracle.

For those that do not know, 35W is a major road in this area. The first estimate that I heard was 1-2 years to rebuild this bridge. This is going to be a big problem for a long time.

[69hurstSC]

i have heard estimates of between 2 dozen to 50 cars in the water. There are 3 "sister" bridges to this one. St Cloud has one of them as does Pipestone and another on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border. There was an interview on the radio with a guy who was on his motorcycle when it fell and to hear his story gave me chills.

[Musclecarkid]

Anybody heard from Rick N. or Chad?

[Xplantdad]

Yep..I've heard from Rick...

[chads454Ls6]

[ QUOTE ]
Anybody heard from Rick N. or Chad? [/quote

Kevin,alive and well thanks for asking. The reports are that there are 80 thousand bridges with these same issues across the country. It is scary to think that my vet that is located at the University of Mn. wanted to schedule an appt that day at 4pm. It is usually a 2 hour affair getting in there and getting out which would have put me on that bridge around that time. I did not take the appt because i know that the traffic at that time is terrible. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

[Xplantdad]

Good deal Chad...I thought you had posted something after the collapse.

I think in AZ they found 3 bridges that were in need of repairs...

[Musclecarkid]

Chad, Glad to hear you guys are OK. We have quite a few old bridges here in the NY/NJ area that shake and rattle a little too much for my comfort. Especially when your stopped, stuck in traffic. You get a weird feeling that something that big shouldn't be moving, but I guess its supposed to?

[BBIGG BLOCK 396]

It is sad that the Bridge collapsed but I think that structures like that are just taken for granted over the years and not repaired or replaced as promptly as they should be.I also don't think these older bridges were designed for BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC like we have now days!The bumper to bumper traffic seems to come much later in years when the population in the surrounding areas grows by leaps and bounds.And by then the weakening of the Bridges from daily use from years of service and added weight in paving repairs etc over time and then the BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC WEIGHT is just too much for these OLD BRIDGES to handle. Of course this is just my opinion.I will say this that If I have to get in that kind of traffic and go over an older bridge I would have some CONCERNS FOR SAFETY for myself and others about crossing those bridges!!My Prayers surely go out to all those affected by this terrible disaster in Minnesota.

[71-LS6]

For years, some states have been "diverting" gas & diesel tax revenues from their intended use i.e. MAINTENANCE & REPAIR of roads and bridges. Instead the funds collected at the pump have gone into the state's general fund, and then on to who knows where. I do not know if MN. did this, but this tragic situation should also serve as a wake-up call to legislators who routinely squander tax dollars for purposes other than they were originally intended. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

[Chateau Slate 66]

We recently passed a law stating that the money collected from gas tax is required to go to transportation. The problem is that it is also required that a MINIMUM of 60% be used for mass transit (light rail, buses, etc.) and a MAXIMUM of 40% be used for road repair.

Overall, Minnesota is a wealthy state with a large tax base. I don't think there is any other state in the union that is better at squandering its tax money.

[Belair62]

Been to Illinois lately ?

[JChlupsa]

Hawaii would rate right up with Illinois as well if not be a dead tie.

[Chateau Slate 66]

[ QUOTE ]
Been to Illinois lately ?

[/ QUOTE ]

You guys must have lots of tax money left over. People travel by bus from Chicago once a month to pick up their welfare checks here. (No Joke!) It was on the news about people coming here on a Greyhound bus that have a fake address in town and are on the local payroll.

Also, not that we don't have enough of our own, but your criminals come here to to do their crime because our courts are much more lenient. (I learned that one during my six month term on Grand Jury duty)

[Belair62]

Yeah but you get us back. Ever travel the Interstate behind a Minnesota license plate ? Jeez...drive much ? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif
I hope someone wakes up and realizes we need to look at the infrastructure in this country and actually do something about it.

[Chateau Slate 66]

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif