Another Interstate Bridge Collapse

[KissMy]

Because Republicans blocked it?

Then how did Obama manage to increase entitlement welfare, unemployment, food-stamps & disability spending, but not manage to get money to repair the infrastructure that would have created jobs that would have reduced dependence on those support programs?

Doofus Bush is responsible for the number of people having to go on welfare, Obama wasn't the one that put the country in the toilet. And did you ever hear of "filibuster" - Republicans have over-used that gimmick to keep anything they don't want to pass from passing.

Republicans in Congress don't give a crap about jobs - they just say they do. If they did, they would spend more time and taxpayer money trying to figure out how to get more jobs instead of chasing rabbits and making up scandals that aren't scandals.

Bush & the Republicans dramatically increased infrastructure spending. Obamacrats stole the infrastructure money & paid their voters to sit home on their ass & not fix infrastructure.

 

[Sallow]

800 billion dollars down the toilet? and the IRS is having a pms fit over Apple?

Actually..no.

There were many infrastructure projects that received part of that money.

And a great many jobs were saved as well.

Which had a ripple affect and turned around UE since it was implemented.

Course..most conservatives refuse to acknowledge that.

 

[Sallow]

Then how did Obama manage to increase entitlement welfare, unemployment, food-stamps & disability spending, but not manage to get money to repair the infrastructure that would have created jobs that would have reduced dependence on those support programs?

Doofus Bush is responsible for the number of people having to go on welfare, Obama wasn't the one that put the country in the toilet. And did you ever hear of "filibuster" - Republicans have over-used that gimmick to keep anything they don't want to pass from passing.

Republicans in Congress don't give a crap about jobs - they just say they do. If they did, they would spend more time and taxpayer money trying to figure out how to get more jobs instead of chasing rabbits and making up scandals that aren't scandals.

Bush & the Republicans dramatically increased infrastructure spending. Obamacrats stole the infrastructure money & paid their voters to sit home on their ass & not fix infrastructure.

Except, they spent most of that money on military infrastructure not civilian infrastructure.

 

[Sallow]

how about the infrastructure in Tampa? we need to stop those sink holes from eating and swallowing U.S. Americans !!!

(My bold)

TMK, we don't have a fix for sink holes.

For info on infrastructure spending, specifically bridges & the stimulus bill - see U.S. infrastructure spending has plummeted since 2008 - WA Post, 05/24/13 - Brad Plumer

It notes, in part -

"There’s still been a big drop-off (of maintenance) in recent years, although that also came after a big build-up in the late 2000s. (Sadly, the data series doesn’t extend back before 2002, so it’s tough to see what this looks like historically.)

"How did this happen? States and local governments are the biggest part of the story here. They’ve historically provided the vast majority of spending for roads, highways and bridges, and they’ve been pulling back on spending since 2008 as a result of the economic downturn and requirements to balance their budgets. California’s transportation spending declined by 31 percent from 2007 to 2009, for instance. Texas’s fell by 8 percent.

"At the same time, Congress hasn’t filled in the gap. There was a one-time $46 billion infusion of transportation spending in the stimulus bill. But that wasn’t enough to offset the drop at the state and local level. Meanwhile, the most recent highway bill out of Congress kept federal spending at current levels rather than increasing it."

Interesting but it has already been established that spending had nothing to do with this collapse. This was not an issue of sufficient funds.

This one did..

In 2005, the bridge was again rated as "structurally deficient" and in possible need of replacement, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Bridge Inventory database.[41] Problems were noted in two subsequent inspection reports.[42][43] The inspection carried out June 15, 2006 found problems of cracking and fatigue.[43] On August 2, 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty stated that the bridge had been scheduled to be replaced in 2020.[44]

The I-35W bridge ranked near the bottom of federal inspection ratings nationwide. The scale used was a "sufficiency rating" which ranges from the highest score, 100, to the lowest score, zero. In 2005 the bridge was given a rating of 50, indicating that replacement may have been in order. Out of over 100,000 heavily used bridges, only about 4% scored below 50. On a separate measure, the I-35W bridge was rated "structurally deficient," but was deemed to have met "minimum tolerable limits to be left in place as it is."[42][43][45]

In December 2006, a steel reinforcement project was planned for the bridge. However, the project was canceled in January 2007 in favor of periodic safety inspections, after it was revealed that drilling for the retrofitting would in fact weaken the bridge. In internal Mn/DOT documents, bridge officials talked about the possibility of the bridge collapsing and worried that it might have to be condemned.[46]

The construction taking place in the weeks prior to the collapse included joint work and replacing lighting, concrete and guard rails. At the time of the collapse, four of the eight lanes were closed for resurfacing,[47][48][49][50] and there were 575,000 pounds (261,000 kg) of construction supplies and equipment on the bridge.[51]
I-35W Mississippi River bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

11 Americans died.

No investigation.

Wonder why?

 

[Stephanie]

800 billion dollars down the toilet? and the IRS is having a pms fit over Apple?

Actually..no.

There were many infrastructure projects that received part of that money.

And a great many jobs were saved as well.

Which had a ripple affect and turned around UE since it was implemented.

Course..most conservatives refuse to acknowledge that.

How do you SAVE a job?
oh that's right, dump OUR MONEY into a car company to KEEP his UNION donors in jobs, the hell with the REST OF US

Obama saved and so called CREATED so many jobs our unemployment is still around 8%...how special

I can't believe you spout this crap

 

[Wyatt earp]

How about the bridge collapse (forgot where) when we all saw Moth Man hanging out on that bridge the day before. Maybe Moth Man is a conservative?

my boss was just telling me that story yesterday, I never heard about it till then, I think it was in Ohio and I thought it was an old indian curse.

 

[Cowman]

I guess you missed the hoopla about the bridge to nowhere that was earmarked by a Republican.

Something that wasn't needed, because the ferries were able to handle it. A ferry every 30 minutes, vs a nearly 400 million dollar bridge project, not counting constant maintenance.

You missed the point, why am I not surprised?

I didn't miss any point. Your "bridge to nowhere" was a petty joke of infrastructure spending.

 

[Wyatt earp]

Doofus Bush is responsible for the number of people having to go on welfare, Obama wasn't the one that put the country in the toilet. And did you ever hear of "filibuster" - Republicans have over-used that gimmick to keep anything they don't want to pass from passing.

Republicans in Congress don't give a crap about jobs - they just say they do. If they did, they would spend more time and taxpayer money trying to figure out how to get more jobs instead of chasing rabbits and making up scandals that aren't scandals.

Bush & the Republicans dramatically increased infrastructure spending. Obamacrats stole the infrastructure money & paid their voters to sit home on their ass & not fix infrastructure.

Except, they spent most of that money on military infrastructure not civilian infrastructure.

have a link?

 

[Sallow]

800 billion dollars down the toilet? and the IRS is having a pms fit over Apple?

Actually..no.

There were many infrastructure projects that received part of that money.

And a great many jobs were saved as well.

Which had a ripple affect and turned around UE since it was implemented.

Course..most conservatives refuse to acknowledge that.

How do you SAVE a job?
oh that's right, dump OUR MONEY into a car company to KEEP his UNION donors in jobs, the hell with the REST OF US

Obama saved and so called CREATED so many jobs our unemployment is still around 8%...how special

I can't believe you spout this crap

When Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush had the same problem with UE..they gave money to states to hire police/teachers/fire fighters..etc.

Now Obama is in the seat.

And since 2010 he can't get funding for that.

Also..UE is not 8%.


National Employment Monthly Update

It's 7.5 and continues to shrink.

 

[Stephanie]

Something that wasn't needed, because the ferries were able to handle it. A ferry every 30 minutes, vs a nearly 400 million dollar bridge project, not counting constant maintenance.

You missed the point, why am I not surprised?

I didn't miss any point. Your "bridge to nowhere" was a petty joke of infrastructure spending.

whatever dude, that was a STATE ISSUE just like this bridge collapse is..but you couldn't find any other petty thing you had to bring up "the bridge to nowhere" I guess

 

[Sallow]

Bush & the Republicans dramatically increased infrastructure spending. Obamacrats stole the infrastructure money & paid their voters to sit home on their ass & not fix infrastructure.

Except, they spent most of that money on military infrastructure not civilian infrastructure.

have a link?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001–present)

 

[TheSeventhTiger]

and how much of the 800 Billion went to help keep small business afloat? after the stimulus went into the system, thousands of small businesses shut down! Thanks a lot Barry! I even heard John Beohner mention that, he asked Barry how much of the stimulus is going toward small business, Barry said none, the hell with whitey!

 

[Wyatt earp]

Actually..no.

There were many infrastructure projects that received part of that money.

And a great many jobs were saved as well.

Which had a ripple affect and turned around UE since it was implemented.

Course..most conservatives refuse to acknowledge that.

How do you SAVE a job?
oh that's right, dump OUR MONEY into a car company to KEEP his UNION donors in jobs, the hell with the REST OF US

Obama saved and so called CREATED so many jobs our unemployment is still around 8%...how special

I can't believe you spout this crap

When Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush had the same problem with UE..they gave money to states to hire police/teachers/fire fighters..etc.

Now Obama is in the seat.

And since 2010 he can't get funding for that.

Also..UE is not 8%.


National Employment Monthly Update

It's 7.5 and continues to shrink.

So is that why the deficit is down? the house slow down his spending? and thanks for the link I didnt even have to open it up, to understand what you were talking about

 

[Missourian]

We'll Huggy....I hate to tell you this...but trucks tend to go over bridges from time to time...and yes...every once in a while they clip the bridge...did you see the damage to the box of the truck? It was minimal...it wasn't like it slammed it

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/21/66/47/4680164/5/628x471.jpg

Right... Most trucks have trailers behind them made of aluminum. Aluminum is a lot weaker than steel. Even the next most popular container is a steel shipping container. Neither of these is tall enough to come into contact with the bridge. The oversize "box" made of heavy gauge steel was meant to clear a 15' 9" bridge super structure. That bridge has a clearance of 15' 6". When something that strong and heavy going 60 MPH hits something of a smaller gauge the weaker material will buckle. No bridge of that design can take the impact it sustained to knock it off its concrete foundation. The bridge failed because of impact...not because of poor maintenance.

Exactly.

Here is the eyewitness statement.

"I saw the truck strike the right corner of the bridge. It almost tipped the truck over but it came back down. It tipped it up to about a 30 degree angle to the left and it came back down on its wheels and almost instantaneously behind that I saw girders falling in my rearview mirror."

I-5 bridge collapses over Skagit River, no fatalities | KING5.com Seattle
​

 

[ScienceRocks]

that bridge should not have totally failed just because a truck "clipped it".

I think it was obsolete for the traffic of 2013.

When was this bridge built?

1955?

 

[Wyatt earp]

We'll Huggy....I hate to tell you this...but trucks tend to go over bridges from time to time...and yes...every once in a while they clip the bridge...did you see the damage to the box of the truck? It was minimal...it wasn't like it slammed it

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/21/66/47/4680164/5/628x471.jpg

Right... Most trucks have trailers behind them made of aluminum. Aluminum is a lot weaker than steel. Even the next most popular container is a steel shipping container. Neither of these is tall enough to come into contact with the bridge. The oversize "box" made of heavy gauge steel was meant to clear a 15' 9" bridge super structure. That bridge has a clearance of 15' 6". When something that strong and heavy going 60 MPH hits something of a smaller gauge the weaker material will buckle. No bridge of that design can take the impact it sustained to knock it off its concrete foundation. The bridge failed because of impact...not because of poor maintenance.

Exactly.

Here is the eyewitness statement.

"I saw the truck strike the right corner of the bridge. It almost tipped the truck over but it came back down. It tipped it up to about a 30 degree angle to the left and it came back down on its wheels and almost instantaneously behind that I saw girders falling in my rearview mirror."

I-5 bridge collapses over Skagit River, no fatalities | KING5.com Seattle
​

It doesnt matter if a trailer was made of aluminium. hell the planes that hit the twin towers was made of Aluminium. Its about speed and mass. I really should post that formula....
ok here it is.
F = ma
m = mass
a = speed / time
speed = distance / time

 

[Missourian]

That bridge should NOT have totally failed just because a truck "clipped it".

I think it was obsolete for the traffic of 2013.

When was this bridge built?

It didn't totally fail, most of it is still standing.

By the way, what makes you think this was the first ever accident on that particular bridge? The damn thing is older than I am, there have probably been dozens of accidents on it. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

It wasn't the first time.

Six months ago, during an inspection, state officials documented other "high load" strikes:

Officials performed a special inspection six months ago of the bridge that collapsed because there were indications it had been struck by a different vehicle.


A report released Friday says the checkup was done due to "impact damage," and inspectors identified tears, deformations and gouges on the northbound side of the bridge.



The report also summarizes a variety of parts on the bridge that have been subjected to "high-load" hits.


(link below)



​

Yet, the state government continued to issue oversized permits with routing across the 14' 5" bridge (lowest point) of loads up to 16 feet high!

State officials approved the trucking company to carry a load as high as 15 feet, 9 inches, according to the permit released by the state. However, the southbound vertical clearance on the Skagit River bridge is as little as 14 feet, 5 inches, state records show.



I-5 Bridge Collapse Caused By Oversize Load On Tractor-Trailer; Highway Delays Expected


​

This collapse is at least partially the responsibility of government negligence.

 

[Missourian]

[youtube]O55aRrvXtio[/youtube]​

 

[ScienceRocks]

[youtube]O55aRrvXtio[/youtube]​

I was watching the local news and it shown from 2009-2012 infrastructure had been cut big time. Seriously wtf? Where did this money go.

 

[KissMy]

11 Americans died.

No investigation.

Wonder why?

Bush & the republicans rapidly increased bridge replacements. The percent & numbers of structurally deficient bridges dropped dramatically over Bush's term.