Bridge Collapse in Pittsburgh

[Nightclub Dwight]

So, anyone hear about this? A bridge collapsed on a major thoroughfare this morning. It is right by where I live. Due to the rivers and hilly terrain, there are more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world. Where we live in the East End, this is one of just three ways we can get to the rest of the city without getting on the Parkway.

Luckily, schools were on a two hour snow delay so there was very little traffic. In rush hour this bridge is filled with cars waiting for the stoplight at the bottom of the hill. The injury/death toll would have been catastrophic had this been the case.

Please keep this discussion about the bridge collapse. The discussion could devolve into politics because of a strange coincidence here in Pittsburgh today. But really, the story is about a major bridge collapsing.

The photos are deceiving. This is a tall bridge. You are at or above treetop level in the center of the bridge. It is a very steep and deep, but rather narrow ravine.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ad-bidens-visit-talk-infrastructure-rcna13934

 

[buster poser]

Pretty awful, but the sort of news we're growing accustomed to. Hope the impacts to life and commerce are slight, but this is the state of things until.

ASCE’s 2021 American Infrastructure Report Card | GPA: C-

The American Infrastructure Report Card from ASCE provides a look at America's infrastructure problems, such as bridge, water, transportation, and more.

infrastructurereportcard.org

 

[Peegoo]

Ahhhh that is horrible.

 

[schmee]

Wowser!
One collapsed into the river a few years ago here. Not near that big though! I5 Freeway.

 

[Toadtele]

My wife is terrified of bridges. I’m glad she doesn’t look at the news.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Damn, that's crazy. Hard to say anything else, without, you know...

 

[regularslinky]

The United States should have safe, well-maintained, infrastructure. If that is a divisive political statement, then we really are doomed.

 

[billy logan]

Decades back a bridge over the Ohio River collapsed. IIRC it turned out the structure of the bridge was fine, but the riverbed had been scoured away from underneath its supports. [edit: I imagine civil engineers have methods of checking the riverbed/soil a bridge rests on]

10 years ago this happened in Wise County, TX, northwest of Ft. Worth - little bridge over a little creek

 

[Esquire Jones]

Have a great day y’all.

 

[72_Custom]

I live near it too. My street is closed and they were evacuating homes because of a natural gas leak caused by the collapse. No one has knocked on my door, so I think all is good now. I didn't hear the collapse, but I was awoken this morning by the sound of sirens.

Friends came to my house last night and drove that bridge. I'm grateful no one was killed, but it seems like it'll be a while before that road is reopened.

 

[Peegoo]

Nobody was killed? Amazing.

 

[ale.istotle]

So, anyone hear about this? A bridge collapsed on a major thoroughfare this morning. It is right by where I live. Due to the rivers and hilly terrain, there are more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world. Where we live in the East End, this is one of just three ways we can get to the rest of the city without getting on the Parkway.

Luckily, schools were on a two hour snow delay so there was very little traffic. In rush hour this bridge is filled with cars waiting for the stoplight at the bottom of the hill. The injury/death toll would have been catastrophic had this been the case.

Please keep this discussion about the bridge collapse. The discussion could devolve into politics because of a strange coincidence here in Pittsburgh today. But really, the story is about a major bridge collapsing.

The photos are deceiving. This is a tall bridge. You are at or above treetop level in the center of the bridge. It is a very steep and deep, but rather narrow ravine.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ad-bidens-visit-talk-infrastructure-rcna13934

View attachment 945442

That bridge is crazy high. I looked at the google maps from the walking path below and it's a long drop. Glad no fatalities and glad the kids were not in buses at the time.

 

[Greggorios]

I've been watching the reports. So very grateful no one was seriously hurt. Looking forward to hearing more reports on possible causes. It was only 50 years old, which doesn't seem old for a bridge.

 

[JL_LI]

Say infrastructure one more time and I’ll report you to the mods. Bridges collapse. That’s what they do.

 

[Telekarster]

Was that road a dirt road or something? It doesn't look like blacktop, but maybe it's how I'm looking at the pic? Wow... anyway glad no one was killed. It will be interesting to know what caused this to happen. I've been on some pretty scary bridges over the years. The scariest doesn't exist anymore but it was the old Charleston bridge that was built in the 1920's. That thing was a CRAZY scary bridge, with a 100 ft drop to the water below if I recall correctly. I white knuckled my steering wheel every time I had to go over that thing. Glad it's gone today and replaced with a modern bridge.

 

[ale.istotle]

Say infrastructure one more time and I’ll report you to the mods. Bridges collapse. That’s what they do.

Bridges collapse if they are poorly designed or not maintained. Well-designed bridges in a state of good maintenance stand and serve their purpose.

 

[JL_LI]

Bridges collapse if they are poorly designed or not maintained. Well-designed bridges in a state of good maintenance stand and serve their purpose.

Perhaps you missed the sarcasm.

 

[middy]

Say infrastructure one more time and I’ll report you to the mods. Bridges collapse. That’s what they do.

By definition that’s precisely the opposite of what they do. Oops, missed the sarcasm.

 

[Boxla]

very scary. There are definitely a few bridges that I cross regularly that scare me.

 

[ale.istotle]

Was that road a dirt road or something? It doesn't look like blacktop, but maybe it's how I'm looking at the pic? Wow... anyway glad no one was killed. It will be interesting to know what caused this to happen. I've been on some pretty scary bridges over the years. The scariest doesn't exist anymore but it was the old Charleston bridge that was built in the 1920's. That thing was a CRAZY scary bridge, with a 100 ft drop to the water below if I recall correctly. I white knuckled my steering wheel every time I had to go over that thing. Glad it's gone today and replaced with a modern bridge.

The dirt you see is the ground under the bridge where it pulled away from the road surface. The bridge itself is concrete on steel frame. The fact that the decking held together probably saved lives. It looks like the structure under one end failed and the deck dropped in one piece to the ravine floor. If the deck had split mid-span this could have been worse.