I-5 Bridge collapse, Mt. Vernon - Burlington WA

It is a convenience, not a necessity now. But if we bill it as critical to defence, then why is the militaristic infrastructure in the country rated a D and near failure and partially obsolete? It doesn't make sense who would argue against roads.

And I live in a town with 4 air force bases and 1 really large military base. No need to explain troop movements. I also see them using tanks with plows on the front to plow the roads around the base, but that doesn't mean an ordinary snow plow won't do...

 

Removal of the damaged portion of the bridge cannot start until the investigation is completed.

 

^ The fact Tht the driver(s) had no warning is irrelevant. Any oversize driver needs to know the size limitations along his route (as does the pilot drivers!) if for example you re driving a 16'vertical load from Vancouver to Portland' you damn well ought to know if there is a 15"11" bridge between here and there.

The pilot car should have (or should have had) a height stick to warn of low clearance relative to the load, but even then, the oversize load driver needs to take the final responsibility.

Icarus

 

There had been some mention that size signs were not posted near the bridge

 

Something I first heard about on Autoline Daily:


* * *
Carbon fiber tubes are used as arches in the bridge. The tubes, which are put in place more quickly and with less equipment than typical bridges, are secured in concrete footings.
Corrosion-resistant corrugated decking is placed over the arches and the tubes are then filled with concrete. Concrete is then placed on the decking.
“It is called ‘bridge in a backpack’ because when the carbon fiber tubes are rolled up, they can fit inside a backpack,” explained Jonathan E. Kenerson.
The old bridge was removed and the reservoir was partially lowered so there would be no water while the bridge is put in place.
Mr. Kenerson is a design engineer with Advanced Infrastructure Technologies out of Orono, Maine — the company that makes the lightweight, fiber-reinforced polymer arch tubes.
They are 43 feet long and 12 inches in diameter and weigh about 200 pounds. There are 15 tubes in the bridge, which spans 38 feet from footing to footing.
The technology was developed by the University of Maine.
“They are all placed by hand when unfilled,” he said. “Once they are in place, they are filled with concrete.”
* * *
Source: Carbon Fiber technology is used to replace old bridge
This technology may not be applicable in this case but there are associated carbon-fiber techniques to re-enforce structural members.
Bob Wilson

 

Columbia River Crossing Funding Hinges On Washington Special Session | NW News Network

Besides the "no taxes" to pay for the bridge, the GOP opposes, as it always does, the fact that new bridge would include mass transit trains to cut traffic and build mass transit network.

 

The minimum legal clearance (max legal (not oversize) vehicle height is 13'6". Bridges generally over 13'6" are not routinely marked. The bridge in question had a vertical clearance of ~16'.

Once again, it is incumbent on the driver to know his route. As an aside, I drive a Sprinter can that is over 10', and in many parts of New England, I can't fit under covered bridges. It is up to me to pay attention!
Icarus

 

+1
Depending on individual drivers to not knock down bridges should not be the last line of defense for critical bridges. Leaving something that important up to unknown individuals would be absurd.

 

deleted

 

I am not saying the present labeling system is "right" , And yes, we could design and build bridges, roads, other things to be more idiot proof, but the reality is that there will alway be idiots, and they will always figure out a way to screw things up. (I am not meaning to imply this driver is either an idiot or liable, but simply making the point )

As I said, at the end of the day, as a driver, it is my responsibility to know my load, and know my route. If I am carrying a oversize load, the first thing I am going to do is look at the clearances along my route.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/manuals/fulltext/M23-09/I-5.pdf

Now if they mispost, or mispublish the heights and widths, then that is a diffent story.


Icarus

 

One of my long-term themes on car forums is we have improved automotive safety by making cars safer, but have a blind eye to demanding the driver to take responsibility. Tougher DUI laws is a start. Would like to see in general public service announcements backed up by law stating they will be held accountable for what they do behind the wheel.

It won't get rid of inconsiderate/irresponsible drivers, but it might thin down their numbers.

 

You as a driver should act that way, however the people who are responsible for the design and building of bridges would be negligent fools to believe the actions of millions of individuals over decades will prevent any one individual driver from screwing up and dropping a bridge.

 

Skidding into a bridge, (or guard rail, or another car etc) could be construed as an accident, preventable or not. Driving a truck that is oversize, into a a smaller opening than your load is not an accident. Yes, roads, and vehicles could be designed safer (just look at today's Indy with cars hitting the wall at 200+ mph) but you will NEVER eliminate the human factor.

And humans will ALWAYS do dumb things, like driving a 16' load through a 14' hole!

Icarus

 

agreed to a point. in this case, someone screwed up. now its either the trucking company submitting inaccurate measurements or the permitting agency issuing the permit since it is that agency's responsibility to know where, how big, etc.

 

Your point is accurate. However, it is not the people who are designing and building that are the most critical folks here. It is the people deciding and enforcing the building requirements & standards before anything is designed. After that, it is a competitive bidding process looking for the lowest (honest) bidder. Those engineers and designers are looking for the most efficient or lowest cost solutions, not the most robust. They are told what standards to meet and have no input into setting them (unless the process is corrupt). If done right, the process works well. But it can be corrupted with just a few key bad individuals.

It is quite possible that the standards of the original bridge were based on a lot of clearance from regular sized loads and long after the bridge was built, the safety margin was changed to allow oversized loads. It is very easy to point the finger at the bridge builders here, but the actual story should address why the oversize load precautions were insufficient to prevent this accident. Not too long ago, a semi carrying diesel crashed and burned on a overpass in St. Pete. The overpass was designed for a collision, but not for a super hot, diesel fueled fire. You can design for a lot, but not for everything.