IEEE Spectrum's Tech Talk

I find it somewhat ironic that this happened in MN considering that the MN DOT has always considered themselves so advanced in infrastructure development. Just drive by their testing facility on I94 east of St. Cloud sometime.

Mn/DOT's pavement research facility is not an indication that we consider ourselves "advanced", only that we wish to find the best infrastructure solutions through research and development.

Plus, nearly every state has pavement testing and research facilities. CALTrans standards are referenced by multiple other States DOTs, and we still have facilities falling apart. Good research doesn't mean the proper maintenance and construction projects are getting completed. DOTs are constrained by budgets. You can onlyaddress what you can pay the contractors/labor to work on. So maybe the politicians felt that saving a little on the budget now was more acceptable than addressing the issues immediately.

And, once again, we are rudely reminded that there is little (political glory) in preventative maintenance, or scheduled replacement at the end of design service lives...

There is, however, plenty of (political hay) to be made in being the more politically visible (finger of guilt) pointing at engineering practitioners who have been left (holding the bag of accountability) after trying to shore up (politically unglamorous little trivialities, like) interstate transportation systems, while (equipped) with what are euphemistically refered to as mere pitances of (inspection, maintenance, and/or replacement) budgets...

Or simply, if the money is not available to operate properly, then why aren't the money-deny-ers at least partially accountable?

Amen to the last entry. It is time that we take responsibility for the politicians we put in office and the issues we vote for. It is time to put our money where our mouth is and rebuild our infrastructure instead of sending our children to war in a loosing situation that is costing our country trillions. Also remembering those who put there lives at risk daily working in such hostile work envirenments that are continuosly changing each day. I mean how would you like cars driving past your desk at 80 mph? We all have a responsibility to our infrastructure and it is time to take account!

Lack of integrity both of personal effectiveness and structural integrity is the cause.

But oh they have plausible deniability clauses, FIRE THEM ALL or step aside Governor.

Eh? Maybe not. I'm curious by the lack of observation. Remember the day it fell? The media cameras captured a bridge foundation stanchion in the river. I draw interest of this because this foundational support member was askew; yes leaning 15 degrees or more. There was a sheared steel member attached to its top.

No way no how short of tectonic forces should that foundation member have been caused to waver the slightest bit but no mention of it at all; curious...

Hmm, having worked for URS, I realize that by the time they would have recognized a problem and reported it to MN, it was probably very serious. Maybe the consultant should have spoken up louder also. Though i realize drawing attention to a clients failures to solve serious publi safety issues is not going to maintain long-term strategic accounts relationships.

We as engineers need to educate the public as to the importance on maintenance and repair of existing infrastructure. In the field I work in almost all of it is buried and forgotten until there is a problem.

That one bridge collapse will bring to light the failures inherent in the design. Fatigue played a roll here, and the inadequate responses to an obvious weakening, as stated in the engineers' report, dated 2 years prior to the collapse event. It's apparent that numerous failures led to the disaster, on the human, and mechanical levels. The task ahead of us, boggles the mind.

I had crossed that bridge several times over the years traveling. One thing I remember thinking was strange was when you came onto the bridge you kind of dropped a little. It was noticeable even to my kids. but that was 3 or 4 years before it fell.

I thought wow the shock hitting those trusses must have great impact. What is this bridge built out of that can take this abuse. Most bridges you come on to make you rise a little then smoothly take you out on the span. This one kind of dropped you on the span.

I agree with you concerning the 'dip'. Prior to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California, the Cypress Structure had the same 'dips' in the slab sections. The slabs were approximately 80' wide, and 120' long, and tended to sag in the middle. The design retrofit was delayed due to a lack of funding, which I'm sure led to the failure of the structure. Sad, really, that money holds the greater value, over life itself.

imintowater

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'Chance favors the prepared mind.'

Such is the way of our governemtn agencies. I heard last night that even the EPA has devalued a human life over the past 10 years from like $7 million to $6 million. It is getting cheaper to kill a human being, well at least for corporations and government agencies, I suspect regular people would still spend a similar amount of time in prison.