Fallen Bridge Structures and Overpasses

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Modified on 2009/10/14 21:53 by admin
Fallen Bridge Structures and Overpasses

Updated Aug 3, 2007 - In light of the catastrophic Minneapolis bridgecollapse on August 1, 2007, public officials have begun to pay closer attention to what engineers have been insisting all along:  America’s bridge structures are in dire need of attention and revamping.  According to the Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, in a study entitled an Analysisof Recent Bridge Failures in the United States between the year 1989 and 2000 over 500 bridge structure failures were reviewed for deficiencies and underlying flaws.

In the bridge analysis, the most frequent cause of bridge failure cited was flooding or collision with ships or barges.  Bridge overload from trucks and traffic was also listed as a major cause of bridge structure failure, as was poor bridge maintenance, low-grade materials, defective engineering, and poor bridge construction.  The average age of all failed bridges for the study was 52.5 years.

The state of Florida is known for its safebridges.  After the May 9, 1980 tragic fall of the Florida Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida determined to make it a priority to keep the state’s bridge structures in peak condition.  In the 1980 accident that caused 35 people to lose their lives, a 600-foot vessel struck one of the main piers of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in dense fog and rainy weather, causing a 1,200 foot stretch of the Skyway bridge to plummet into the bay.

More recently, Bostonians have suffered with problems relating to the city’s twenty-year-long mammoth ‘Big Dig’ public works project, a labyrinthine underworks of tunnels and roadways that were designed to replace an antiquated elevated freeway.  The company in charge of the ‘Big Dig,’ Bechtel, has had a problem with the epoxy used to cement ceiling tiles.  The severity of these problems was only made known when a massive concrete ceiling tile fell and killed a motorist.  The integrity of the tiles has been called into question. 

Accident and personal injury lawyers are currently reviewing bridge structure failure cases now. An InjuryBoard attorney will review your case free''' of charge.  Please fill out the form on your right hand side to speak with an InjuryBoardattorney today.

Written by Courtney Mills

See Also

  1. Government Negligence
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