I-90 bridge in Lake County in NE Ohio, about 40 miles east of Cleveland.
Posted on 08/10/2007 2:00:38 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault
Two failed bridges. Two scarily similar scenarios.
Last week, the Interstate 35W span over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic and construction crews. Federal investigators now wonder whether the design of steel plates joining beams is to blame.
Eleven years earlier, the eastbound I-90 bridge over the Grand River in Lake County (Ohio) failed. The reason: the same steel plates, called gussets. They had corroded, then buckled after crews blasted them during painting preparations.
But while the Minnesota catastrophe has shaken the nation and prompted warnings to states to inspect other truss bridges and watch the weight of construction projects, the Lake County failure caused no such fuss.
Still, the parallels are striking.
Eleven years ago, the eastbound I-90 bridge over Grand River failed. Four corroded gussets -- steel plates that tie beams into a design called a Warren truss -- buckled, sinking one section of the Lake County (Ohio) span 3 inches.
Last week, the westbound I-35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating gusset plates on that bridge, also a Warren truss design.
I-90 bridge in Lake County in NE Ohio, about 40 miles east of Cleveland.
Would that mean it’s Clintoon’s fault ?
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