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Breaking: Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis
KSTP TV 5/ME | 8/1/07 | Me

Posted on 08/01/2007 4:28:27 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo

Just turned on the news. 35W bridge collapsed in the Mississippi River. Cars, trucks, semis.....

Fires burning, tanker trucks, at least one school bus, more than ten cars......

Just now breaking.......


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: 35w; breaking; bridge; bridgecollapse; bridges; btld; collapse; corrosion; engineering; infrastructure; jihad; minneapolis; mosques; mothman; prayerforminnesotans; rust; slownewsday; terroristattack; transportation; twincitiescell
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To: xzins; blue-duncan; SilvieWaldorfMD; Blueflag; Gamecock; pissant; RedRover; SandRat
Why?

Rust.

1,821 posted on 08/02/2007 5:35:53 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: xzins

Independent investigation -— absolutely!


1,822 posted on 08/02/2007 5:38:43 AM PDT by eleni121 (+ En Touto Nika! By this sign conquer! + Constantine the Great)
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To: P-Marlowe
SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE OF THE COLLAPSE

This link may have already been posted but I'm posting it again for anyone who's not able to read all the previous posts.

1,823 posted on 08/02/2007 5:39:08 AM PDT by FReepaholic (Boomchakalakalaka Boomchakalakalaka)
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To: indylindy
Yes, the vaunted "Grinch" appears to be pushing the heat idea, of course global warming.

The structural engineer they have on now just shot that down. She said heat has less effect on steel and concrete than cold.

1,824 posted on 08/02/2007 5:39:09 AM PDT by tsmith130
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo
I have to cross over the St. Pete-Tampa Sunshine Skyway in a couple of days. Oh, joy......

At least it's a less steep incline than it was before the original span collapsed. The height at the top really was scary for some folks. My grown daughter-in-law would get down on the back seat floor and cover her head with a wrap till we got over to the other side. Yet she flies all over the country.

Leni

1,825 posted on 08/02/2007 5:40:18 AM PDT by MinuteGal (Three Cheers for the FRed, White and Blue !)
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To: fatima; ninergold3

All is well with my sister in law and neice.
Thanks for the prayers!!!

God bring comfort to those who are scared, suffering and lost. Thank you, Father. Amen


1,826 posted on 08/02/2007 5:40:32 AM PDT by jackv (DEMOCRATS HATE BUSH MORE THAN THEY LOVE THEIR COUNTRY!!!)
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To: tsmith130

I bet she was disappointed. She makes me sick. So sick, I had to turn it off!


1,827 posted on 08/02/2007 5:41:32 AM PDT by dforest (Duncan Hunter is the best hope we have on both fronts.)
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To: Mercat

They should have done a bit of editing. Amazed that it took this long for the video to get out. If it is government video, I guess I can understand.


1,828 posted on 08/02/2007 5:41:42 AM PDT by listenhillary (¿Qué parter DE "illegal" ousted no entente?)
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To: Minn. 4 Bush

It may or not be an act of terror. You do have some of the more virulent Muslims there -—the somalians.

Either that or the bridge inspectors are among the dumbest.

The governor just said (on FOX) that he cannot categorically rule out terrorism.


1,829 posted on 08/02/2007 5:42:56 AM PDT by eleni121 (+ En Touto Nika! By this sign conquer! + Constantine the Great)
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To: HairOfTheDog
Actually, it appears they can rest secure in the confidence that they don't actually HAVE to do anything, and at least some paranoid people will give them credit for whatever happens anyway :~D

I see. So, in other words, accepting the words of the DHS at face value when they warn us that things like, for example, bridges, are prime terrorist targets -- and then observing that they persuade police across the country to dispatch when someone is observed photographing a bridge -- or even observing a bridge -- is evidence of mental pathology.

And your qualifications as a DSM-flogger are exactly what, "doctor"?

Would I be out of line suggesting that if you... ahem, "they" don't want people to think "terrorism" when a bridge kabooms, they shouldn't keep warning us to be on the lookout for terrorists trying to make bridges go kaboom?

Oh, sheesh, why am I asking you? You've obviously got either delusions of grandeur, a "post-for-hire" gig, or, a seriously warped sense of troll-humor. Sorry I wasted your^H^H^H^H^H my time.

1,830 posted on 08/02/2007 5:46:20 AM PDT by Don Joe (We've traded the Rule of Law for the Law of Rule.)
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To: Milwaukee_Guy; All

Now does anyone know if the names and locations of the other structurally deficient bridges is available online?


1,831 posted on 08/02/2007 5:48:49 AM PDT by tutstar (Baptist Ping list - freepmail me to get on or off.)
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To: xzins

When I 1st saw this last nite, and even heard 1st thing mention of terrorism, I dismissed that theory.

These nutcases aren’t going to bother with a little bridge in the middle of the country when they haven’t brought down all the “important” places in the US. This would be like 10th-tier target.

Unless it was just some local Moslem Somalis on their own mission.


1,832 posted on 08/02/2007 5:50:31 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
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To: exit82

Although the rocker plates were ripped free of the pier by lateral deflection, the end placement of the kingposts indicates they rotated about their bases, displacing the tops of the piers little if at all.

On the other side, you could be right, but the tension in the cantilever trusses would come as a result of the lateral deflection, not an increase in pier to pier distance as the piers at the failure point didn’t move.

A good strong jerk along the cantilever steelwork could begin the pier deflection process, which could continue as the sidespan adjacent to it fell and kept shoving them towards the river.

Not real impressed with those piers, I don’t see much more concrete than necessary for vertical load bearing, not a lot of lateral stability there, they appear to leave that to the steelwork above.

Still, it’s clear that the triggering event initiated on the far side.


1,833 posted on 08/02/2007 5:50:31 AM PDT by jeffers
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To: Terriergal
Yep that's why armies always broke stride when marching across bridges.

There's a big difference between a third world wooden "peasant, horse, and cart"-grade bridge, and a domestic bridge designed by expert engineers. Try driving an 18-wheeler loaded with three rolls of steel over one of those "break cadence when crossing" bridges in any manner you choose, and see if you can keep it out of the water.

1,834 posted on 08/02/2007 5:50:54 AM PDT by Don Joe (We've traded the Rule of Law for the Law of Rule.)
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To: Don Joe

Just as a note to this discussion, I remember Osama supposedly saying (right after) he WISHED he could take credit for it.

Maybe it was just so big even he was AFRAID to admit it at that point?


1,835 posted on 08/02/2007 5:54:02 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
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To: jeffers
Although the rocker plates were ripped free of the pier by lateral deflection, the end placement of the kingposts indicates they rotated about their bases, displacing the tops of the piers little if at all.

On the other side, you could be right, but the tension in the cantilever trusses would come as a result of the lateral deflection, not an increase in pier to pier distance as the piers at the failure point didn’t move.

Ummm...huh?

1,836 posted on 08/02/2007 5:54:57 AM PDT by tsmith130
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To: FReepaholic; xzins; blue-duncan
Steel bridges are like huge piano strings. Every time you bang on it, the string weakens a little more at the bridge. The entire structure of a bridge vibrates like a big piano string when cars drive across it. If you add rust to the picture, the string becomes less flexible and more prone to snap.

I suspect that at some critical point on the bridge, the combination of age, vibration and rust and too many cement trucks caused the structure to just snap like a worn out piano string.

The fact that we do not have Palestinians dancing in the streets is pretty solid evidence that this was not a terrorist attack.

This was..... (gasp).... an... accident.

1,837 posted on 08/02/2007 5:55:21 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: sodpoodle

You’re not the only one who has trouble with bridges. I remember going over an open grate bridge over the Genesee River when I first learned to drive. It was terrifying and I can still hear the rumble of the tires on the metal grate.


1,838 posted on 08/02/2007 5:56:21 AM PDT by Sacajaweau ("The Cracker" will be renamed "The Crapper")
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To: All
KARE Channel 11 has streaming video at the following link, as well as

The Bridge Collapse caught on Video ^


It gets pretty busy, but eventually loads.

1,839 posted on 08/02/2007 5:58:41 AM PDT by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
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To: tutstar

A starting place, by states:

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/trn_bri_str_def-transportation-bridges-structurally-deficient

You might try searching the Dept of Transportation website for more information.


1,840 posted on 08/02/2007 5:59:56 AM PDT by TomGuy
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