http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/bridge/ en-us Thu, 3 Jul 2008 02:02:59 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040058/posts Al-Qaeda Draws New Recruits Via Internet Al-Qaeda is using the Internet to recruit vulnerable young people to its terrorist network, according to a programme aired on Saudi Arabian TV late on Tuesday. Umm Osama, the founder of al-Qaeda's first women-only website, al-Khansa, joined several others on the programme to discuss how they renounced jihadist ideology. Among those who sought a response to this question was an imam from the Medina mosque, Saleh Ibn Awad al-Mudamsi, and the father of a young al-Qaeda suspect held in an Iraqi prison. Read More Qaeda Targets U.S. Oil Interests in North Africa U.S.... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040058/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 02:02:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990455/posts Old photos of the Interstate 35W bridge show two steel connecting plates were visibly bent as early as 2003 — four years before the span collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials declined to say when the state first knew about the bending in the pieces of steel, called gusset plates. Two photos, part of a report issued earlier this month by the National Transportation Safety Board, reveal slight bends in gusset plates that hold beams together at two separate connecting points. The plates are in areas believed to be among the first points... The Associated Press...Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990455/posts#comment Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:36:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047065/posts Rotting holes in steel support beams, enormous rust patches, small splits in steel girders and broken bracing are evident all along the underside of the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge, the heavily traveled Interstate 95 span that crosses the Merrimack River between Amesbury and Newburyport. A just-released state safety report filed in the wake of last year's disastrous collapse of the similarly designed Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis gave the 57-year-old Whittier Bridge "poor" ratings due to deterioration. On a 10-step ranking system, the rating is just two steps above the point where engineers consider closing a bridge due to safety... Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047065/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:06:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046147/posts At 6:05 p.m. on Aug. 1, silence will fall along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. And those standing along the river's banks will remember that at that moment one year ago, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds of others. A prayer service on Aug. 1 at the Basilica of St. Mary followed by an outdoor memorial service at Gold Medal Park on the Mississippi River will mark the first anniversary of the bridge collapse. "It was one of the worst days that I will ever be part of that ironically showed... StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046147/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:36:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033093/posts NY's Triborough Bridge To Be Renamed For RFKReported by: Clyde Gray Last Update: 6/05 4:01 pm The bridge leading to New York's JFK Airport will soon be named for the former president's younger brother. Governor David Paterson is set to sign a measure to rename the Triborough Bridge after New York Senator "Bobby" Kennedy. At the time of his death, he was running for the democratic presidential nomination. WCPO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033093/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:54:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030280/posts Sgt. Matthew Burket, a native of Sandwich, Ill., entertains children from Abu Ghuraib, a neighborhood in northwest Baghdad, June 5. Burket is assigned to 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. His unit provided security for local national workers and Iraqi army soldiers during a barrier emplacement mission on Leaders Bridge. Photo by Sgt. Paul Monroe. BAGHDAD — Packed cars, meandering pedestrians and the occasional donkey pulling a cart fill the busy streets of Baghdad daily. Couple this with roads blocked off by Iraqi security and coalition forces to lessen... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030280/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:18:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029027/posts WATERLOO — One-half of the Sixth Street railroad bridge over the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo has washed away in the flood waters. Half the bridge remains. We will provide more details as they become available. Also, the city of Cedar Falls has now expanded its area of evacuation. Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029027/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:43:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027068/posts Metro doesn't dismiss a Portland-to-Vancouver "mega-bridge" with up to 12 lanes A divided Metro Council on Thursday endorsed building a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River that will extend light-rail transit into Vancouver from Portland, require tolls to cross and have room for pedestrians and bicyclists. The 5-2 decision, after a six-hour public hearing, did not specify how many lanes the bridge should have. Rather, it established Metro's position on what may be the region's costliest public works project in a generation. Also, it rejected a proposal to back off from what critics called an unnecessary "mega-bridge" solution.... Oregon Live http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027068/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 14:53:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023773/posts BAGHDAD, May 30, 2008 – The promise of a prosperous future for Iraq took one step closer to becoming a reality when the Sarafiyah Bridge linking Baghdad’s Rusafa and Karkh districts was reopened May 27 after being rebuilt. Members of an Iraqi color guard stand ready to receive Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the May 27, 2008, reopening of the Sarafiyah Bridge, which links Baghdad’s Rusafa and Karhk districts. The bridge, built by the British during the 1940s, was destroyed in a vehicle-bomb attack April 12, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerome Bishop, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023773/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 23:54:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017164/posts Sheikh Salah (left), a prominent sheikh in Busayefi, cuts the ribbon on a new bridge May 13. The bridge, constructed by an Iraqi company and funded by the GoI, spans the Mercedes Canal and links the communities of Hawr Rajab and Busayefi. Courtesy photo. FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Brightly painted flowers, hearts and polka-dots color the new bridge with cheery symbols.  Most importantly, the bridge’s construction between the communities of Busayefi and Hawr Rajab paints a symbol of unity. Once under the control of insurgents, the communities became isolated; they were also separated from each other by the Mercedes... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017164/posts#comment Sat, 17 May 2008 01:18:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016086/posts NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Operation Mountain Highway II began in Afghanistan's eastern Nuristan province in late April. The operation started April 22 when Soldiers from International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan National Army made a simultaneously night air assault onto three mountains above Gowerdesh Bridge. Afghan and American Soldiers created Observation Posts Mace, Hatchet and Brick, which enabled the Afghan Border Police and ANA to drive up from the south and seize the bridge April 26. "It was (a very) synchronized air assault to get everybody in," said Capt. John Williams, commander of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry's Headquarters... Army.mil http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016086/posts#comment Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014883/posts NEW YORK - The Brooklyn Bridge is 125 years old this month and New York City is getting ready to celebrate. The city on Monday announced an array of activities including a special bridge lighting, concerts, lectures, film series and family events. The five-day festivities will kick off on May 22 with a performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, and a Grucci fireworks presentation. The bridge connects Brooklyn and Manhattan across the East River, and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the country. It will be lit up in an array... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014883/posts#comment Mon, 12 May 2008 18:56:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013812/posts TIKRIT — A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening two temporary bridges in Bayji was held May 8. These two bridges, which expand over the Tigris River, will promote more trade and stimulate the economy of the region by allowing the people of the provinces of Salah ad Din and Kirkuk to unite. Iraqi Security Forces helped to set the conditions in the area to make it possible to reconstruct the bridge, symbolizing the dedication of the ISF. With the skilled workmanship of the Iraqi Army Field Engineer Company who along with the Coalition Forces, built this monument to the people... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013812/posts#comment Sat, 10 May 2008 00:04:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009924/posts SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will open the world's longest cross-sea bridge on Thursday, linking the financial and commercial hub of Shanghai with the booming port and industrial city of Ningbo, the official Xinhua news agency said. The 11.8 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) cable-stayed structure, spanning Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang Province south of Shanghai, will be open to traffic on a trial basis at midnight following an inauguration ceremony on Thursday afternoon, Xinhua said. The 36 km span will shorten travel time between Shanghai and Ningbo, two key port cities in China's prosperous Yangtze River Delta, to two-and-a-half hours from... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009924/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 21:42:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009201/posts SNOHOMISH — The patch under the bridge is closed in by brambles. Rodent tracks crisscross in the dirt. It may be dry, but still it's not fit for human habitation. Unless you're a sex offender, that is.The underside of the 88th Street bridge, near this river town's greenhouses and horse farms, is where state government last week assigned a released rapist to sleep. David J. Torrence, who assaulted a 16-year-old girl in 1995, had completed his latest prison term (for failing to register as a sex offender.) He had no place to go. So officials gave him a sleeping bag... The Seattle Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009201/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:09:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993745/posts He lived in a $500,000 house, drove a Cadillac Escalade SUV, and talked about his fraternity brothers. But Johnny Lee Reed IV felt the world closing in on him. Worried and increasingly desperate, Reed had spent days trying to convince authorities that someone was bugging his car, his e-mail and his phones, and that his family was in danger. On Thursday, Reed's dramatic standoff shut down the Walt Whitman Bridge for 31/2 hours, snarling evening rush-hour traffic throughout the region. Ultimately, one of the very authorities Reed had petitioned talked him away from the middle of the 3,500-foot span. Yesterday,... philly.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993745/posts#comment Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:12:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975656/posts Osama Bin Laden's brother plans Africa-Arabia bridge By Mike Pflanz, East Africa Correspondent Last Updated: 5:52pm GMT 24/02/2008 Osama bin Laden's half-brother is planning to build the world's second longest bridge to connect Africa and Arabia with a six-lane motorway and a railway. Click to enlarge: The bridge would span the 18 mile stretch across the narrowest part of the Red Sea Tarek Bin Laden has been wooing the governments of Djibouti and Yemen with his £35bn idea to bridge the 18 mile span across the narrowest stretch of the Red Sea. Djibouti's prime minister said there was growing excitement... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975656/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:45:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973703/posts Police in the Czech republic are trying to find out who stole a 4 tonne railway bridge from the border town of Cheb. The company which was responsible for looking after the bridge raised the alarm when, ever alert, they noticed that the bridge wasn't there any more. The bridge was on a disused stretch of line just outside Cheb. Martina Hruskova, a spokeswoman for the Czech police, commented to AFP: 'We are not sure if it was taken for personal use or for its scrap value.' Exactly what that 'personal use' might be was left unsaid. 'It is the... Metro | AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973703/posts#comment Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:32:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972481/posts CAMP RAMADI — The engineers had the first span of the bridge ready to go out on the river, but when the water levels were checked, the river had risen 24 inches in an hour. It didn’t stop the Soldiers from the 814th Engineer Company; it only forced them to adjust their plan and raise the 30-foot section of the bridge a little higher to get it on the pontoon floating in the river. The weather would prove to be the most difficult challenge in building the 120-meter Mabey Logistics Support Bridge spanning the Euphrates River over the course of... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972481/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:39:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967373/posts PennDOT ordered the emergency closure of the Birmingham Bridge this morning due to an unexplained drop of up to 8 inches in a portion of the span over the Monongahela River. The drop, apparently noticed overnight by a motorist who called 911, occurred on the span linking Fifth Avenue, Uptown, to the South Side. The inbound, or nothbound, lanes were likewise ordered closed, at 8:45 a.m., to allow for a comprehensive inspection of the entire bridge, which really is two independent superstructures. Crews were working to shore up the western edge of the outbound span where the roadway had dropped... Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967373/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2008 23:37:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956900/posts Body Found May Be Last Ala. Bridge Child Monday January 21, 2008 1:16 AM By GARRY MITCHELL Associated Press Writer MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A body believed to be the last of four children who were allegedly tossed from a coastal Alabama bridge by their father was recovered Sunday, authorities said. The body of an Asian child was found in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana by boaters who contacted Coast Guard officials, who then took the body to Venice, La., Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said. Authorities in Alabama will not be able to confirm whether the body is... The Guardian (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956900/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:07:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956891/posts Sunday, 5:50 p.m. (Jan. 20) -Body of small Asian child found near Venice, Louisiana. -An autopy will determine if it is 2 year old Hannah Luong. -The Coast Guard in New Orleans received a call around 10 a.m. that a body had been found near Plaquemines Parish. WKRG TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956891/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:29:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954133/posts The collapse of the St. Anthony Bridge in Minneapolis started with a design flaw in the gusset plates, confirming suspicions that arose in the first week of the investigation. A source familiar with the conclusion told CNN earlier this morning that the NTSB will announce that finding later today, ending speculation that poor maintenance caused the deaths of 13 people last August: Federal investigators have identified a design flaw as the cause of last year's Interstate 35W Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people, a congressional official said Tuesday. The official, who was briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board,... Captain's Quarters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954133/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:21:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952647/posts The body of one of four children allegedly thrown from a coastal bridge by their father was recovered Saturday, Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran announced. At a press conference this morning, Cochran said, "The inevitable nightmare that we had feared has now been confirmed." A search of waterways around Dauphin Island for the children - ranging in age from a few months to 3 years - began Tuesday. The father, Lam Luong, has been charged with capital murder in the deaths. According to CBS affiliate WKRG, the body of an infant was found this morning by a duck hunter about... CBS/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952647/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:07:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952023/posts PHARR, Texas -- A fiery crash on a bridge that spans the United States' border with Mexico left at least four people dead. It happened Thursday night on the Texas side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge and involved at least five vehicles, including two tractor-trailers. The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952023/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:18:14 GMT