[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Arbud

Being from the Baltimore area until moving here in Oct2023, I have been over that bridge many times. The loss of life is just terrible. I have also been under that bridge many times cruising out the cruise port there. I never liked the bridge because it was the reason larger cruise ships could not come in. Going under it if you were on the top deck, you could almost touch the bottom of the bridge. My wife and I looked forward to that and going under the Bay bridge.
My un informed opinion was and is that it was an albatross. Not much use from such an expense. What a shame it had to end this way and people had to lose their lives.

I am also from Baltimore. Weren't there 2 bridges and 2 tunnels? If so, rerouting the traffic should be doable.

[Dusty_Star]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I am also from Baltimore. Weren't there 2 bridges and 2 tunnels? If so, rerouting the traffic should be doable.

There are currently two highway tunnels. I was wondering about the bridge, I remember crossing a bridge that seemed incredibly long in the 1970s, but probably earlier than 1977. I do not remember all of the steel work from this one. Does anyone else remember the earlier bridge? Was it long? & with a more 'open' design than this one?

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I am also from Baltimore. Weren't there 2 bridges and 2 tunnels? If so, rerouting the traffic should be doable.

One bridge and two tunnels.

Road work often has lanes of one of the tunnels closed.

Hazmat material is not allowed in the tunnels, not sure about car-carrier vehicles. Over-land routes both through the city and around it are terribly congested already.

Re-routing is doable, but it's going to be painful.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Dusty_Star

There are currently two highway tunnels. I was wondering about the bridge, I remember crossing a bridge that seemed incredibly long in the 1970s, but probably earlier than 1977. I do not remember all of the steel work from this one. Does anyone else remember the earlier bridge? Was it long? & with a more 'open' design than this one?

You might be thinking of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis. That bridge was opened in 1952 and is about four miles long. I believe there is more steel work than the Key bridge but since the Bay bridge is so much longer it would feel like there was less.

The second span of the Bay bridge, the westbound span, opened in 1973. This span has less steel work than the original, eastbound span.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

So the "stupids" borrowed a container ship to knock down the bridge?

That is what he said. I wonder who he thinks the "stupids" are?

[Stu from NYC]

The lawyers will have a field day

[MightyDog]

Originally Posted by gorillarick

So if you don't like what someone says, you ridicule, silence, and maybe fabricate lies and imprison?
Sounds like the intolerance of the late 1930's to early 1940s; and more recently.

This might interest you. Decide for yourselves if it means something. Quite a coincidence.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/i...?itok=0uE6kh_o

[Josephjmarchese]

Prayers for those lost.
Bridges need to be protected from such accidents at all costs. A problem for engineers for sure, but absolutely necessary. How many ports including NYC have Bridges at their entrances? Not only is the seaway lost but a crucial highway that will result in detours and congestion for years. This is a national security issue needing to be addresses at all costs.

[ithos]

Can someone explain why almost the entire bridge collapsed when only one bridge pier was involved?

Is every bridge this vulnerable? Or was the design selected to save money and time?

[ithos]

Found this:

Engineers blame $3m structural 'flaw' for Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge collapsing - and tens of thousands of bridges across US could also have fault | Daily Mail Online

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was a continuous truss bridge, which can fail if it loses one support pillar. Multiple high-profile failures of such bridges have occurred, and thousands remain across waterways throughout the US.

A slightly larger budget would have allowed for more protection that may have significantly limited the damage.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by MightyDog

This might interest you. Decide for yourselves if it means something. Quite a coincidence.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/i...?itok=0uE6kh_o

(groan)

[Normal]

Originally Posted by ithos

Can someone explain why almost the entire bridge collapsed when only one bridge pier was involved?

Is every bridge this vulnerable? Or was the design selected to save money and time?

Third longest span in the world at 1200 feet. Nothing was stopping that ship.

[ithos]

Originally Posted by Normal

Third longest span in the world at 1200 feet. Nothing was stopping that ship.

This response is a non sequitur to my post.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by ithos

This response is a non sequitur to my post.

Completely logical…the truss was 1200 feet long. 100,000 tons at 12 knots, name a bridge pile that would not buckle under that force. If that pile goes the bridge should and would totally collapse.

It is a large revenue loss for the state who collected 50 plus million a year for little maintenance.

[Pat2015]

Originally Posted by Arbud

Being from the Baltimore area until moving here in Oct2023, I have been over that bridge many times. The loss of life is just terrible. I have also been under that bridge many times cruising out the cruise port there. I never liked the bridge because it was the reason larger cruise ships could not come in. Going under it if you were on the top deck, you could almost touch the bottom of the bridge. My wife and I looked forward to that and going under the Bay bridge.
My un informed opinion was and is that it was an albatross. Not much use from such an expense. What a shame it had to end this way and people had to lose their lives.

I’m from B’More as well and also traversed that bridge many times going back and forth to work. A very sad day in our hometown 😢.