Lives over the "Bridge"

Lives over the “Bridge”

We've all witnessed bridge collapses in movies, triggered by earthquakes, destroyed by tsunamis, or cracked by mythical creatures like the Kraken. However, in reality, these catastrophic events don't always require mega forces of unstoppable power. Actual footage of bridge failures reveals that even seemingly small factors can lead to collapses. From design oversights to corruption-induced accidents, let's explore some real-life bridge failures and the reasons behind their collapses. There's a potential disaster movie waiting to be made out of these incidents.

Harmony Ridge Trestle: In Central Texas, the Harmony Ridge Trestle bridge, a 900-foot-long wooden structure crossing the Colorado River, caught fire in 2013. This bridge, built in 1910 and was still an active section of the heart of Texas Railroad key for transporting goods from nearby town of Brady, suffered a collapse due to its flammable creosote treatment (creosote is a kind of coal tar that preserves timber and protects it against insects and fungi. It also incredibly flammable). A fire near the bridge led to a fiery catastrophe, with collapsing pillars causing a domino effect of destruction.

Hassanabad Bridge: The Karakoram Highway in East Asia faced a collapse in a mountainous region due to a glacier melting from heat waves, the record high temperatures of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit had triggered the nearby Shishpar Glacier to melt. The resulting flood eroded the bridge's foundations, leading to a massive section of the Hassanabad Bridge collapsing. The force of the water overwhelmed the structure, highlighting the destructive power of nature.

China's Glass Fiasco: China's fascination with glass-bottom bridges led to numerous installations, including one incident in 2021 when high winds with wind speeds over 90 miles per hour blew away panels on a glass bridge. The constructors' oversight in securing the glass panels led to a harrowing experience for tourists who left stranded to held onto the railings for more than 40 minutes before eventually crawling to safety, showing that even design flaws can have terrifying consequences.

Tacoma Bridge Disaster: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, known for its wobbly and twisted appearance during wind events, collapsed in 1940 due to aeroelastic flutter. Its unique design and lack of trusses caused wind vortexes that matched the bridge's natural sway, eventually leading to its collapse.

Puerto Rico PR123: Puerto Rico faced multiple bridge collapses due to severe weather, like hurricanes and floods, causing temporary bridges to fail under the force of raging waters. After the category 5 hurricane Maria caused back in 2017, it was the most intense tropical cyclone of the year with wind speeds of more than 175 miles per hour. When it hit Puerto Rico, the Rio Grande de Arecibo bridge was decimated. Once the hurricane had died down, a temporary bridge (modular bridges) was installed in its place. In 2022, exactly 5 years later, hurricane Fiona dumped a whopping three feet of rain in just 72 hours. Leading to torrential floods which overpowered the temporary bridges like PR123. These incidents demonstrated that quick solutions like modular bridges might not withstand extreme conditions.

Bear Creek Collapse: A bridge in Alaska faced partial collapse due to a flash flood that eroded the road leading up to it. Although the bridge's structure remained intact, the road's collapse demonstrated how seemingly unrelated factors can lead to a bridge's failure.

China's Corruption Scandal: China experienced a series of bridge collapses due to corruption, subpar materials, and overloaded trucks. A web of negligence and dishonesty in construction projects resulted in various bridge failures across the country. Between 2014 and 2017 54 of the 12,759 bribery cases prosecuted in China, related to construction projects low-grade materials and rushed completion dates had left new bridges crumbling within the first few years of their erection.

I-35W Bridge: In Minnesota, the I-35W bridge collapsed in 2007 due to design flaws and inadequate maintenance. The failure of gusset plates, which were crucial to the bridge's integrity, led to a tragic incident during rush hour. The bridge was first opened back in 1967, it was deemed safe for trucks carrying the maximum legal load of 80,000 pounds but over time this was increased to 136,000 pounds for overweight vehicles. The only problem was that the gusset plates were actually too small to handle such an increase in weight and so gradually they started to fracture and led the way to the full collapse of the main span. Over the next 10 years s172 of the state’s 20,000 bridges would be repaired or replaced to prevent this from ever happening again.

Ponte Morandi Bridge: The Ponte Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy, collapsed in 2018 due to a combination of factors, including poor design, inadequate maintenance, and negligence. The corrosion of critical components, lack of timely repairs, and bureaucratic delays contributed to the disaster.

These real-life bridge failures highlight the importance of meticulous design, regular maintenance, and responsible construction practices to ensure the safety and longevity of such structures.