WI - 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapses!

[Buzz Mills]

No ships in Mn either jbean!
The biggest thing they'd have on the Mississippi is a barge. The river is actually very narrow up here.

They are slowing the water flow; I wonder how much they can slow it?? They did mention everything is still settling so it is very dangerous to work within the wreckage. They said it could take a year to find the problem. Hopefully they'll have some barge mounted cranes in there pretty quickly. Has there been any mention if there are any within traveling distance??

 

[JBean]

No ships in Mn either jbean!
The biggest thing they'd have on the Mississippi is a barge. The river is actually very narrow up here.

Thanks Cheko..funny I j ust heard someone mention it on the radio. They said they are checking into Coast Guard records to see if it was ever hit by a ship.

ETA: maybe they are calling a barge a ship?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Yes they need to have some type of program available......
Its frightening nothing is set up.
Makes me boil!!!!

I was in NY earlier this week and there were quite a few toll booths. Do money from toll booths go to repairing bridges?

If 141,000 cars go over that birdge everyday, and there was a toll of just $1.00, that would be $141,000 a day. In 10 days, $1.41 million. In a month, that would be about $4.2 million+
I realize salaries are involved and such, but within several months, they should have a good chunk of money to start making repairs, right?

 

[panthera]

They are treating this the same way they would an air crash. That's why the NTSB is iinvolved; they'll try to lay out all of the pieces they have and try to find the initial failure. The resurfacing company was also supposedly working on the joints; it could easily be a combination of a lot of different factors coming together at one time.

I agree with you Buzz. If this isn't treated like a crime scene important evidence could be lost that might give the investigators a clue to what happened. The smallest thing could give them the answers they need.

It's just amazing to me that more people weren't killed, especially those on the bus. And a small miracle to say the least that the bus landed upright. I wonder though what happened to the truck driver ~ did he escape before the fire started, is he hospitalized or did he perish?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Stanek said conditions in the Mississippi River were treacherous, as the twisted steel and blocks of pavement were pushed around by river currents. He said the search could go on for five days or longer.
Four people were confirmed dead after the disaster. They were identified as Sherry Lou Engebretsen, 60, of Shoreview, Minnesota; Julia Blackhawk, 32, of Savage, Minnesota; Patrick Holmes, 36, of Mounds View, Minnesota; and Artemio Trinidad-Mena, 29, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.collapse/index.html

 

[cheko1]

They are slowing the water flow; I wonder how much they can slow it?? They did mention everything is still settling so it is very dangerous to work within the wreckage. They said it could take a year to find the problem. Hopefully they'll have some barge mounted cranes in there pretty quickly. Has there been any mention if there are any within traveling distance??

My daughter as I stated on the last page works with LE she said they dropped the water flow at the dam. But it caused extremely unstable conditions......so the divers couldn't go down.

They then decided to drop it another foot. To see if they could get it to stabilize. Side sonar has found most all vehicles & many bodies. They can't risk anymore lives.....the weight of the concrete is horrible.

 

[cheko1]

Thanks Cheko..funny I j ust heard someone mention it on the radio. They said they are checking into Coast Guard records to see if it was ever hit by a ship.

ETA: maybe they are calling a barge a ship?

The Mississippi begins in Northern Mn so it is very narrow up here. Nope no ships!!! A barge could of hit it / not a ship.

 

[cheko1]

I was in NY earlier this week and there were quite a few toll booths. Do money from toll booths go to repairing bridges?

If 141,000 cars go over that birdge everyday, and there was a toll of just $1.00, that would be $141,000 a day. In 10 days, $1.41 million. In a month, that would be about $4.2 million+
I realize salaries are involved and such, but within several months, they should have a good chunk of money to start making repairs, right?

No there are NO TOLL roads in Mn.
People would scream bloody murder over tolls in Mn taxes are pretty expensive.

 

[cheko1]

I agree with you Buzz. If this isn't treated like a crime scene important evidence could be lost that might give the investigators a clue to what happened. The smallest thing could give them the answers they need.

It's just amazing to me that more people weren't killed, especially those on the bus. And a small miracle to say the least that the bus landed upright. I wonder though what happened to the truck driver ~ did he escape before the fire started, is he hospitalized or did he perish?

I haven't heard whether the truck driver perished or not.

I do know that there is a 18 wheeler in the river. I also heard where there are alot of oil slicks in the river from this mess. Environmentalists were called.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

No there are NO TOLL roads in Mn.
People would scream bloody murder over tolls in Mn taxes are pretty expensive.

but if it helped save your life, wouldn't you pay a $1 or $2 per day?

Cost of living is high in NY and NJ too, but there are tolls all over the place.

Just wondering what could help get funding for bridge revisions and support. I know nothing about economics and gov't so I am just trying to gain more insight.

If one bridge collapsed like this, should we be worried about others doing this too?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I haven't heard whether the truck driver perished or not.

I do know that there is a 18 wheeler in the river. I also heard where there are alot of oil slicks in the river from this mess. Environmentalists were called.

"
About 15 divers from local counties did a bank-to-bank search Thursday afternoon and found 11 vehicles, including an 18-wheeler, said Lynn Schwartz, Communication Specialist for the Bridge Collapse Command Center.
Vehicles with bodies inside are being taken out of the river, while empty ones are being marked and left in the water, she said.

"

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.collapse/index.html

 

[panthera]

I haven't heard whether the truck driver perished or not.

I do know that there is a 18 wheeler in the river. I also heard where there are alot of oil slicks in the river from this mess. Environmentalists were called.

Oh so there are two semis? I only knew about the one near the bus that caught fire. They're talking about climate and how it can affect the structures again now on CNN.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

It would take $461 billion to fix US bridges and roads ... just reported on CNN

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Oh so there are two semis? I only knew about the one near the bus that caught fire. They're talking about climate and how it can affect the structures again now on CNN.

I just heard that, too.
Scary. The colder climates face the most risk

 

[CaliKid]

The toll roads in New York and New Jersey have been around since the beginning of time so people are used to paying them. When the put in a toll bridge in here people acted like they were dying.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

impact your world http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

 

[panthera]

I just heard that, too.
Scary. The colder climates face the most risk

I heard this being discussed this morning before I went to work. They were saying that the extreme temperatures can cause damage to the steel (like expanding & contracting) while the concrete remains the same. For example in Minnesota it being sub-zero, heavy snow to now in the 90's for past weeks. The amount of traffic (including semi trucks) could've also been a problem with the bridge orginally built long before 140,000 cars per day would cross it.

 

[cheko1]

but if it helped save your life, wouldn't you pay a $1 or $2 per day?

Cost of living is high in NY and NJ too, but there are tolls all over the place.

Just wondering what could help get funding for bridge revisions and support. I know nothing about economics and gov't so I am just trying to gain more insight.

If one bridge collapsed like this, should we be worried about others doing this too?

I'd be more then willing to pay to drive on a toll road if the money were used to keep the roads & bridges safe. I also think they could have a toll bridge to get across. I'm originally from Iowa & we had them there.

My hubby is now using the other bridge Gov Pawlenty is talking about, that is made just like the I35 bridge. Gov is calling for an inspection on it. I cringed hearing anyone has to use it.

Mn is far from a poor state & rest assured they'll find the money for the new bridge to replace the I35 bridge. Traffic is horrible in the Twin Cities it is bumper to bumper on all the bridges around the Twin Cities.

 

[Gina_M]

It's just amazing to me that more people weren't killed, especially those on the bus. And a small miracle to say the least that the bus landed upright. I wonder though what happened to the truck driver ~ did he escape before the fire started, is he hospitalized or did he perish?

This article mentions a truck driver -

Gary Babineau was driving a truck in front of the bus when the collapse occurred. After recovering from his momentary shock, Babineau said he climbed out of his truck and rushed to help the kids in the school bus behind him.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.collapse.schoolbus/index.html



but I'm not sure if that's the truck that caught fire or a different one.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I'd be more then willing to pay to drive on a toll road if the money were used to keep the roads & bridges safe. I also think they could have a toll bridge to get across. I'm originally from Iowa & we had them there.

My hubby is now using the other bridge Gov Pawlenty is talking about, that is made just like the I35 bridge. Gov is calling for an inspection on it. I cringed hearing anyone has to use it.

Mn is far from a poor state & rest assured they'll find the money for the new bridge to replace the I35 bridge. Traffic is horrible in the Twin Cities it is bumper to bumper on all the bridges around the Twin Cities.

I have another question... I've never been to MN, so please pardon my ignorance :blushing:

Now that this birdge has collapsed, where will all the cars go to get where they need to? Have alternate routes been set up? Is this going to double traffic on other bridges, which could cause more collapsing?

Gosh, what a mess it must be for everyone there.