[RonMN]

They're speculating now that dozens may be dead...perhaps up to 30...many cars in the river have yet to be found. A person at work just told me she had gone over it 5 minutes before it collapsed.

[emersonbiggins]

All bridge threads have been merged into this thread.

[jedinvest]

Problems with Minnesota bridge noted twice since 2001Story Highlights

Yep, obsolete infrastructure. It looks like minimal cost engineering followed by mostly neglect. Also, factor in tax cuts to the wealthy during America's finance-led boom times.

[vision-master]

The Cops are not allowing anyone to get close enought to view anything. Total BS. The area is blocked off MILES around. Cops everywhere. Feds, State, County, City, Campus & wannabes. Welcome to the Police State. All the masses will get is the media spin on the TV. Now get back to work & keep shopping At Wally World.

[BigTex]

Has anyone seen the video of the collapse. It's on Fox News (other places too, I'm sure).

It's incredible. It just dropped all at once. It was like watching a video of a controlled demolition.

[emailking]

And with that, let the conspiracy theories begin!

[BigTex]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emailking', 'A')nd with that, let the conspiracy theories begin!

[emailking]

I know. But you know it's coming. It was a great segue.

[vision-master]

98 page MnDot report on 35w bridge -2001

[vision-master]

98 page MnDot report on 35W bridge - 2001

[Ferretlover]

Infrastructure Failure resources:
Police Emergency and Crisis Management Procedures
Emergency / Important Phone Numbers , Bomb Threats , Suspicious Letters & Packages , Civil Disturbances / Protests , Fire Emergencies , Evacuation Procedures – General Evacuation Procedures , Evacuation Procedures – Disabled Persons , Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) , Homeland Security , Infrastructure Failures , Medical Emergencies , Sheltering In Place , Weather Emergencies , Workplace Violence / Criminal Behavior

Link http://www.morgan.edu/emergency/pdf/Eme ... edness.pdf

Using Regional Economic Models to Estimate the Costs of Infrastructure Failures
Link: http://pwm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/3/256

AWWA Products [American Water Works Association] Estimating Health Risks From Infrastructure Failures The World Health Organization defines health as "...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Thus, public health consequences from water infrastructure failures--such as fear or panic, loss of business or income, loss of fire protection, loss of water for sanitation--must be considered along with the spread of waterborne disease. In this research, representatives of water utilities met with those from a variety of agencies--public health, environmental, medical, engineering, regulatory, and first response--to mutually explore the detection, prevention, and correction of adverse health outcomes caused by water infrastructure failures. The resulting report provides checklists, matrices, techniques, and recommendations for building a collaborative network of agencies, identifying infrastructure vulnerabilities, failure prevention, and health risk assessment. [This is an expensive book]
Link: http://www.awwa.org/bookstore/product.cfm?id=91125

Risk World Abstract of Meeting Paper Society for Risk Analysis 2002 Annual Meeting Social and Technological Risk Tradeoffs Associated With Infrastructure Failures in Extreme Events. R. Zimmerman, New York University/ICIS--Transportation, energy, communication, and environmental protection infrastructure failures during extreme events seem to be occurring with more severe consequences. These failures often directly threaten the health, safety and well-being of people who rely upon such services and also indirectly affect people when the movement of vital supplies during and immediately after such emergencies is disrupted.

Link: http://www.riskworld.com/Abstract/2002/ ... 2aa338.htm

[Twilight]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('CNN', '"')This particular section of freeway was under repair," Minneapolis fire Chief Jim Clack said. "We don't know yet what caused the collapse."

The bridge was undergoing nonstructural re-decking work, U.S. Transportation Department spokesman Brian Turmail said.

[Iaato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('IanC', 'S')o, what will it be: spend money to maintain largely automobile-based infrastructure (roads, bridges, viaducts, etc) or reallocate that money to more appropriate technology for a Post Peak future?

I hear (figuratively) a lot of posters on this site bemoaning the fact that we are not preparing for the future by retrofiting our car-based infrastructure ie. not building better infrastructure for bikes, trains, walkable communities. I'm one of those posters. However, we clearly have a choice to make regarding the vast amount of dollars it will take to maintain our current infrastructure. Should we maintain or highways or not? What makes sense for the future?

[JohnLudi]

I used to live less than a mile from that bridge! Drove it almost everyday for a while.

I am now officially spooked...

[emailking]

If you drive a car and cross bridges, then you have a far, far better chance of dying in a car accident than ever being involved at all in a bridge collapse.

[Heineken]

Well, that's obviously true, emailking. But just think how disruptive a bridge collapse is to the flow of the local civilization. The damage and cost radiate far beyond the immediate loss of life.

[frankthetank]

I know from here on out, if i'm going across a bridge, i'm gunning it before i hit the deck...I'll get across by momentum alone (THINK DUKES OF HAZARD)...



You got to wonder if these things were built in the late 60's, were they ever suppose to have a 100K+ autos going across them daily? We have the same type of bridge here crossing the Mississippi that was built around the same time.

[Ferretlover]

State by State Deficient Bridges Interactive Map

link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20093413/

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MonteQuest', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seldom_seen', 'I') think we need a thread devoted to infrastructure failure. It's getting hard to keep track of.

[frankthetank]

Governor of MN was on "Nightline" saying that the cost to replace this plus a couple other "things" would run between $150-300 million. I wonder if we can subtract that from Iraq/or the money we just gave to Israel ($30 billion)?

Another thought came to my mind. LAWSUITS. There should be a bundle of them.