Lessons for Baltimore: How Minneapolis recovered from its I-35W bridge collapse 17 years ago

[ProudMNDemocrat]

As this relates to the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Our hearts go out to you.

The collapse of the the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is unfortunately not the first deadly collapse of a major interstate bridge in the US. But the response to a bridge failure in Minneapolis 17 years ago, one of the most catastrophic bridge failures in recent memory, could serve as a roadmap for Baltimore moving forward.

On August 1, 2007, when cars were bumper to bumper in evening rush hour traffic along Interstate 35W in Minneapolis, the heavily trafficked, eight-lane bridge that spanned the Mississippi River suddenly failed and collapsed into the river and railyard below. Thirteen people were killed, and nearly 150 more were injured.

In addition to the tragic loss of lives and the immediate damage, the collapse of the I-35W bridge cut off a major transportation artery for the Twin Cities. About 140,000 cars a day traversed the I-35W bridge that once stood more than 100 feet above the Mighty Mississippi.

On Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made a post on social media site X calling the news of the collapse “heart-wrenching” and added that “as we pray for the people of Maryland, we’re offering any resources they may need as they grapple with this tragedy.”

More at....https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/economy/minneapolis-bridge-collapse-baltimore-lessons/index.html

[brooklynite]

1. Not entirely relevant...

...the Mississippi at Minneapolis isn't a major shipping channel and the bridge was a shorter span.

[Goodheart]

2. Man, no joke

I don't see much similarity there. Even in the provided picture there's another span parallel to the Minneapolis bridge that could be used to mitigate the disaster... nothing similar exists in Baltimore.

[MineralMan]

3. But there is a relationship between the two.

However, in Baltimore, there is no land access to the collapse site. In Minneapolis, the river is narrow enough to enable operations from shore. That is a huge difference, especially in the process of removing the wreckage. It's very, very difficult to do heavy lifts like that from the water. That's going to be a huge delaying issue in getting that shipping channel opened back up.

[Scruffy1]

8. If it was built over water it can be removed over water. No problem. n/t.

[question everything]

4. But the bridge in Baltimore was first bumped by the ship, no?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Bumped?

The ship crashed into the bridge.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-captures-terrifying-moment-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapses-sh-rcna145066

[Deep State Witch]

5. The closest to something like this

Was the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay in 1980. It was also hit by a container ship.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/sunshine-skyway-bridge-francis-scott-key-baltimore-tampa-st-pete-florida-pinellas-hillsborough-collapse-boat-freighter

[mitch96]

11. And it took 7 years to replace... nt

[Ocelot II]

6. Very different bridges, of course; but I think the point of the article

was that when it becomes necessary it's possible to respond much more quickly than expected. I remember well when the I35 bridge collapsed; in those days I crossed that bridge at least once a week. But of course there were several other ways to get where I was going, and like everybody else I quickly rerouted. I also recall some talk that the bridge would be rebuilt especially quickly because the GOP convention was to be held in St. Paul the following September, and our odious tool of a then-governor, Tim Pawlenty, wouldn't want a mess or an inconvenience to dampen his hopes for the running mate spot on the ticket (he was considered but passed over for Sarah Palin). But there were really serious reasons for getting that bridge rebuilt since it was part of the interstate highway system, and the alternate routes were slower and less convenient. Tthe Key bridge is of course a much bigger deal, not so much because it was a land transportation route but because the wreckage is blocking a major port (the I35 bridge was well upstream of all significant Mississippi shipping so there's no comparison there). Obviously it's going to take a long time to remove that mess before they can even start building a new bridge.

[Goodheart]

9. About the bridge, itself... It sure looks like it was built on the cheap

Check the video. The ship crashes into the left pylon, detaches the roadway from that one, and then the road sort of seesaws over the other one and then down.

Did no one foresee that a ship crashing into one of the supports would cause the entire roadway to disappear? Seems to me that at the very least the road between the right support and the land should have survived... thus sparing all the lives that might have been on that portion of the bridge.

[localroger]

10. The bridge was built 50 years ago for a different world.

In the 1970's nearly all ships were sized to fit through the Panama Canal, making them about a quarter the mass of this one. The bridge is a cantilever design, which is standard for long spans. It is similar to a suspension bridge except that instead of transmitting the load that supports the roadbed to anchors in the ground at the ends, it transmits the load through the truss to the two supports. Those two supports essentially support the entire bridge; the ends which meet the approaches are not supported by the approaches, but by the weight of the middle of the bridge balancing out the ends. Any major breach in the truss will take out the entire bridge. This is also true of all suspension bridges. They are built that way because, for long-span bridges, it is indeed cheaper -- as in possible, rather than impossible. The alternative is not a stronger more expensive bridge, it is no bridge at all. Most designers are not in the habit of making their designs safe against things that don't exist when the design is finalized and built. (See also: the World Trade Center towers, hit by planes that did not exist when they were built.)

[LiberalFighter]

12. Maybe ships with cargo should not be allowed past that point?