Mineappolis Bridge Collapse

[Katryna]

I thought it fitting to mention this terrible disaster and say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims as well as the police, fire, rescue, doctors, nurses, and the numerous Good Samaritans whose stories we have started to hear.

[rducasey]

What an awful tragedy! My thoughts and prayers are also with those people. I can not even imagine how awful that must have been for them. It made me think of one in late eighties probably right near you Maggie, The Mianus (?) bridge collapse. I never travel that stretch of 95 without giving that thought. I believe that one was in the night, and people just drove right off the edge not even knowing the roadway had collapsed. What a nightmare.

[Deleted]

This is God-awful; I'm going to read it later when I get to work, but good God almighty!!!!! How many bridges there are in NY .... I couldn't even imagine it.

[maggiethecat]

What I can't get over is how many people have apparently survived whan you would have thought otherwise -- I'm thinking specifically of the young woman who was driving the red car that the truck landed on, who got out without a scratch and was calmly giving an interview later. Unbelievable.

But I cannot think of anything worse that having the road you're driving on just start to fall away underneath you. Mary mentioned the Mianus River Bridge collapse on I-95, which was back in the 1980s; a section of the southbound roadbed just fell to the river below one morning about 5:00-ish. I know that stretch of road well since that's my exit, and I won't drive across the damned thing even now. (If you want directions to how to get off and back on and avoid it, Mary, just let me know!) Miraculously, in that case no one was killed since the traffic was light -- the worst injuries were an eighteen-wheeler driver whose truck just dropped into the river. I then lived approximately -- oh, maybe ten blocks? a quarter of a mile? -- from the bridge and the noise was terrific. Like a bomb going off.

Here's what I wonder about the Minneapolis bridge: two weeks before the Mianus River Bridge fell, all the birds who had been living under it just left their nests and vanished. True story. Spooky, eh?

I just hope this story in Minneapolis doesn't get worse when they start getting into the cars in the river, but I'm afraid it will. And we should all send up a prayer for the divers who will be doing the work, since the site is reportedly quite dangerous because of the debris and metal in the river.

I still can't quite believe what we were looking at . . . it just doesn't seem real.

[Deleted]

I couldn't agree with you more -

as to the birds. Not shocking at all - animals have a sense, they know when disaster is looming. I always say pay attention to the animals, they know.

But back to this. The idea that, according to Yahoo, only 7 people perished shocks me. Yet, as Maggie pointed out, there are cars in the river.

Offers of prayers for all in Minneapolis are a must.

[bjobsessed]

The death toll has been lowered to 4 according to CNN, but there are still 20-30 people missing so I'm sure it won't stay that way unfortunately.

[Deleted]

I have to ask - do we have any family here on this board that live in Minneapolis (I don't seem to think so), or do any of us know anyone who lives there? Just making sure all is well over here.

[inuvik]

We had one collapse in Quebec at the end of September. It's bringing that back for me.

The scary thing about this one is they said on the news that it had been inspected in 2001, 2005, and 2006, and found to be structurally sound. So what's going on?

[hoosier]

I had a cousin (now deceased) who lived near the Minneapolis area. As far as I know, no one else is there.

These days the first thought is of terrorism, which they were quick to reassure us it was not. Who knows what will suddenly cause a bridge, or anything for that matter, to collapse. Years ago, an iron bridge over the Wabash River went down as a train (luckily not a passenger one) was going over. That ,if I remember correctly, was a result of plain wear and tear. I did notice that state officials were quick to reassure everyone that all our bridges are in good shape.

This morning I heard that a man was in the river searching for his daughter. Hopefully, he was able to find her. I am afraid that the toll will soon rise when they are finally able to lift those sections now in the water.

[Katryna]

maggiethecat said:

But I cannot think of anything worse that having the road you're driving on just start to fall away underneath you. Mary mentioned the Mianus River Bridge collapse on I-95, which was back in the 1980s; a section of the southbound roadbed just fell to the river below one morning about 5:00-ish. I know that stretch of road well since that's my exit, and I won't drive across the damned thing even now. (If you want directions to how to get off and back on and avoid it, Mary, just let me know!)

I remember the Mianus River Bridge collapse well also. My parents had driven over it the evening before it collapsed. When 95 reopened, I always felt safe driving over that bridge. I thought that of all the bridges in the state, that particular one had gotten about as much attention as possible!

I agree, Maggie, having the roadway beneath you fall (particularly if you are above water) must be horrifying. This particular bridge in Minneapolis had been deemed structurally deficient. I read a news report earlier this evening that said nationally there are 70,000 bridges designated as "structurally deficient". This does not necessarily mean they are in danger of collapse apparently. Doesn't that make you feel like you are playing Russian Roullete each time you cross a bridge!

[mlm828]

My heart goes out to all who have been touched by this tragedy, and especially to the family members who are still awaiting word about their missing loved ones, and to the rescue workers who are doing the heart-breaking job of recovering the victims.

kathy said:

I agree, Maggie, having the roadway beneath you fall (particularly if you are above water) must be horrifying. This particular bridge in Minneapolis had been deemed structurally deficient. I read a news report earlier this evening that said nationally there are 70,000 bridges designated as "structurally deficient". This does not necessarily mean they are in danger of collapse apparently. Doesn't that make you feel like you are playing Russian Roulette each time you cross a bridge!

Here in Southern California, we don't have a lot of bridges that go over water, but we have plenty of freeway bridges and overpasses. In recent years, many of them have been retrofitted to withstand earthquakes better. But I still feel a little nervous sometimes when I'm sitting in traffic under an eight-lane freeway overpass.

[Deleted]

mlm828 said:

My heart goes out to all who have been touched by this tragedy, and especially to the family members who are still awaiting word about their missing loved ones, and to the rescue workers who are doing the heart-breaking job of recovering the victims.

kathy said:

I agree, Maggie, having the roadway beneath you fall (particularly if you are above water) must be horrifying. This particular bridge in Minneapolis had been deemed structurally deficient. I read a news report earlier this evening that said nationally there are 70,000 bridges designated as "structurally deficient". This does not necessarily mean they are in danger of collapse apparently. Doesn't that make you feel like you are playing Russian Roulette each time you cross a bridge!

Here in Southern California, we don't have a lot of bridges that go over water, but we have plenty of freeway bridges and overpasses. In recent years, many of them have been retrofitted to withstand earthquakes better. But I still feel a little nervous sometimes when I'm sitting in traffic under an eight-lane freeway overpass.

Are you anywhere near the Golden Gate? That's a pretty HUGE bridge, right? I've never seen it up close and personal.

[mlm828]

divinemrse said:

Are you anywhere near the Golden Gate? That's a pretty HUGE bridge, right? I've never seen it up close and personal.

Um, no -- unless you consider about 500 miles "close." The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County, to the north. Yes, I've been across it, and it is spectacular. I hate to tell you, Barb, but there are some pretty interesting places west of the Hudson!

We have a rather spectacular bridge here in San Diego -- the Coronado bridge, which goes across San Diego Bay from downtown to Coronado:



Coincidentally, it was inspected today and pronounced in good shape (we hope).

[Deleted]

mlm828 said:

I hate to tell you, Barb, but there are some pretty interesting places west of the Hudson!

I never said there wasn't - in fact, my cousin lived in Pasadena, which I absolutely loved and I've visited LA while I stayed with her; my next thing is to go to SanFran, stay there a bit and drive down the coast - my parents did that some 50 years ago. I hope, should we be lucky enough to retire, we wind up there because California is my favorite next to New York.

[Katryna]

mlm828 said:

We have a rather spectacular bridge here in San Diego -- the Coronado bridge, which goes across San Diego Bay from downtown to Coronado:



Coincidentally, it was inspected today and pronounced in good shape (we hope).

Wow! That's some scarey looking bridge! We don't have anything like that anywhere near where I live, but I do cross the Tappan Zee Bridge at least 8 times a year. I have a love/hate relationship with it. On one hand, bridges have always made me nervous and this is a loooong one compared to what I am used to. Yet there are beautiful views of the Hudson from the top. If it is a clear day you can even get a glimpse of Manhattan.