from the but-lets-talk-about-their-aquaducts dept.
A long section of the towering Ponte Morandi Bridge completely collapsed in Genoa, Italy, on Tuesday, sending cars and trucks on the A10 highway crashing down below. Dozens of people died in the bridge failure, officials say.
As news emerged from the chaotic scene, the death toll fluctuated several times Tuesday. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said there were 22 dead, according to public broadcaster Rai News. But Italy's ANSA news agency has reported at least 37 people died, citing the fire brigade.
Workers have found bodies and vehicles in the massive amount of wreckage left by the collapse — and at least 11 people have been pulled from the rubble alive, Italian media report.
[...] The disaster struck shortly before noon, when one of the bridge's central pillars collapsed during a violent rainstorm. A witness told ANSA that lightning had struck the bridge before the collapse.
[...] The bridge was built in the late 1960s, at a length of more than 3,600 feet. It had recently been the subject of renovation and repair efforts. Italian roadway company Autostrade says the most recent work included consolidating the viaduct's base — a project that included installing a bridge crane.
Besides the obvious news value of this event, I'd be curious of any civil engineers or structural engineers could comment on the engineering behind such things. What causes these types of crumblings to happen, and exactly how reliable is infrastructure around the world?
(Score: 2, Touché) by isostatic on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:51AM (23 children)
Another one? There was a bridge collapse a couple of days ago in that region too. It was headline news across the world.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Kunasou on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:55AM (3 children)
It's the same bridge collapse.
Sadly, there's another section of the bridge that is in danger of collapse too (this one has several flats below).
(Score: 4, Interesting) by canopic jug on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:36AM (2 children)
Apparently the maintenance was outsourced to a private company [theguardian.com] which seems to have just pocketed the money rather than spend any on maintenance. That is above and beyond the engineering problems
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @11:53AM
That's Genoacide!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:33PM
Methinks a bankrupting lawsuit is necessary: except you won't be able to financially touch those that need to be punished, probably.
Sad what a dollar will do to people that don't really need it.
"If I squeeze this for another dollar by using THIS shit, ...... ....... YAY, I WIN!" and people die. Clever girl.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by janrinok on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:23AM (17 children)
But perhaps not in the USA.
We Europeans seem to cover news from the rest of the world in preference to repeating the same old political stories repeatedly.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:41AM (13 children)
Fox News had a story about General Franco's tomb in Spain. But, you said nobody would be interested. Sub rejected!!! foxnews.com/world/2018/08/05/gen-francisco-franco-is-still-dead-but-entombed-maybe-not-much-longer.html [foxnews.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:41PM (12 children)
I'm not sure what the connection is between your comment and the story printed above? Or is this comment somehow related to your failed attempt this morning to get an alt-right story published under someone else's nick?
However, you are wrong again. I suggested that you put the Franco story in your journal because it wasn't going to make the front page. There was no STEM angle to the Franco story (there is certainly a STEM angle to a bridge collapsing).
If you submit a decent story on almost anything other than the alt-right, or if you post a new story on a topic related to the alt-right, then your submission will be viewed along with all the others. If you keep submitting stories that are simply critical of the alt-right but provide no new insight then they probably won't be picked up. Stories get rejected when most of the editors have looked at them and declined to publish them. We understand that you are mounting a campaign against the alt-right but this site is not obligated to support you in your endeavour. Have you tried submitting your stories to a site that is more in tune with your own political views?
SN does not support, condone or aid any particular political party or belief.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:42PM (1 child)
I'm American. And so is Fox News. Well, you said something nasty about Americans. And American News Media. You tried to get a rise out of us. You succeeded, because I answered. I replied. And got down-modded for my trouble. And now you're pretending you don't understand my answer, my reply. I think you understand. It's very very easy to understand. Fox News is American news media. They had a story about Spain. I'm American, I thought it was very interesting. But the Chief Editor here -- you, @janrinok -- turned it down, you said folks here wouldn't be interested. And now you're saying, you think American news doesn't have stories about the rest of the world. And Americans don't want to read them. WRONG! You believe we're not interested in stories about the rest of the world. So you reject our Subs with stories about the rest of the world. So we don't have discussions about those stories. So you don't see anything that goes against your belief that we're not interested. Etc!!! Little circle there.....
About our alt-right, I don't know what the hell you are talking about. I'm very fair to our alt-right. Very fair. And my Subs are very fair. I go with Fox News as much as possible, sometimes they're critical, I think they're very fair. You did something VERY STRANGE. You "accepted" 3 of my Subs about our alt-right and alt-left. Thank you. But you didn't run them. In the Subs Queue it said, "merge janrinok" and there were my Subs, 3 different stories in one Sub. The story about the violent protest in California. The story about Antifa pouring water on Charlie Kirk & Candace Owens. And the story about Patriot Prayer's peaceful rally in Portland. Mostly peaceful. You put them all together and it's now erased. Or hidden. And some other Subs I did, you rejected those. With a pathetic excuse of, I'm politically biased. And I use exclamation points. I'm absolutely biased. So are you. And so many biased stories get run -- much much more biased than mine. People don't even try to be fair. I try very hard. I don't put in a lot of my own opinions. And I tell folks about the stories on Fox News, they're very fair. Very balanced. They know there's MANY SIDES to stories. My Subs are the least biased you've ever seen in your entire life.
You keep saying, oh, you don't like politics. You don't like the stories about politics. The people that run the site decided to have stories about politics. Editor @martyb ran one just a little while ago, about our immigration plan. The story about the bridge, obviously very political. You came and tweeted about how Europeans don't want to hear about "the same old political stories." Going back to, I guess, 1967 when they put up the bridge. Well, so many folks are tweeting, "look at these old stories, they said the bridge was VERY UNSAFE." People didn't want to hear the same old political stories. They didn't pay attention to those. And they died (RIP!!!!). And you don't want us to pay attention to our alt-left, our alt-right. Because, I guess, they bore you. Like, up until yesterday, so many folks were bored by old political stories about some old bridge in Genoa. They didn't pay attention to it. And it was a DISASTER for them. For you stuck-up Europeans.
And I don't know what the hell you're talking about, about my Subs from this morning about our alt-right. I didn't make any. Because of your goofy messages and actions. Rejecting my Subs without reading past the headline. We had some wonderful events last weekend with our alt-left and alt-right. We had Unite the Right 2 in Washington -- very peaceful because of our brave Law Enforcement. And a much bigger rally in Bedminster. Where I met Bikers for Trump. Great time, beautiful pictures from that one. But I didn't make Subs for those. Because, big waste of time, I knew you'd reject them. You thought I made Subs this morning -- I didn't -- I guess they're already rejected? You say Subs are rejected "after most of the Editors have looked at them." I doubt that. I doubt that. Because you say they were turned in this morning. And in America it's afternoon, folks are still working very hard, or just getting off work -- more and more folks working here. So I think a lot of the Editors didn't get to see those Subs. And I wonder who rejected them. I don't have Casinos any more. But if I did, I'd bet it was you. You thought they were submitted by me, so you rejected them, am I right? I'm central-right, by the way. Not alt-right. But I think there are some fine people in our alt-right. Bikers for Trump, very fine people. Very tough.
And possibly you're thinking, "oh, he's a politician. If we put his Subs on the website, it helps him out." It does get my name out there, that's true. But you put up A LOT of VERY NEGATIVE stories about me and my Party. Then I say, "what about the 157,000 JOBS?" I did a Sub about the 157,000 new jobs in July. And you rejected that one. Because I put an exclamation point in it. Really pathetic excuse, in my opinion. I did a Sub about how MILLIONS of Americans are getting off Food Stamps, rejected with no message. And I did a Sub about my sanctions against Iran, how they're very positive for our Stock Markets and Oil prices. You rejected that one without reading past the headline. Because I put an exclamation point in the headline. You said that was the reason, that's a very dumb & pathetic reason. The Editors run the negative stories, you reject the positive. And you say you don't support any Party. But the stories that make me & my Party look bad go up. You turn down the positive news about us. And if you think about it, that helps the Dems. Big league!!!
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday August 17 2018, @06:45AM
Try looking at these - all posted by me:
Oh gosh - they are all politics! And that is only going back top the beginning of June. You only see what you want to see.
If you wish to be considered as a serious contributor stop acting like a troll. You can't have it both ways. Use one of your other nicks.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:37PM (9 children)
Yeah, pretty much a Who Cares story.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Friday August 17 2018, @12:45AM (8 children)
I made the Sub about "Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Canada after Canada urges activists' release!" too. Rejected because of Exclamation Point. But, who cares about Justin's shithole Country, right?
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday August 17 2018, @02:07AM (7 children)
:)
You're sounding less and less Donald Trump-ish!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday August 17 2018, @03:08AM (6 children)
I'm still me. But the Witch Hunt has been very tiring for me. And, I didn't write the headline. That's not me. I quoted it from Fox News. Except the Exclamation Point!!!!
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday August 17 2018, @06:30AM (5 children)
You submitted 5 stories and, coincidentally, seemed to add an exclamation mark to each title. It was an attempt to exaggerate each story which was unnecessary. Had it been one or even 2 stories I would probably have simply corrected them and they might have made the front page. I left the stories in the submission queue to see if any other editors were interested in working with them. There were no takers. However, all the submissions were political and I decided that we didn't need 5 political stories. You are falling into the same trap as Aristarchus in that you think that this site should publish your own personal agenda. It is not so.
There is no witch hunt. If you wish your stories to be accepted as serious material then perhaps you might consider submitting them under another of your aliases so the the rDT name doesn't make them appear quite so trollish?
Martyb has posted political stories and, if you check, you will see that all editors have. I have released political stories where there is a chance of an intelligent discussion being generated, and I have submitted political stories for other editors to publish should they choose to do so. However, political stories remain only a small part of our output which is openly in favour of stories that have a STEM connection, even though we might sometimes interpret that definition very broadly. The site has chosen to include political stories, but it has not chosen to publish political stories in preference to those that meet the technical bias that the site was created for.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday August 17 2018, @12:40PM (4 children)
"You are falling into the same trap as Aristarchus in that you think that this site should publish your own personal agenda."
That's it! Nail on the head.
That's the words I was looking for.
Now if only Aristarchus would read that.....
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 17 2018, @09:39PM (3 children)
Aristarchus fell into a trap? No wonder he has not been submitting of late. But you are wrong, Gaaaaaark. Aristarchus' only agenda was to counter the obvious alt-right libertarian STEM Deep State bias of SN. QAnon reads SoylentNews!!
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Saturday August 18 2018, @09:14AM (2 children)
And, as if by sheer coincidence, the only other nick that users this IP hash is 'Aristarchus'. Hi Ari!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 18 2018, @10:08AM (1 child)
Check your data, JR. You could be mistaken.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Saturday August 18 2018, @11:21AM
There are only 2 users of this hash, Anonymous Coward and Aristarchus, who last used it on 3 Aug. However, it is a hash and not a unique IP, so there could be a hash collision. Unlikely, but possible.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday August 16 2018, @06:29PM
Headline news in Canada, too.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:58PM (1 child)
To be fair to the AC, they submitted it on the day, it's just soylent's treacle
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:38PM
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment [wikipedia.org]
;)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:16PM
You must be new here. Because the stories, usually, it's not today's news. It's the news from the last week or two.
(Score: 5, Informative) by aiwarrior on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:34AM (3 children)
It seems this civil engineer is famous for bridges which are defective. In a portuguese newspaper article[1](which i proudly subscribe) they made an article about the story of the bridges that this Morandi fellow did in the 60s all over the world. They were quite popular and he even patented the method. In the article they mention 3 countries that closed off his bridges.
In the article they point to an Italian Civil Engineering journal [2], which republished a 2016 article where an engineer called out to the serious design defects of the bridges of Morandi.
The articles are in portuguese and italian, but a google translate should give you the gist of the problem. Basically the dude used concrete for tension stresses instead of steel. It is more or less a common rule that concrete is outstanding for compression stresses but tension is taken care by steel.
[1] https://www.publico.pt/2018/08/15/mundo/noticia/o-metodo-do-engenheiro-morandi-criou-pontes-com-problemas-1841145 [publico.pt]
[2] http://www.ingegneri.info/news/infrastrutture-e-trasporti/ponte-morandi-genova-analisi-infrastrutturale/ [ingegneri.info]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:26AM (1 child)
once again I am surprised that a terry pratchett story is made into fact by humanity.
he had this character called "bloody stupid johnson", who probably tried to build bridges as well (I can't remember everything), and this morandi person seems to be channeling him.
if everything he wrote is turning real, maybe he should have written happier stories...
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:28PM
I wonder how old the stories are. And, did they come first. Because the bridge was finished in 1967.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday August 16 2018, @01:28PM
A Slide Rule is an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:36AM (3 children)
Photos and info about the bridge, before the collapse (2015)
http://www.retrofutur.org/retrofutur/app/main?DOCID=1000111180 [retrofutur.org]
(from the comment section of that page )
article about the consolidation intervention in 1993
https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110058/http://wwwas.roma2.infn.it/docomomo/franco.html [archive.org]
CYA
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:53PM (2 children)
The other info that's not highlighted enough is the consequences of that estimate that 25 million annual trips happened on the bridge. It's over 50m above the ground. There are few other bridges over that river, and only one of significant capacity nearby.
They're gonna take the rest of it down, design a new one, which will have to comply to the newest norms, and then build that.
They're in for a few years of insane traffic jams.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:46PM (1 child)
Oh crap: hope it's not a tourist area.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @11:04PM
Nah, it's just the link between the French Provence and Riviera, and the Italian Riviera and Tuscany. Nobody ever goes there.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:03PM (5 children)
No way we would have that type of problem here in the US. Just look at this bridge report [artba.org]:
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:07PM (4 children)
We just need to convinced the Pentagon that Canada and Mexico are about to invade, and suddenly there will be money printed to safely accommodate ten tanks of every bridge.
Priorities...
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:19PM (3 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @09:26PM
If you bomb random US bridges, 10% will be deficient ones that needed replacement, so you just saved yourself the corrupt process of naming a demolition company.
I expect that the further North you bomb, the more the percentage of deficient bridges increases.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:48PM (1 child)
We COULD get rid of Trump for you, lol.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday August 18 2018, @08:56AM
Or not. I'm one of those who thinks that revolution is more effective than evolution, and think that Trump is merely good progress towards an ultimate implosion that leads to the ultimate putsch.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Informative) by MostCynical on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:22PM (4 children)
This guy gave it ten years.
The local council is the same party that is sharing power nationally in Italy, and are the blaming the EU.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/in-ten-years-this-bridge-will-collapse-the-man-who-foresaw-a-tragedy-20180816-p4zxqf.html [smh.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:37PM
Thank you for sharing. This is fucking despicable all around.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:48PM
"We Europeans seem to cover news from the rest of the world in preference to repeating the same old political stories repeatedly." -- @janrinok
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:55PM (1 child)
Councillor Paolo Putti was furious.
“I take this opportunity to express my feeling of anger… and I must also say a bit of amazement,” he said.
In 10 years, Putti said, far from ruing a bridge collapse, entrepreneurs would instead wonder why they had squandered €5 billion ($7.8 billion) on the bypass.
He said the bridge could stand for another 100 years.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday August 17 2018, @12:07AM
€5billion saved
M5S in power locally and nationally
Fewer than 30 dead.
Not bad ROI for supporing the NIMBYs, and saving money!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 5, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday August 16 2018, @01:16PM (1 child)
The timeline seems to be approximately this:
1945-1965: Thanks to a massive government investment in public works and infrastructure, bridges were built all over the US and Europe. This bridges were designed with an expected lifespan of 50 years, which was seen at the time to be a pretty good compromise between durability and cost.
1995-2015: The politicians in charge of the governments in question are now faced with the prospect of replacing those bridges. But replacing bridges is expensive and difficult, and taxpayers don't like paying for it. Plus it reduces money available for those politicians' pet projects. So instead, they try to maintain the old bridges instead in a half-assed sort of way (for instance, in my area there was a bridge where they were reducing the weight on it by simply blocking off several lanes - this has thankfully been replaced in the last couple of years).
2005-present: A bunch of the bridges collapse, exactly as predicted when they were built. Everyone acts like this is a surprise that nobody could have possibly predicted. Which conveniently absolves all of those who had the predictions in front of them and chose to ignore them.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Saturday August 18 2018, @04:18AM
To add to the fun, many of the major bridges built before WWII had an expected lifespan of 80 years, and the ones built around the turn of the previous century were expected to last a century. So it's not just the 50-year old bridges bridges reaching the end of their lives, a lot of the remaining older bridges that are 80-100 years old are also at the point where they either need to be replaced or require extensive renovations.
(Score: 2) by isj on Thursday August 16 2018, @03:11PM (7 children)
Partially informative: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/11/26 [gocomics.com]
Not entirely untrue - there is destructive testing done on many things: utility poles, cars, masts, ...
I recall an episode in BBC Open University at night about masts for electricity cables. It was long and dry and sleep-inducing, but interesting anyway. The civil engineer explained some of the calculations and which factors to include, a clip was shown of the destructive test (pulling the mast sideways), and the engineer explaining that the mast was actualyly2% stronger than anticipated probably because the steel was of slighter higher quality than expected.
I haven't heard about destructive testing of full bridges. Maybe because they are expensive, or maybe because they are mostly unique?
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday August 16 2018, @04:37PM
Um, I'm trying to think of how you would / could do destructive testing on something as big as a bridge. I guess you could just load it up with boulders, then start adding them until it fails, but wow what an expensive test and mess.
You can test small pieces and calculate the additive loads and stresses in the bigger structure.
USA PBS TV science show Nova did a fascinating (to me) series called "Building Big". They chronicled the construction of many building around the world, including London's Leadenhall Building's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/122_Leadenhall_Street [wikipedia.org]. I forget which building, but in one of the episodes I remember them testing concrete batches before okaying the next batch's installation.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @06:32PM (2 children)
> I haven't heard about destructive testing of full bridges. Maybe because they are expensive, or maybe because they are mostly unique?
Maybe it's because structural engineers learn math ?
(Score: 2) by isj on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:22PM (1 child)
Engineers do learn math but they also have the good sense to perform empirical tests
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:47PM
These days you get the computer to calculate the sway and tell you your margin.
Then, at the end of construction, you drive a whole bunch of trucks onto your bridge and measure the flexing against the math.
Nobody does destructive testing on full-scale expensive multi-year (and usually late) projects. Material science has made a lot of progress, and mechanical engineers and architects don't need to trigger a 7.0 quake to verify their margins.
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:14PM (2 children)
A reasonable destructive test of a bridge is not only expensive. It is also way beyond current technology. The bridges do fail in many ways - including quakes, minor landslides, winds, ice buildup, material degradation, or a combination thereof. Bearing a static load is something pretty well known in a civil engineering and not usually at fault. And we clearly are not in a position to create a 100km/h wind for the whole bridge.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:44PM (1 child)
There's something called the Wind Tunnel. Which our airplane companies use -- Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop Grumman. So their airplanes will be PERFECTO. And they make a VERY SMALL airplane that fits in the Wind Tunnel. But possibly they can't make a bridge that small!!!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @11:02PM
If you stick your hand out the window while driving you have, in effect, a wind tunnel. But I hear you have small hands.
:(
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:22PM (2 children)
The romans called. they want their bridges back ...
(Score: 3, Interesting) by isj on Thursday August 16 2018, @07:32PM (1 child)
Not necessarily. All Roman crap bridges have probably crumbled away a long time ago, leaving only the good ones standing.
But they did do a few interesting things:
1: They used volcanic ash in the mix that appears to slow change to aluminous tobermorite, making the concrete stronger over time.
2: They had a lot of manpower, so they could use a much dryer cement mix and hammer it into place (What is Concrete? [youtu.be]) instead of pouring as we do today. This makes the cement stronger.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @11:06PM
Wish I could get my dad on here (he's a retired civil engineer (Queens university, expert on saving old bridges for modern traffic weight)).
But he wouldn't sit through all the garbage on here, lol.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:31PM
I think, and I'm not qualified to say this, that a tension element failed on the yellow building side of the bridge opposite where the box truck stopped. The central tower on that side couldn't take the unbalanced load, and failed toward the truck side. That left portions of the deck suspended by the tension elements on the remaining tower and that tower failed under the axial load. The remaining decking snapped at the expansion joint and fell.
Why do I say that?
There is a piece of decking skewered into the ground perpendicular to the road surface on the box truck side. That was suspended from something. All of the other decking fell flat, and it looks like it fell toward the box truck side. The yellow building side tower is under most of the debris.
The non-yellow building side support tower is on top of the rest of the rubble.
The expansion joints are clearly visible on both sides of the remaining structure.
Someone should stitch all the images from this together into Photosynth so armchair engineers can 'fly' around it.