PING.
Woke Bridge Broke.
University leadership has escaped scrutiny in this case. Overly aggressive project schedule and a policy of making politically correct hires of contractors and consultants... add that to the mix of what went wrong.
“The highest priority now? To truly honor those who lost their lives that day”
Why should you be honored for being squished by a bridge?
Interesting that there’s no link to the actual report....
This is another case of get there itis in slo-mo..
Whamen designed that bridge.
Figg Engineering had a solid reputation. Why did they made a stupid mistake? Miami Herald provides a clue:
FIGG — which has offices in Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota and Pennsylvania — was founded 40 years ago by Eugene Figg Jr., a Citadel graduate and structural engineer who is credited with helping to revolutionize bridge development through the use of segmental construction. Eugene Figg died in 2002, and his daughter, Linda Figg, is the firm’s president and CEO.Lynda Figg's bio has
Linda Figg is President/CEO and Director of Bridge Art for Figg Bridge Engineers (FIGG), a company that specializes in creating world-class bridges by blending state-of-the-art engineering with timeless artistry. Her firm is designing the new I-35 West St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., and she serves as the bridge's Visual Quality Manager. Among the bridges designed by Figg Bridge Engineers are two that serve the D.C. Metro Branch Avenue station. The bridges won the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers Grand Award for Engineering Excellence (2001). Bridges designed by FIGG have received over 280 design awards for innovation and beauty, including three Presidential Awards through the National Endowment for the Arts. These aesthetically pleasing bridges have graced the covers of over 200 national and international publications, been featured on five History Channel "Modern Marvels" programs in the past seven years, and have appeared in books on the world's most famous bridges and marvels of the modern world. FIGG pioneered new technologies in bridges that are important to the long-term viability of our nation's infrastructure.Reading between the lines, she was handed the company after Daddy died, and likes getting awards for making things pretty.Linda serves on the board of directors in the Construction Industry Round Table, an advocacy group comprised of 100 CEOs of America's leading engineering, architecture and construction companies, and the board of directors of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
Figg's passion for aesthetics, sustainability and responsible construction of our nation's infrastructure has led her to focus on improving the quality of life in bridging communities.
A failure case that I’m watching closely is the parking garage in downtown Indianapolis. Sometime about mid-October, a couple in a car on the 4th floor hit the retaining wall around the outside where cars park against. The wall fell away into an alleyway, the car followed it and flipped upside down when it landed and the couple was killed. Yes there is a question of how fast the car was going when it hit the wall.... but have you seen the pictures of how that wall was supported? Sheeeeesh… it doesn’t look like it would have withstood a 3 mph bump. If ever I saw an accident waiting to happen, it was that garage. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2019/10/24/city-market-parking-garage-accident-what-we-know-and-dont-know/4081607002/
I have a bit of a special interest in this case.... I had a meeting in downtown Indianapolis a couple of days before and if I had of been in the right lane, I’d have parked there. As it was, I parked around the corner. After seeing the pictures of the failure, I don’t think that I’ll ever look at a parking garage the same way again.
There is alot of groupthink and laziness in our society. One is immediately attacked by the mob of mediocre people, lied about, and accused if one speaks up about shoddy practices.
JoMa