Posted on 04/22/2016 2:04:14 AM PDT by SMGFan
" – A new elevated bike path that was heralded as a top legacy project of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics collapsed Thursday, killing at least two people.
The accident on the Tim Maia bike path was the latest in a series of problems besetting preparations for the Aug. 5-21 games, which include worries about an outbreak of the Zika virus, political turmoil that threatens to topple President Dilma Rousseff, underwhelming ticket sales and budget cuts amid Brazil's worst recession in decades."
"The bike path is perched high above the water on concrete and metal pillars set into a rocky cliff. Inaugurated on Jan. 17 with much fanfare, the 45 million-real ($12.5 million) project was initially heralded as one of the most successful Olympic legacy projects, earning kudos for its spectacular views. But soon detractors began to complain that the brand-new structure was already showing signs of deterioration and that the narrowness of the path made cyclists easy prey for muggers."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I am so disappointed in Brazil.
Spent a good piece of time there, off and on from 2005 to 2011. Wonderful people. In 2005, they had a burgeoning economy and life was getting better for everybody.
Government officials took advantage of the good times. Corruption wasted untold billions. Infrastructure projects that went nowhere, programs for the poor that were bilked at more than 90%, etc.
Now, it’s a tangled mess.
A video of the bike path but it really the waves that caused the damage?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEes18YhvHy/
ping
I went to Rio in the late 80’s. Loved it.
It’s heart breaking to see what I see of it now.
(yes yes flame away the hard core right wingers, I enjoyed Carnival and naked women, and so did my wife, you have to LIVE a little)
(sometimes I feel I walk a fine line and am cautious about what I say here, lest I get grief)
That’s an awfully narrow bike path. I think a minimum bike lane is 4’, and that doesn’t look like 4’ per lane. And we try to do 12’ multipurpose trails.
There doesn't look to be much more than two relatively short bolts at each end of the pre-fab that bring the sections together ! ! !
Brazil has some of the highest import tariffs in the world.
The story is a bit confused. It talks about deterioration, mentions shoddy construction in Brazil, and quotes an official saying that such failures are unacceptable, but then says a large wave did the damage. If the path is exposed to regular wave damage, it's probably not long for the world.
Omen of things to come.
Ain't nothing wrong with that!
I was actually born naked. :-)
Persistent salt water exposure corrodes everything quickly .
At least the Chinese construction projects usually wait for a ground tremor or a strong wind to fall.
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