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New bridge collapses into river in rural Saskatchewan hours after opening
The Globe adn Mail ^ | 9/18/2018

Posted on 09/19/2018 8:36:34 AM PDT by Gamecock

A rural politician in eastern Saskatchewan says he’s at a loss to explain why a newly built bridge collapsed just hours after opening.

But by 4:30 p.m. the same day, part of bridge deck had collapsed into the Swan River below.

“The company did not build a bridge to fall over. We sure didn’t buy a bridge to fall over,” Hicks said. “Nobody expected this.”

He received a call from the fire department soon after saying that the bridge went down.

Hicks suspects there may have been something under the bridge that let go which caused the collapse. He said he’s not blaming anyone, because he doesn’t know what happened.

The previous bridge had been in place for more than 50 years and Hicks estimates that 50 to 60 cars pass over it each day.

The bridge is mostly used by farmers, so Hicks said the municipality wanted the bridge completed in time for harvest.

Hicks, who has been the reeve for two years, said the bridge was built to Canadian standards and the municipality has been told it won’t be on the hook for the cost of repairs.

(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
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To: Larry Lucido

Kramerica Industries expands operations.

Lead architect: Art Vandelay.


121 posted on 09/19/2018 11:42:02 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Larry Lucido

You beat me to it.

I saw this movie with that girl from the bus.


122 posted on 09/19/2018 11:42:40 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Aevery_Freeman

You got me.

I assumed everyone was straight. Tells you something about my age and the fact I don’t date.


123 posted on 09/19/2018 11:49:02 AM PDT by RinaseaofDs
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To: SaveFerris

I would have guessed the same guy that did the Guggenheim.


124 posted on 09/19/2018 12:32:27 PM PDT by Gamecock (In church today, we so often find we meet only the same old world, not Christ and His Kingdom. AS)
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To: Gamecock

The pilings on the closest edge moved and the deck slid off them.
Poor foundation.


125 posted on 09/19/2018 1:30:12 PM PDT by Zathras
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To: RinaseaofDs
“Hicks suspects there may have been something under the bridge that let go which caused the collapse.”

I suspect there MAY NOT have been something under the bridge, looking at the picture.

126 posted on 09/19/2018 2:01:16 PM PDT by damper99
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To: Blood of Tyrants

If properly implemented, that Miami bridge design would have been far more cost-effective and durable than standard designs. Oops...


127 posted on 09/19/2018 2:35:30 PM PDT by nicollo (I said no!)
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To: Balding_Eagle

#67 I would like to hear the names of the engineers.
Simply knowing the names might explain everything

It was the Bob & Doug McKenzie engineering group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJE3EgTGg9k


128 posted on 09/19/2018 4:56:37 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: minnesota_bound

Yes, that is the group, but the individual engineers names is probably going to indicate that affirmative action engineers were more important than bridge safety.


129 posted on 09/19/2018 5:41:51 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle ( The Great Wall of Trump ---- 100% sealing of the border. Coming soon.)
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To: minnesota_bound; Balding_Eagle; Zathras; lepton; NorthMountain; backwoods-engineer; Gamecock
CBC Update on the bridge collapse. Looks like the council allowed the contract without any pier foundation testing, to save a few bucks:

The Reeve of the rural municipality of Clayton says the bridge that collapsed six hours after it opened was built without having geotechnical investigation done on the riverbed it stood on.

He said the issue was with five underwater pilings and “the whole five of them just went straight down. Boom. Four feet.”

Hicks said a geotechnical study of the riverbed wasn't done before the bridge was built. Inertia, the engineering company for the project, declined to answer media questions and referred calls to the RM.

Initially, Hicks told CBC the geotech work wasn't done because it's not possible to do that work under the river.

“You can't drill through water,” he said. “You can't do it. You can't take underground samples.”

He said people in the industry he spoke to told him standard practice was to drill holes on each shore and assume the soil under the river would be the same.

Later in the interview, Hicks acknowledged that perhaps drilling can be done under the riverbed, but said it would be costly.

“Well the fact of the matter is we don't have a heck of a lot of money,” said Hicks.

According to Sasktenders, the bridge contract was worth $325,000. Hicks said it's difficult to justify a huge budget for this bridge, which he estimated would have about 1,000 vehicles crossing it annually.

U.T. Prof Gauvreau also disputed Hick's claim about the cost of this work.

“A geotechnical investigation relative to the cost to build a bridge is not that expensive. It's being sort of penny-wise and pound-foolish by not doing the geotechnical investigation,” he said.

Furthermore, he said making this sort of decision based on cost is not appropriate.

“It's not an insignificant cost but the point is that's not a cost that you can shave,” Gauvreau said.

130 posted on 09/20/2018 8:11:16 PM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: texas booster
built without having geotechnical investigation done on the riverbed it stood

No kidding ....

131 posted on 09/21/2018 3:35:51 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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