Wasn’t even under load...
Is it my imagination,
or did the left pylon supports “settle”?
That’s what I’m seeing
Yes, it appears to me that there was significant subsidence.
Support nearest camera looks like it is leaning toward camera, pulling it away from center part of bridge which then fell as it wasn’t supported.
I was thinking the same thing, the left pylon supports don’t look good.
Yes. It looks like the left portion settled and collapsed the bridge. Engineering 101. Be sure supports in water are solid.
“Is it my imagination,or did the left pylon supports “settle”?”
that’s the most likely cause of collapse ... pylons probably shifted or twisted because they weren’t driven deeply enough into the mud ... not much leeway either given the ridiculously narrow beams that that the trusses sit on ... whole thing looks like amateur hour ...
It does look that way ... but look at the support posts for the railing, they still appear vertical or nearly so. The railing also still appears to be attached. If their footing on land was like the one on the far side it doesn’t look like it should be enough to hold onto the rail post and then the rail post wrench all the support posts on the span that way.
They may have used some serious through bolts but then we’ve got what may be a unremarkable concrete post yanking all that well secured wood rather than giving way itself.
To my eye the right supports look like in their current position that they’d not be under the center span at all. The supporting horizontal beam that the sections would sit on is also pretty thin.
So here’s a thought, one end of the bridge is higher than the other but rather than build it up on the low side side do the bridge was level all the way across they had the near section ramp up. Every time a vehicle passed over it that imparted a non-vertical load and if they hit the change on grade fast enough the bridge may have shook.
If the foundation wasn’t secured adequately to the longitudinal load over time that could bounce the this supports out from under the span and then only the connecting bolts between spans are there, taking the whole weight. Those could fail under the transverse deadweight.
Is it my imagination,
or did the left pylon supports “settle”?
—
Looks like both piers settled. Bridge roadways are usually arched up. This roadway slumps down.
> did the left pylon supports “settle”?
I see that too, but the reflections of the pylons in the water would show the angle if that were the case.
I surmise it’s just an artifact of lens distortion.
That's what it looks like to me too. It looks like the left pylons were not set into bedrock, sank into the ground, and the roadway collapsed.
Good eye, that’s what it looks like to me as well.