Traffic chaos after bridge the size of a football field COLLAPSES onto the main freeway from Los..

UK Daily Mail ^ | May 6, 2014 | James Gordon

[C19fan]

For almost a year and a half workers had been constructing a bridge to cross the main Interstate that runs between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but it took just minutes to bring the entire structure crashing to the ground. The blaze began after a construction workers' blowtorch was fanned by strong winds and ignited the wooden scaffolding that was being used to build the new flyover, across Interstate 15 in Herperia, California. Driven by high winds, the fire took hold extremely quickly and began burning the supports surrounding the bridge. Debris began to fell onto the I-15 minutes after the fire began, the road was eventually closed to traffic at 1:30pm yesterday as the $32 million construction project slowly turned into a pile of ash and twisted metal.

[KC Burke]

I bet their “Hot Work Permit” procedure wasn’t followed by the correct Competent Person. I stressed this in a meeting this morning prior to seeing this. I just sent the article with all the great pictures to a group of people.

The Project Manager, Safety Officer, Superintendent and project team on that job has a really bad year ahead of them.

[doorgunner69]

Ah, just a preview of what will happen to L.A. if a disaster strikes and all those people try to escape.

Too few ways to get out and far too many people.

[lacrew]

It happened because:

1. It was dry and windy from Climate Change
2. Not enough money for the blow torch operator’s education
3. We don’t spend enough money on infrastructure
4. Rich contractors want to cut corners
5. Construction projects aren’t regulated enough
6. Republicans won’t fund OSHA enough

Never let a crisis (or any event really) go to waste.

[Daffynition]

Reminds me of the snake house in Rexburg, Idaho.

[Walmartian]

Organized labor job security

[Secret Agent Man]

unplanned sudden gravitational disassembly.

[Dogfaced Soldier]

I bet their PM and Super are scurrying around trying to find their job hazard analysis for welding operations and tool box meeting notes where fire extinguisher s had to be readily available. That and brushing up their resumes.

[lepton]

It’s also undoubtedly true that the act of hitting the ground with stories of concrete and steel above melted some of the steel from friction.

[Lazamataz]

Why do we always have to learn this stuff from the foreign press? Why do we even have a US press corps?

SOMEone's got to parrot the White House and cover for them in every way....!

[KC Burke]

I want to see what Fragnet they build into their CPM schedule to cover this event.

[5thGenTexan]

I didn't know they also cast the beams in place. Could that be because of earthquake issues? Regardless, they could still do one side at a time and not risk a major traffic disruption.

And US75 broth of Dallas also seems to be under perpetual widening...

[lacrew]

Caliente work permit?...I could be wrong.

[rjsimmon]

That should make traffic there almost as bad as I-95 around D.C.

[lacrew]

“I bet their PM and Super are scurrying around trying to find their job hazard analysis for welding operations”

I bet they won’t find it. What are they welding or cutting...coated rebar? Just some good ole boy who decided he need to use the torch real quick...

[Doomonyou]

Here in Texas, they build bridges largely out of pre-cast beams, rather than casting them in place. Casting in place has the significant benefit of employing dozens of extra workers, all of whom will vote for more of the same.

Here in California, we have big ass earthquakes, And tend to build stuff to withstand those, so typically the stuff is bigger, stronger, more expensive, and take longer to build.

[AU72]

I bet their PM and Super are scurrying around trying to find their job hazard analysis for welding operations and tool box meeting notes where fire extinguisher s had to be readily available.

The fire in Boston last month that killed 2 firefighters was caused by welders who didn't pull a permit and fled after the fire started.

[martin_fierro]

I love how these Brit newspapers always feel the need to CAPITALIZE stuff in their titles.

[KC Burke]

I think that concrete placement might have been better served if it was segmented instead of monolithic.

[zeestephen]

What was the wood being used for?

Wooden forms for concrete?

I’ve never seen anything like that on a bridge before, and I live in Seattle, the wood construction capital of the world.

[lacrew]

I work at an engineering company (trained as a structural engineer but specialize in something else).

Back in 2001, one of our top structural engineers said he had figured it out. He knew exactly why the twin towers had fallen, and he could explain it to us.

I was interested - yes, please tell me, why did the buildings fall down - from a structural engineering perspective. What secrets do you have? What do you know, that the rest of us don’t?

He gave me a serious look, and I prepared to be enlightened. Out came his wise words:

“They flew f@#$%ing airplanes into them!”

I always thought that was the most succinct explanation I have ever heard on why they went down.