Posted on 05/06/2014 10:51:17 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
LOL! You could even turn it into an acronym-- SGD, and say something like: The bridge didn't really collapse, it suffered from SGD Syndrome, and $56M more dollars will help isolate and prevent further occurrences.
Union labor welders. It was not their job to put out the fire they started. It was against union rules to operate a fire extinguisher.
Now the union carpenters and re-bar fitters get more overtime at taxpayer expense.
I remember that. Didn’t realize that there was a claim of PTSD (post traumatic snake disorder).
U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook [map]
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.html
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I believe what we are seeing is the wooden forms and supporting wooden and steel supporting “false works” so that a reinforced concrete fly-over viaduct can be built in one giant monolithic seamless concrete placement.
The idea was that the falseworks supports the entire bridge form-work until the concrete placement is ready to occur. At that time they would have started placing concrete with pumps around the clock for two days while traffic is diverted. The falsework substructure would then be pulled out after the concrete reached design strength and the forms removed from below a side at a time.
This procedure is sometimes used when the option to divert traffic is considered too constrictive.
There was probably no “blow torch” but instead a cutting torch was being used to cut some steel or a welding torch was being used to weld an item in place and a small fire was started in windy conditions and the welder had failed to have a fire extinguisher nearby as required in his daily Task Hazard Analysis, his overall Activity Hazard Analysis, his Hot Work Permit procedure and his overall Safety Plan all of which were required procedures for this type of work.
I was stationed in that area back in the 70s. This time of year the wind is always blowing and blowing hard. This is a problem of a union “skilled” worker using a torch around a wooden support structure in high wind conditions.
The way the highway contracts are written — the contractor should be carrying insurance to pay for the costs incurred.
When our fire department puts a lot of water on a fire...which flows into the storm sewer...which flows into the creek...the city has to file a report.
No kidding.
"No se necesita experiencia"
Once you leave coastal California and head toward Vegas, board wood becomes progressively more dry.
Plastic zip ties go brittle and snap/break in Vegas. It’s that dry.
That sounds like a hint...:)
Btw, I was at a ren faire a few years ago and some young truthers were discussing the WTC collapse while watching a blacksmith forge swords and twisting rail.
They brought up the melty thing, so I pointed out that the blacksmith in front of them hadn’t melted anything.
Wow look,at those pictures. Can we direct the 9/11 truthers who claim “fire can’t melt steel girders” to that page?
While I-15 is closed, drivers traveling in both directions are being taken off of the interstate at the Ranchero exits and put back on at the Ranchero on-ramps, according to the fire department." KSL
“Why do we even have a US press corps?”
To cover for Obama and the democrats.
Stick a fork in it, California - it’s done.
Shovel ready?
I don’t know California DOT contract procedures, but in a lot of Government contracts the Governmental body is self insured for property damage loss. This then comes under the type of Property Damage Insurance known as “Builder’s Risk”. But wait, there is often no coverage for the items that are not permenant real estate improvements.
For that, someone would have had to buy not only a Builder’s Risk policy, but also a rider often called an installation floater to cover the form-work and the false-works or centering support shoring that held it in place as it is not part of the permenant structure. The insurance might even say that the reinforcing steel bars we see are not covered as an uninsured portion of the Work collapsed bringing all the bar down into a bent up mess.
Insurance on these is a very nasty deal but if they bought a good enough policy the contractor could have the entire replacement cost and penalty covered. Likewise, the Government may say, it was not paid for, and thus CalDot property, we consider it your loss.
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