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Possible design flaw found in collapsed U.S. bridge
Reuters ^ | 8/8/07 | By Benno Groeneveld

Posted on 08/08/2007 3:28:55 PM PDT by Jewels1091

A week after a deadly bridge collapse, U.S. Navy divers cut through tangled debris with underwater torches and saws on Wednesday in the search for victims while investigators identified a possible flaw in the 40-year-old span's design.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: 35w; bridge; bridgecollapse; designflaw; engineering
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but it's still Bush's fault!
1 posted on 08/08/2007 3:28:56 PM PDT by Jewels1091
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To: Jewels1091

Bush was around 40 years ago. Could be.


2 posted on 08/08/2007 3:29:29 PM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia (If NYC bans the b-word, what will NYers call their junior senator?)
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To: Jewels1091

your taxes will go up because some design engineer decided he was smarter than you.


3 posted on 08/08/2007 3:30:27 PM PDT by hadaclueonce (shoot low, they are riding Shetlands..)
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To: Jewels1091
GWB must of been the architect...
4 posted on 08/08/2007 3:32:08 PM PDT by LRS
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To: Jewels1091

A post gleened from the DU website:

Yep, while Bush was AWOL for 4 months because of his drug addiction, his pappy requested that the Army Corps of Engineers have him design this bridge so that he would not have to go to Vietnam.


5 posted on 08/08/2007 3:32:18 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Jewels1091

I just knew the President designed that bridge.


6 posted on 08/08/2007 3:32:34 PM PDT by Bahbah
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To: Jewels1091
Still, the bridge was under design when Kennedy was President. If "W" can be blamed, so can JFK, and since it was a design flaw, JFK has to be blamed.

The now discredited former President must be disinterred and removed from Arlington National.

Only heroes may be buried there ~ arch "bridge design" criminals must be prohibited.

7 posted on 08/08/2007 3:36:26 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Jewels1091

That’s what it looked like to me. Seemed a little lightly constructed to me.

Meanwhile,...the Brooklyn Bridge is still standing and looking great.

A walk over the Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York’s pleasures.


8 posted on 08/08/2007 3:37:28 PM PDT by garyhope (It's World War IV, right here, right now, courtesy of Islam.)
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To: Jewels1091
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said they had found a potential design problem with gusset plates, or steel plates that tie together angled steel beams of the bridge's frame.

Investigators are trying to verify loads and stresses on these plates at specific locations as well as the materials used to construct them.

Officials stressed the finding is preliminary and would not say exactly where the plates were located or whether failure would have caused the collapse.

"We are continuing to make progress on this investigation, and each area of inquiry gets us closer to ultimately determining the cause of this tragedy," National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said in a statement.

This is really irresponsible reporting. Some reporter asks an investigator what he was doing, to which he/she gets an answer like "well, right now I'm inspecting the gusset plates". Which-- the reporter then spins into a finding that something has been found regarding these plates. Except, they go ahead and report that no, that's not actually the case and there's still a lot of things to look at before any findings can be made.

But that doesn't stop them from inventing a headline that is simply not supported by the article.

9 posted on 08/08/2007 3:41:05 PM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us... one chance in three. More tea?)
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To: Jewels1091

And what was the specified design life? 40 years seems like middle age to me as far a bridges go.


10 posted on 08/08/2007 3:48:44 PM PDT by RKV (He who has the guns makes the rules)
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To: Jewels1091

So it wasn’t globull warming?


11 posted on 08/08/2007 3:49:13 PM PDT by Tarpon
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To: Jewels1091

This bridge was found to have significant structural deficiencies as long ago as 1990. No doubt a lot of them were just needle-gunned and painted over and ignored. This tragic failure was a result of neglect, plain and simple.


12 posted on 08/08/2007 3:49:32 PM PDT by stm
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To: Ramius
It's not any different from asking the poor official, "Any signs that this is related to terrorism?" and the official responds, "No, we have no indication at this time that this incident is related to terrorism."

Headline: "NO LINK TO TERRORISM, OFFICIAL SAYS."

And nearly everyone (including here on FR) falls for it.

13 posted on 08/08/2007 3:50:55 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Jewels1091

Designer from 40 yrs ago is probably dead. Blame him. Firm that built bridge has new personal and that did not build bridge. Blame them. State and Local officals who saw bridge every day and saw reports on its condition, did not do enough. Don’t blame them. Take monies alloted to transportation and build a new camp ground and name it after A representative from Congress a Former Mayor or City Councilman, go blameless. Same happened in New Orleans and happens all over US regardless of party affiliation.


14 posted on 08/08/2007 3:53:38 PM PDT by TAP ONLINE
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To: Jewels1091

“possible flaw”

The flaw is that it falls into the river. I knew that without even looking at the evidence.


15 posted on 08/08/2007 3:53:52 PM PDT by vetsvette (Bring Him Back)
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To: Jewels1091
1940: where was George W. Bush and what did he know?
16 posted on 08/08/2007 3:54:02 PM PDT by BallyBill (Serial Hit-N-Run poster)
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To: Bahbah

Don’t think that Halliburton had anything to do to it? I think I’m moving to Northern Italy, only to get out of here.


17 posted on 08/08/2007 3:57:01 PM PDT by hkp123
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To: Jewels1091

More blood on Bush’s hands.


18 posted on 08/08/2007 3:57:20 PM PDT by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: Jewels1091
What I find interesting is buildings are designed with a limited lifespan (meaning not forever). The iron develops fatigue issues (among other problems). Buildings like the Empire State building will either have to be eventually torn down or stripped and worked over internally for it to remain up. These building were placed in densely packed areas and were not designed to be taken apart.

What will they do - if anything?

19 posted on 08/08/2007 3:58:17 PM PDT by DB
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To: stm
This bridge was found to have significant structural deficiencies as long ago as 1990. No doubt a lot of them were just needle-gunned and painted over and ignored. This tragic failure was a result of neglect, plain and simple.

so the question becomes (as it always was): We have given government more than enough money to provide for proper upkeep of this bridge and other infrastructure. Why should we trust government with more money when they have not proven they can be responsible with the amount they already have?

20 posted on 08/08/2007 3:59:48 PM PDT by Mygirlsmom (I practice Calorie Offset Trading. I eat a candy bar & pay my kid 10 bucks to run around the block)
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