[dr_lew]

Yes, this bridge did have fixed bearings at one end. I would think that the roller bearings would require some kind of maintenance, such as heavy grease once a year maybe. The report notes however:

At pier 6, there was significant surface corrosion, debris and dirt packed into various areas of the bearing. All the roller bearings seem to have thick coatings of paint and did not appear to functioning as intended under the live load.

"Thick coatings of paint" dear friends! Remember those ads for Caterpillar in Sci Am ? - "The Ideal ... and the Reality."

[dr_lew]

oops

"did not appear to functioning"

s/b

"did not appear to be functioning"

My mistake in manual transcription.