Bridge ramp collapses in China; 3 killed (Sixth major bridge collapse since July of last year)

UPI ^ | 08/24/2012

[SeekAndFind]

HARBIN, China, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A ramp on a 9-month-old bridge in China collapsed Friday, sending four trucks crashing to the ground 100 feet below and killing three people, authorities said.

Five people were hospitalized with injuries, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

It was at least the sixth major bridge collapse in China since July of last year. The collapses have been blamed on shoddy construction and overloading, the report said.

The bridge ramp collapsed in Harbin city, capital of Heilongjiang province. In an unrelated incident in the same province, two passenger trains collided at a railway station Thursday, injuring at least 24 people.

The ramp, joining the Yangmingtan Bridge, tilted to one side and crashed to the ground about 5:30 am, the deputy head of the Harbin city construction committee said.

Photographs showed the crashed trucks turned upside down and the collapsed ramp resting almost perpendicular to the ground.

[philly-d-kidder]

The Chinese try and cheat on all Buildings including their Nuclear Reactors where they shortchange the rebar,,hahah Look Behind the walls where the ends are Quality wiring and Gauge but connecting the hidden Parts is a Problem waiting to happen..

[dfwgator]

China is the world’s largest House of Cards.

[ExCTCitizen]

Hmmm... do we really want CARS made in China here in the USA? This shows you what BIG GOVERNMENT can do!!

Now, prayers to the VICTIMS!!

[roadcat]

Are you reading this? This foreshadows what’s to come with the ‘new’ Bay Bridge you are building with Chinese steel! Dumb SOBs.

Yup. Not just the steel, but also concrete made in China is used on the SF/Oakland Bay Bridge. They shipped components for the support tower pre-made of chinese steel and concrete. Also shipped entire deck sections made in China. We're supposed to trust them that they made them to our standards. Complaints were made by knowledgeable engineers about shoddy work but quickly stifled by management.

[GeronL]

good thing we are now importing bridges from China I guess.

[shotgun]

It apprears that it collapse under it’s own weight. Surely they would have taken that into consideration in the design process. Also from the pictures I am not seing a lot, if any, rebar twisted and torn out of the concrete roadway unless they built these sections independant of adjoing sections. Typically see continuous rebar mat in the road section.

[2001convSVT]

And President Obama’s administration says we need to be move like China?

[expat1000]

Usually this sort of collapse is the result of absence of reinforcing in the “reinforced concrete”. Without a complete network of steel, concrete is about as strong as chalk.

Substandard (smaller diameter than both specs and invoices show) rebar is a problem throughout Asia.