20 Years Later: Kinzua Bridge Disaster

Rob Lydick takes a closer look at the tornado and engineering weaknesses that led to the destruction of the Kinzua Bridge in July of 2003, and how what remained of the structure was re-invented for future generations.

[@Phoenix-jw1mn]

"leave it as a testament" meaning they didnt feel like cleaning it up.

[@inthedarkwoods2022]

Agreed...

[@oldgeezerproductions]

My ancestors lived in this area from just after the Revolutionary War. A couple of years before the destruction of this bridge I participated in a Family Reunion nearby and one of our activities was to take the scenic railroad ride through the area. We waited and waited, but the steam engine never showed up, instead they sent this very old diesel-electric engine. When we got to the bridge, we had to get out because the bridge was considered unsafe for the weight of the engine and the engineer wouldn't cross it. Of course, they didn't tell us that when we bought the tickets. Many of us walked out over the bridge to get a sense of how spectacular and beautiful this view was. Just another example of extremely impressive old technology that is lost forever except in surviving pieces. Kind of like my Elgin pocket watch, a marvel, an absolute marvel of mechanical perfection and precision, that once was so ubiquitous and affordable so that just about every man owned one, but will never be made again.

[@evangravitz4029]

I was at the bridge the Friday before the tornado hit it. One of the members of the construction crew told me that they had removed so many rivets, that rust was the only thing holding the bridge together in some parts. While I have no doubts that the tornado would have leveled the bridge anyway, I also think that the missing rivets that hadn't been replaced with bolts didn't help.

[@LS-zo9iw]

your damn right! and there was NO tornado it was negligence! but easier and cheaper to pay off a politician and anyone else needed to cover it up!

[@larrycurran8036]

I heard the same thing - it didn't stand a chance with so many rivets removed at the same time. 😿

[@americanrestoration4545]

As Paul Harvey would have said, “The rest of the story”

[@evangravitz4029]

@americanrestoration4545 The storm that brought the tornado that knocked the bridge down affected the entire region. For Pennsylvanians, this was McKean and Warren counties. There was flooding, and, in some places, people were left without electricity and water for more than a week.

[@808TheDuck]

We were there in September. We had booked a train ride. Saw the collapsed bridge and realized that it was mostly rust. Better that it came down due to a tornado than to a train crossing it.

[@Electra225]

I found this walkway in a Pennsylvania travel guide. My curiosity about the skywalk brought me here to this video. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. I definitely have to add this to my bucket list!

[@sundance2005]

I remember taking the train across many years ago. Very beautiful area.

[@davidschmude]

We used to visit the bridge as a family annually for many years. The last time we were there was 2001. I was so upset when I heard of it’s demise. So much so that I didn’t go back until 2014. Yes, seeing those toppled towers was emotional, but seeing how the bridge and park were “reinvented” made it a little easier. We always hiked down through the valley and back across the bridge in the “olden days”. I decided in my 2014 visit to attempt the same. I waded through overgrowth among the downed steel. Eventually I got to a sign that read “Passage Prohibited Beyond This Point”. Not being one to obey signs, I continued on. I went no more than another 50 yards when I tripped in some underbrush and fell into some of the twisted wreckage. I ripped my pants and put a healthy gash in my leg. After regaining my composure I thought better of my choice to disobey the sign and went back the way I came. Lesson learned. 😊

[@markwilliams2620]

I walked across it in 1987. A speeder rode past as I did and shook the bridge enough I decided to get a look at it from the ground on the way back. Almost made across that stream with dry feet.

[@usafman8864]

Aww, it was such a beautiful bridge. I'm so heartbroken.

[@thomasdeturk5142]

This reminds me of the 2007 washout between Tillamook and Hillsboro Oregon. That is why the railroad is going to become the Salmonberry Trail just like the railroad between banks and Vernonia.

[@Midge1k]

I’m surprised the engineers didn’t focus on the anchors before the blowdown. At that age , the supports should of been the main focus for a rehab

[@LS-zo9iw]

Low bid won the contract and they were HACKS! They were liable but the insurance paid off to cover it up and spin it rather than pay the 14 million to rebuild it!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Hindsight is 20/20

[@raymondhoagland4976]

We visited this two years ago during a cold November day with snow on the bridge. Unbelievable sight to see , you don't mess with mother nature !

[@stevenikitas8170]

You should mention in the title what state this happened in - Pennsylvania. I had to search for that info.

[@benjaminsorenson]

The video mentions the state lol.

[@SKFarm666]

Yeah what a terrible hardship you must have had to go through to glean that information

[@samanthab1923]

Such a shame. We moved to PA in 94 & always planned to visit the RR that was out there. 🚂

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

Look up 'Tay Bridge disaster' in Scotland, UK, on a wild winter's night in the 1870s.

[@dagnt8145]

I happened to be in downtown Dallas the night that “Occupy Dallas “ came to an end. All I can say to these folks is good luck with that. When the Mounties came, it was over in minutes.

[@betterl8thannvr]

What on earth are you talking about?

[@MADGUNSMONSTER]

​@@betterl8thannvr He don't know.

[@aeromoe]

Having to Google the location on my phone while watching on my TV just to gain context. First world problem, yes, but you are wrongly assuming viewers automatically know this location.

[@user-bm4ic4kx2w]

Where exactly this place is at

[@bbalderston125]

Kane, Pennsylvania, United States

[@terry_willis]

So how is the train supposed to get through now?

[@davidroosa4561]

has to get up enough speed

[@AntiReptile317]

Haha. Train driving it’s routine route: “OHHH SH**train whistle**

[@svenneff]

I wonder if thia is the same tornado that killed those scouts near Heart's Content.

[@borntoclimb7116]

This disaster is almost forgot

[@davidroosa4561]

when I was a kid we drove across that. for a short time that was allowed

[@joekulik999]

Mother Nature Always wins in the end. ALWAYS !!!

[@MADGUNSMONSTER]

She can't lose.

[@irefusetoaskmydoctorifyour6401]

VERY Interesting! Can't believe I'm the FIRST to comment!

[@andrewb8548]

Every picture has Allegheny National Forest Archives.

[@Nuttyirishman85]

You can all enjoy that skywalk. I don’t trust anything to do with that bridge or the workers who have renovated it.

[@joycedudzinski9415]

Did this happen in China? Nowhere is the location in the beginning clip say where it's at.

[@frenchhorn1776]

It’s in a Pennsylvania State Park

[@jeffmiller3150]

If that was in England, it wouldv'e been rebuilt 15 years ago!🤷

[@MamaDisco1313]

Why rebuild it, it was no longer used as a railroad bridge

[@RailPreserver2K]

​@@MamaDisco1313it was being used for a tourist railroad at the time it collapsed

[@docholiday5682]

MTG says Space Lasers.

[@rhoefferle]

I don’t know, why a duck?

[@SueUTube]

Poor Japan 😢 Or maybe Zambia.

[@danlowe8684]

Ha! An F1 took it down...or as some call it, 'a really windy day.'

[@codymoe4986]

75-110 mph is more than just "a really windy day"... Try again...

[@danlowe8684]

@@codymoe4986 It's called 'burying the lead.' The issue wasn't the wind. Can you imagine how many times that bridge has experienced winds greater than that? The story was that the construction rehab techniques had weakened it. Many areas of the country experience wind like this on a regular basis (such as Colorado Springs).

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

Maybe a Bigfoot knocked it over? Whether a tornado or Bigfoot it would be better than people in a train going over it as it fails.

[@SGEfan78]

And the railway line is no longer needed?

[@pirobot668beta]

No longer profitable.

[@ThePTBRULES]

This Bridge/Line was owned by the Erie Railroad. The Baltimore and Ohio owned a line running north, parallel woth it. By the 1950s, the Erie got trackage rights over the B&O and stopped running trains on that line, and eventually sold it off When different railroads merging, especially in the 70s-80s, many lines were consolidated, sold off or simply abandoned because they were redundant or unprofitable at that point.

[@Elliottblancher]

How about actually fix the damm bridge and not just leave it as an eyesore

[@doctordeath.5716]

They need to rebuild the train bridge stronger and have trains come back across that line

[@cadespencer6320]

YEP!

[@tedsmith6137]

So many people forget that they have a Global audience and fail to even tell you the country to which they are referring. Kinzua sounds like an African name.

[@onlyobserving6905]

Weather warfare... Direct energy warfare.

[@onlyobserving6905]

...or not.

[@hillcrestvideoprod1]

Thanks Obama! Heh.

[@Ronin.Samurai]

Why don’t they just repair the bridge, and use the train tracks again? Mother Nature is a bitch, we know this, but just letting the bridge go is stupid, immature, and ridiculous.

[@thomaskerley1388]

The bridge was originally used for hauling coal. After the local mines shut down it was used for sightseeing trains. There would need to be a way for it to be profitable for somebody to pay to rebuild it. Also, it is in a state park. If you would have the opportunity to visit I highly recommend it. Very scenic and historical and the visitor center is very interesting and informative.

[@RooneyMac]

Aight there skippy, why don't you get to work on it then?

[@Ronin.Samurai]

@@RooneyMac alright* learn to spell, then come talk to me asshole.