An American Infrastructure Problem: The I-35W Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

How & Why of the I-35W Mississippi River Highway Bridge Collapse in Minnesota - Aug 1st, 2007. A story of industry-wide negligence, a decades long nationwide lack of understanding bridge nodes and an investigation & rescue that all stand as leading examples to this day.
*Correction: at 8min 45s I mistakenly referred to MnDOT as the "Minneapolis" Department of Transportation. It is of course, Minnesota.
▶REFERENCES, SOURCES & FEATURED MEDIA: pastebin.com/x8aLE64L
▶MUSIC: Produced by Mors - www.beatstars.com/mors/feed
▶ TOSS A COIN TO YOUR RESEARCHER? / brickimmortar
Special Thanks, You All Rock For Real!
Patreon:
⭐FauntLeroy
⭐Brandon N
⭐Vicky
⭐Blogman Johnme
⭐Shokbox
⭐Kenyon E
⭐Gage H
⭐RigbyMortis
⭐Lisa G
⭐Amy H
⭐XanthorXIII
⭐Dream in Digital
⭐Bree B
⭐Brandon W
⭐Jennifer V
⭐TheBlessedWants
⭐Rycotech
⭐Ronald W
⭐Dante Ranieri
_____________________
▶ A B O U T
Hey, I'm Sam! Child of the 80s turned Parent, Traveler, & Bumbling/Stumbling Nostalgic, Sentimental Creator. Half the time I know about 50% what I'm doing!
▶ C O N T A C T M E
For Collab, Business and Other Professional Inquiries: [e-mail]
#Engineering #Structural #YourSafetyMatters

[@BrickImmortar]

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Toss a Coin to your Researcher? www.patreon.com/BrickImmortar Here's the Hotel New World Collapse - Singapore: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ambXp355q7VnsLc The Collapse Series Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLiAs3qpTmQD1ZcWs7qMZp5x2T6O00Py3I

[@jalifritz8033]

Hopefully you had a good weekend to and will have a good week!

[@deby5983]

Thank you for posting this video. Came across this after days of binge watching updates on the horrible Surf City building collapse. When Biden said infrastructure was a top priority for his presidency, I was thinking, "whaaa?" Surely the U.S., is on top of the world when it comes to infrastructure - ensuring the safety of these things...okay, a few backed up sewers here and there, but why is this a priority?? Then I saw this video and realize how little attention/priority/repairs so many things in America have been neglected and/or slipped beneath the rug. How many building codes were ignored, how many inspections were not done thoroughly... and most sadly, how many lives we have lost. All these new developments and projects should take a back seat to ensuring what's standing now continues to stand safely or torn down and rebuilt.

[@NibblesTheNibbler]

If not for an argument with her sister that delayed them, my wife would likely have been on or very near the bridge when it collapsed.

[@patrickd.3681]

The Silver Bridge disaster as well as the Ashtabula Bridge disaster can be possible canidates for this series.

[@EM.1]

You should do a video about the Ponte Morandi collapse happened in the outskirts of Genoa (Liguria) Italy.

[@galinda91]

Your deep and disgusted sigh was exactly what I did. One of the main problems with infrastructure in the US is the mentality of “that’s not part of my job” instead of looking at the overall picture for safety.

[@kittykatcongregation]

That's the attitude of every union member I worked with in California

[@dsnodgrass4843]

That's what capitalism does; corrodes professionalism in favor of maximizing profit and externalizing cost. The rot goes all the way down.

[@donnerblitzen1388]

@@dsnodgrass4843 it used to be different, once. Now, it is as you said it.

[@dsnodgrass4843]

@@donnerblitzen1388 I'm not so sure it was too different then, tbh. But it's definitely worse now.

[@fordgtguy]

@@dsnodgrass4843 If you actually watch the video you would see that the designs and fault were mainly due to government approved designs and upgrades. That has nothing to do with capitalism.

[@ItsJustLisa]

This one hits close to home. I was less than an hour from being a widow that day. Had my husband decided to stay at work a bit longer rather than saying “screw it” and leaving, he would have been on the bridge. My kids and I were waiting at a restaurant when the breaking news came on the TVs and I knew that was the route he was taking. I was sitting there horrified and my kids (14 and almost 8) didn’t understand. Within a few minutes, my husband came in, wondering why everyone in the place was abuzz. Then he looked at TVs. He’d said he’d crossed the bridge just about 30 minutes before this happened (remember the delay in the news breaking from the event) and hadn’t heard anything on the radio. There were a lot of people who said they’d never drive 35W through downtown Minneapolis, even with the new bridge, ever again. There were also several bridges in cities over the Mississippi that were closed down for intense inspections including a main one to St. Cloud (home of St. John’s and St. Benedict universities as well as St. Cloud State University). These closures meant river crossing detours of up to one hour. There was a lot of bitching by residents who were inconvenienced and didn’t see the point until another main bridge was found to have the same deformations and marked for immediate repairs. They changed their tunes really quickly. What is even more infuriating is that 14 years after this disaster, we STILL have politicians bitching about using tax dollars to address the aging and failing infrastructure in this country!

[@pyrophobia133]

don't worry, we'll just give these whining politicians a freak accident involving bridges...

[@LostInThe0zone]

Interestingly, I may have caused someone to miss being involved in that disaster that day. I was in town for technical training that week. On that particular day, I asked the class instructor to spend some time with me in product discussion. He was generous enough to spend an extra hour and a half after the 5 o'clock end of class with me. The next morning, he thanked me for saving his life, stating that he likely would have been traveling over the bridge at that time. Of course, it's impossible to know if he would have been on the bridge at the moment of collapse. But we were both happy that he was not a part of that tragedy.

[@Codster121]

My grandma was planning on going somewhere that would have taken her across that bridge at or near the time of collapse, fortunately she didn't go anywhere that day. The new bridge was designed to last at least 100 years, i doubt it will last 40. It already has cracks, and other signs of fatigue.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

That bridge fell around 6:01 to 6:03pm. I was working at a restaurant in the east metro and TV stations broke to it just a few minutes after it fell. I changed the TV’s in the restaurant dining room to the news and everyone stopped to watch it. The phone lines were jammed for several hours that night.

[@LostInThe0zone]

@@MustangsTrainsMowers that's how I learned of it. I left the training center and went to a restaurant for dinner. Everyone at the restaurant was glued to the television.

[@AmandolinJay]

The major I40 Bridge in Memphis is literally closed right now because of this exact reasoj. A crack was missed or ignored during multiple years of inspection.

[@laurensears2309]

Omg Yes! I live in Memphis and so many of my co-workers cross that bridge everyday for work. That could have been a disastrous tragedy if it had gone unnoticed for any longer. I work downtown and can see the bridge from my building and everytime I catch a glimpse of it from the windows, I thank God that the crack was discovered before it could take anyone's life!

[@lindzriddb]

As someone from Minneapolis, I'm so SO happy they found that crack. Thank goodness. There's no reason for these issues to go unnoticed or even just be questioned.

[@kelly_xoxo]

Live there. Luckily I work close to hone and don’t need it On the plus side maybe the highway rage shootings will slow down now.

[@joeearley3351]

Well the crack was caused by other failures in the bridge probably it's foundation and other structure members. There has been a few earthquakes. Cracks and stress in metal are hard to see especially if painted over. Years of neglected maintenance and seriously inspections.

[@McSnezzly]

This video made me look up deficient bridges in need of repairs in my state. A few I drive on were on the list, including one I take daily for work. I already feel clammy driving over bridges, probably better off not knowing lol

[@JohnfromWaterFrontVillige]

I missed being part of this collapse by less than a 2 or 3 minutes. I actually tried to go back and see if I could do anything to help as I was a volunteer Firefighter at the time. Because I left my vehicle I left my cellphone behind and my wife,at the time, and kids were freaking out that something might have happened to me because I had just called to say that I was leaving work and they knew I was in working in that area. Fortunately for me rescuers showed up before I could really help anyone so I was spared some horrific scenes.

[@cztober3085]

yikes!

[@alexandrah1051]

A family member had just driven over this bridge before the fall. I'll never forget when the news hit; we were frantically calling them trying to get in touch. Thankfully, they were home safe! Very informative video.

[@TheCalvin1902]

I missed it by around 20 minutes. Was outside walking the dog when I started to hear sirens, then more and more. Got back up to my 4th floor condo and could see smoke in that direction, then the news began covering it. Was kinda uneasy for a couple days after.

[@ZentaBon]

Me too.

[@cindylou6084]

Praise God for you and everyone who's commenting that were on that road but missed the collapse! Wow!

[@nodnoc]

Ever since the condo collapse in Miami the youtube algorithm has been recommending your videos to me. Have you noticed an influx of new viewrs since that incident?

[@markw7303]

@@BIasterXD I don't think any one asked you right or wrong... The question was to the op not the Podunk drive by KZbin hik

[@majstealth]

@@BIasterXD you dont even need to do that. a simple view is enough

[@budhunsicker8904]

@@BIasterXD I always wondered how that worked. Is it definitely the thumbs up button that does that?

[@pmhernane3903]

Same here. I have been watching vids like this for days now.

[@tatergaming]

i havent watched any types of videos like this in a few years. i used to watch the uscsb videos 3-4 years ago...youtube brought this as a recommended video after watching a surgery...(i work in surgery, and preparing for a big case)

[@misseselise3864]

thanks for reminding me that my fear of bridges is completely rational

[@okjoe5561]

"There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment." - Hunter S. Thompson. Of course Thompson was an alcoholic, drug addict nut case so I don't worry when I go over bridges, fly, or drive.

[@alistercat]

Lol same

[@pilgrimsnest592]

Do you live in a cave with internet access?

[@jimmyjohn8008]

I've had same fear since the bridge fell down when I was going to school there.

[@TheCrazierz]

Lol irrational.

[@SinisterTomato]

"The industry just needed a push in the right direction as to what they should be looking for, instead of looking for excuses." Savage. I live for it. Your frustration in this video really comes across, which is totally understandable, because it feels so preventable. Easy to say with hindsight, I guess. Great video, thanks for all your hard work and research!

[@spindleblood]

I used to be a quality inspector but got so burnt out. Not in this industry but a different one. Got harassed on a regular basis for not stamping off on fucked up parts. It was wild how people expected me to push schedule over quality on a regular basis. Couldn't do it anymore... It was emotionally exhaustion doing the right thing every day.

[@ed4all33]

@@spindleblood and here i thought things like that and corruption like that happens only in my country ...a developing country....not in a so called ‘ first world ‘ country .

[@keinerkenntmeinehook]

@@ed4all33 some might say the usa is the richest third world country. they have money to drop bombs and declare unrightful wars but they can'T keep their shit together like this instance shows, like the texas power grid issues, like the willingness to poison their own children in flint michigan, not willing to give their citizens healthcare even though they easily could, not ending homelesness even though it'd take just a little piece of their mind-boggling war budget. the system is build on corruption basically. it's just sad for all the innocent people who have to suffer from such tragic events.

[@ed4all33]

@@keinerkenntmeinehook i agree with you there. I lived in the US for about eight years , after moving from the Uk , and i too saw the same decay of infrastructure , millions uninsured , deterioting airports , water situation in flint , the aftermath of katrina still left as is , fundings pulled back from schools etc ....and the unwarranted wars that sapped up the trillions of much needed dollars . It bothered me that the richest country in the world was in that state . I come from a developing country, though i do not live there anymore , where due to over population the infrastructure is stretched and the funds too are stretched , but to see a pretty similar situation in the richest country was an eye opener. I mean no offense.

[@marioxmariox]

Did not have the knowledge or understanding prior to this. Disasters like this happen all around the world, and it takes disasters like this to learn. There is no learning without mistakes.

[@bladeofbattousai]

I had driven over this bridge a couple months before the collapse and it looked TERRIBLE at the time. My friends had just driven over this bridge seconds before the collapse and were at a stoplight. They heard a noise and looked back in the rear view mirror and saw the bridge just vanish. They went back and tried to help people but there wasn't much they could do.

[@LCx829]

@@nickv4073 I was in California lol 😝

[@DanaTheInsane]

We went to a different place for coffee that day or I'd have been on it. When I got the news I tried to tell the coffee shop and nobody believed me. I got verbal abuse fo "trying to scare them". Ten minute later the barista told them. THEN they believed. Nobody would even look me in the face. I still remember some snotty woman telling me sarcastically "Oh THANK you for sharing that!" and going back to her coffee. After someone she believed told her I yelled at her "You thought I was making that up????" she literally refused to even look at me.

[@KirtH27]

I just drove over the new bridge nerve wracking

[@drew9141]

@@DanaTheInsane Lmao yeah that really happened. "They wouldn't look me in the face" hahahahaha come on you really want people to believe this?

[@Suburp212]

80% of American bridges look terrible, unfortunately.

[@pepehands8224]

History repeats itself, as of now the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge that crosses the Mississippi river is closed due to large cracks and steel slabs in need of replacement. The inspector in charge of this bridge missed these failures for 2 years.

[@narmale]

way more... close to 10 years now they've found

[@narmale]

@Likedbymany yeah... it wasn't good... 2014 first cracks were noticed in old photos now that they've started... looking? -facepalm- its why i have trouble beliving inspectors... if its just a job for you, you shouldn't be doing it

[@nerysghemor5781]

@@scottwendt9575 Was there some kind of earthquake bracing maybe? (Not sure if that was being taken into account at the time that bridge was built but unlike Minneapolis, Memphis is on a potentially deadly fault line.)

[@sheldonduffy9442]

SMH

[@positivepenny5477]

I am an engineer in training and recently hired at a state department. I am not currently working on bridges, but I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure our infrastructure system is as safe as possible, and that my fellow engineers take inspection and design seriously. I have been binge-watching your videos since yesterday and I am shocked how many collapses have happened in America. I promise I will work to improve the culture to take this work seriously.

[@jamesharding3459]

One of my CE professors was part of the investigation of a bridge collapse, the specific one I don’t recall. He was very adamant that we should always, ALWAYS overdesign anything safety-critical to a large degree. “Concrete is cheap. Lives are not.”

[@harukrentz435]

Good thing you realised just how many collapses have happened in America for decades. Lack of funding, lack of supervision, lack of accountability led to corruption. You are the only hope for american people to stop this rotten problem.

[@user-hn6sk5fw4g]

You have the proper attitude. However you will also be fighting the bean counters, micro managers etc.. One of the new approaches I believe is called "Design and Build"; literally going into the build mode as soon as drawing is done. The idea being they will catch any problems in the build process and in general speed up the project. This leads to a very important process "checking" being either lightly done or eliminated in the hurry to get the project done. I wish you well in your career and that you get hired by the right companies that don't count speed the most important issue.

[@scamp9003]

I truly hope you keep your passion through out your career. I think the majority of people start out with great intentions but come to find out that sometimes it can be very difficult to take on the machine so they toe the line as the machine can make ones life quite difficult ie: being black balled,passed over promotions,forced transfers to undesirable locations etc...I've seen it happen on more than one occasion I can imagine having to decide if being a whistle blower in which their are no guarantees and could possibly have a negative impact on a career,money,reputation,family life etc or keep quiet and don't rock the boat is probably a very tough decision

[@nw4042]

Bravo. Your attitude is one every civil engineer should espouse. I remember having lessons about engineering failures, and the economic AND human cost and why it is important to be thorough and diligent in design, construction, and maintenance. Here's hoping such lessons are given to engineering students everywhere.

[@green_cafe]

Only 13. Especially with how many went down. I think that's a testimony to everyone who stopped what they were doing and helped. Seriously, big props.

[@normasnockers323]

I am a structural stress analyst in the petrochem industry... its more serious to be late with an analysis, than if its correct, all analyses were schedule driven, because of the fear of losing money. They fired anybody who pointed out serious problems, empolyees that were concerned. Including me. This was with ALL projects i worked for companies in Texas. Fluor, Foster Wheeler, NONE of them took into account structural deflection under 'Installation weight loading'. Absolutley appalling lack of responsibilty. Management always passed the buck to construction faults. This is common with American design contractors.

[@brianallison1913]

The worst part is how they sleep comfortably at night when things like this happens.

[@grmpEqweer]

Well... considering Exxon Mobil in Baytown just blew up again...At least from an outside observer's perspective? the petrochemical industry seems to have a LOT of accidents...😳

[@filanfyretracker]

@@brianallison1913 the execs made their quarterly and enriched the shareholders, thats all they require to sleep. Seems like we need to start holding the top liable more in this country both in criminal and civil ramifications. When its evident corners were cut in the name of budget.

[@letsburn00]

It's because capable engineers are punished and idiots are promoted. Because the idiots let things through and realistic people are seen as too "negative".

[@jamesharding3459]

@@filanfyretracker If the senior management disregarded and/or silenced experts and it leads to people getting killed, then that same management ought to face the death penalty en masse.

[@Mochrie99]

That CCTV footage of the bridge falling has haunted me ever since the event happened. Such an awful disaster.

[@ItsJustLisa]

Yup. That was from the Valspar company that’s right near the bridge. Imagine being the person who realized that their security cameras have just captured a historic disaster. And they were the only company or business that happened to have any angle at all to capture it.

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

What bothers me is that the engineers on the replacement bridge that was designed and built in a short time were the FIGG Bridge Group. The same engineers on the Florida International University pedestrian bridge that collapsed while under construction.

[@Miadontforgetthisone]

Oh. Fuck.

[@spindleblood]

Fun fact: in some aerospace programs "fracture critical traceable" indicates a part of the aircraft that, if damaged, or fails, can cause catastrophic loss of life and aircraft. Parts are characterized in terms of criticality. This is on certain military aircraft. Commercial has different designators. It's interesting that bridges have similar characterization.

[@ajs3994]

Similar to critical safety systems in cars. Brakes & tires being essential but many drive with these being highly compromised.

[@henrychan720]

Also fun fact: in aerospace (rockets not planes), "critical components" means a safety factor of 1.25 - 1.5, as opposed to the usual 1.05 - 1.2. My prof always say that safety factor is really just a measurement of uncertainty. It always baffles me how buildings and bridges can collapse when they are designed with a safety factor of 2-3. Like, how come we can go to the moon with 1.1SF, but can't keep a few chunks of steel sitting on the ground in 1 piece?

[@pom791]

@@henrychan720 id argue theres more interest and resources in keeping the spacecraft in working condition than an aging bridge

[@viasevenvai]

@@henrychan720 this observation of “a fun fact” is so off in philosophy I can’t stress it enough. The bridge hosted how many cars for how many miles through how much time during what weather? A rocket is used once, during prime weather and for a relatively short time. Yet you compare the two as if the jobs are identical and conclude that it’s preposterous that human’s screwed up so bad. It’s a case, I believe, of your professor teaching you enough just to get in trouble. Hopefully you’ve progressed.

[@Peekeon05]

This is near my father's hometown, he has friends and family who drove on this bridge every day. His childhood best friend, who at the time had a young child, barely missed being on the bridge when it collapsed due to bad traffic.

[@Bryan-od7nv]

My uncles car is the black Chrysler against the inside guard rail. He was taking his girlfriend out to dinner after work or else he would of been on his bike that day.

[@ItsJustLisa]

My husband crossed it just about 30 minutes before the collapse. If he’d stayed later at work, I’d have been a widow with two kids under 15.

[@Bryan-od7nv]

@r laze For the most part. Injured his back and showed up at family functions with a brace on for about a year. Doing good now even though he’s in his late 60s.

[@aMAXproduction]

I remember this so vividly. Practically everyone in Minnesota knew someone that regularly used this bridge, it was pretty much the main way people took to cross over into Minneapolis. Lots of phone calls were definitely made that day of people checking in on each other. I still remember my mom on the phone with I believe a relative asking about her sister (who thank fully wasn't on the bridge) before I even knew something had happened.

[@WeGoWalk]

Having taken verbatim testimony of hundreds engineers during my 22-year freelance court reporting career in lawsuits, I can tell you this: I was shocked at how, in some instances, engineers have been chosen through political connections rather than through proven track record. It’s the classic who you know, not what you know type of selection process that was involved in some of those cases. Then I was also shocked at how, in some of these cases, there was insufficient or no continuing education and testing required or enforced which I feel contributed to the failure by the involved engineers to apply newer design methods and corresponding calculation methodology in their design practices. There are three main reasons for failure: faulty design, improper construction methods, and insufficient maintenance. In the case of this I-35W collapse, all three reasons were involved. The sad thing is: it seems like people have to always die first before public structures such as bridges like this. upon which our very lives often depend, are sufficiently engineered, constructed, and maintained.

[@atlasboy755]

I'm Joe Costello, My name appears on the TV screen shot of CNN a few minutes into this video. I saw the entire collapse start to finish that day while walking on the St Anthony pedestrian Bridge just west of the 35W Bridge. I randomly came across this video and lots of emotions have rushed back over me like they did 14 years ago. I won't rehash what I saw nor the numerous news interviews I did over those 1st 24 hours thanks to a sister who was in TV news at the time. I will share this though. The next day I was on camera w Wolf Blitzer who asked me what I'll never forget about the night before. 14 years later my answer is the same:"Wolf there are 2 things I'll never forget. First, the incredible silence right after it happened for about 3-4 seconds before sirens started nonstop for hours. Second, the smell when I walked up right next to the bridge before police arrived. I can smell it now when others here don't. " I was standing where the smoke from the semi cab on fire was blowing and I couldn't understand why it smellled different from any fire I've smelled before. I later found out the semi driver had died in his cab and body burned and that's what I was smelling. A combination of things caused a great deal of psychological issues for me in the following days, weeks, months and years. But, I was lucky to have great parents and friends to help me out. I also was referred to the Red Cross for psychological support and am forever grateful for what they did for me. That organization is real and they do incredible work. I haven't thought of the collapse in awhile, not even on August 1st, wow. Thanks for a great video, the research is greatly appreciated.

[@keith2964]

I was bread man back then and that semi you spoke about was from the company I worked for. Paul Eichstedt was the driver. He was a transport driver. I would rarely see him as I was a delivery driver. Paul had delivered his load and was on his way back to So Dakota. He was loaded with plastic bread trays. Unlike some news reports about the fire being bread burning it actually was plastic trays and diesel fuel. The trailer said Taystee on it but Sara Lee was the owners at that time. The company had a 800 support number employees could call. That truck and trailer became the property of the state that day. Thankyou for your words Joe, I had a 34 year career and since have retired. Keith Soderlund

[@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx]

I live in Dallas, Texas, and I35 runs through here-35E and 35W in Fort Worth-our twin city. This made me feel a connection to St. Paul/Minneapolis. My heart ached so badly for them. I’m not at all surprised by the neglect of infrastructure in the U.S. If upkeep doesn’t bring profits, I guess it’s cheaper to pay for the deaths

[@shatteredshards8549]

I did not even realize that I35 split into an E and W divide in another metropolitan area like it does here. Tourists are always so confused with the E and W since it runs north/south.

[@qjtvaddict]

Capitalism created shitholes

[@joep912]

In 2019, I drove from Minneapolis to Houston. It was weird to see I-35W signs in the DFW area after driving close to 1000 miles from home where I-35W is about 2 miles from my house!!!!!

[@CamberRockerCamber]

Oh wow. Pretty cool to one I35 splits into W and E in another metro area too. Here in MN I35 splits and 35w goes through Minneapolis and 35e goes through St. Paul.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Alas! That attitude of "a few deaths is cheaper than fully-prepared planning" literally does seem to be a thing in most industries? 😢 You can see it in car safety, forestry regulation, and many other similar fields. It's an awful thought... I really appreciate creators like Sam who try to highlight some of the human costs of that approach, and who help encourage viewers to be proactive in voting their legislative bodies to push back against that attitude and rate human loss or injury higher than shareholder profits or quick-&-dirty tax breaks?

[@girlwithaguitar24]

As a lifelong Minnesotan, I was on a camping trip at the time. When someone told us on our way back that the I35 bridge collapsed, I thought they were pranking us. It legit thought like something that was impossible. It's also crazy how much we seem to have forgotten it here, especially when it comes to talking about funding infrastructure bills

[@kdrapertrucker]

The problem is that most of the line items in infrastructure bills have nothing to do with infrastructure.

[@ryankenyon5010]

My dad was a Safety Director. You guys would get along. Great video, as always. Your channel's growth is huge! Congrats!

[@BrickImmortar]

Nice, I bet we would! Thanks for that Ryan!

[@ryankenyon5010]

@@OmmerSyssel Many times. There is no budget to properly maintain infrastructure.

[@goblinlibrary280]

Gosh, I remember looking up the grades on our local bridges after this tragedy and being shocked. The way we ignore infrastructure in this country is a crime.

[@nickl5658]

It really is, given the military budget keeps growing at the expense of everything else.

[@kcazllerraf]

The hard truth is that we have way more infrastructure now than we can possibly pay to maintain, we need to focus on making sure the critical sewage and roads and bridges we have are maintained but we're going to have to give up some of it over the next 20 years.

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

2 trillion was lost in the unnecessary Afghanistan war, this could have been used to fix a lot of stuff.

[@budlanctot3060]

Nobody wants to pay for it. I don't KNOW about MN, but I know many of the taxpayers in WA State are very big complainers about how many taxes they have to pay. Unfortunately, the truth is that these roadway designs, safety improvements, construction, and maintenance are expensive. The public won't tolerate shutting down a roadway for an extended period of time to allow the State DOT's and Contractors free-reign to do these projects in the most expedient way. So planning & implementing twice daily traffic control for lane closures, sometimes only working at nights only adds to the difficulties and expense, and serves to drag out projects.

[@JonnySublime]

Almost every single thing involving how the people get treated there is a crime. US is fucked.

[@sarahsnotfunny]

Thanks for your hard work my 13 year old daughter is very interested in engineering. Your videos have her looking at buildings in a whole new way

[@RinoaL]

Shame the construction and maintenance couldnt be done as well as the investigation.

[@MarksKicksOnRoute66]

Wow brother each video you do is like watching a person grow. They are of progressive quality.

[@BrickImmortar]

Hey thanks so much for saying that Mark!

[@Abdega]

I’m reminded of how a friend of mine was working on testing/detection methods for our state department of transportation for her senior design project Apparently contractors would get around test methods for pitch and tar to be used for roads by loading up their asphalt with sawdust and she had to help make a way to test for it

[@sugalofe4131]

Reasons why I don't trust bridges. A very small bridge on the way in to work recently had an.... incident where I guess the retaining wall for a portion of it fell out and took what looks like a giant bite out of an entire lane. They still have one of the lanes open with tons of construction material and tools just casually sat a few feet away from the fall-off. Makes me exceptionally nervous every time I have to drive over it, but its pretty much the only way to where i need to go.

[@elevator1tom]

What city is this in?

[@dickneywithplants7377]

21:49 So as recently as 2016 approximately 1 in 10 bridges are structurally deficient in the US?? That's embarrassing and honestly scary.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Baltimore has a couple of them

[@jamesharding3459]

In Portland, OR, 11 of the 15 major bridges are structurally deficient. 9 are overdue for major maintenance, and 5 are past their design lifespans by at least 15 years with no replacement in sight.

[@tonyburzio4107]

Has nothing to do with maintenance funds being diverted to pension payments for government workers... Nah.

[@dariusslade4953]

Finding excuses or rational for failure is a human trait that knowledge, experience, and skills often don't overcome. Loss of life in these tragedies seems to only cause a temporary shift in attitudes and behavior. A reminder to me how precious life is and how much we need to trust and depend on our fellow humans to live betters lives. Thanks again!

[@ct5625]

I've been thinking about this a lot in light of recent events in Florida. They're allegedly implementing **basic** oversight of construction and maintenance now, but how many years will that be in place before a politician comes along owned by construction companies who find all that new legislation inconvenient? People very quickly forget that many of the laws we have in place to maintain safety were written in blood. It almost feels futile. Greed and apathy seem to return within years of something like this happening.

[@AccentYouLovingheart]

@@ct5625Absolutely true .

[@pirobot668beta]

Here in Seattle, we have lots of bridges. Some old, some new. A while back, a major bridge got de-certified and shut down over cracks in structure. Loads to traffic re-routed over many months and years. Not an old thing, a relatively new "engineering marvel". Why? Shoddy construction and materials from a low-bidder Contractor. Too much 'maintenance' these days is thinly veiled 'destroy and rebuild' operations! How is it 'maintenance' for 60% or more of the original concrete and re-bar to be replaced? Start putting the real money into initial construction, instead of budgeting for huge after-care projects! Politicians promise the bridge will go up on time...they don't promise how long it stays put!

[@petercermak1910]

I am a residential contractor in Maryland. I bid for jobs based on their scope, materials and labor costs when factored against the State building codes. That said, the quality of the materials, fasteners, adhesives, and assembly makes huge differences. In order to avoid any "call backs" or liability, we always build higher than the state requirements. Our motto is, "If it's not done Right, it's not done!". The concept of accepting the "Lowest bid" disgusts me. You get what you pay for. There needs to be an independent group that reviews major public works from an engineering and safety perspective. Especially when the local inspectors only see what they were taught to see. Any average citizen would have looked at those warping plates and asked WHY are they? Just like the dripping water in the Florida condo basement garage. What's going on? Why did nobody flag this? We all need to bring up questions when we see things.

[@abyssalreclass]

Ah, a fellow Seattle denizen I see. At least they caught the west seattle bridge before it would collapse, I'm most concerned about the magnolia bridge, with missing chunks of concrete and cracks all over the place. It does not inspire confidence...

[@shaunstrasser1]

West Seattle Bridge

[@user-me8hc3bs7i]

Law of unintended consequences. In the bush and Clinton eras their friends were getting all of the government contracts regardless of price leading to insanity like $3000 shovels and $4000 light bulbs. So we went to a lowest bidder system to make sure that the government “got the best deal for their money” and to “price out corrupt business deals.” Essentially politicians were so shitty and unethical about awarding contracts that we all have to suffer with the shittiest contractors getting the contracts now.

[@Suisfonia]

The "low bidder" thing is one of the biggest problems we have in this country. There is no excuse to contract a company that is the "lowest bidder", because then you are taking a gamble on people's lives.

[@LudiCrust.]

I remember within days of this happening the city I live in closed the oldest bridges that they’d been putting off fixing and people were freaking out thinking they were negligent for allowing people to continue using dangerous bridges.

[@jonny844]

Man, I remember this. I'm from Minneapolis, I was seven when this happened. My dad used to drive to and from work under the I35 every day, and I remember my mom trying desperately to contact him and make sure he was okay as my brother and I watched the footage unfold on the TV.

[@cruzin7749]

I was on that bridge 3 hours before it collapsed 🤯. The jigsaw puzzle of the broken bridge laying on the riverbank was insane to see. Great video it was cool to learn more about the design of the bridge 👍

[@kdfulton3152]

That bridge is indicative of what’s happening to this country.

[@andrewkelley9405]

Okay, so how about you help fix the problem instead of just bitching about it?

[@toug65]

Easy there Andrew Kelley. KD Fulton was just making an objective observation. And you gotta admit, it’s a good metaphor. No harm intended or executed.

[@CryMeARiver63]

@@andrewkelley9405 everyone has the right to there opinions and feelings . Get over it .

[@billgateskilledmyuncle23]

Andrew kelley you're the one bitching. That building in Florida needed 16 million dollars in repairs, what could he possibly do about that and why don't you if you feel led to preach at others?

[@SoulDevoured]

Nope everything's fine.. what's a gusset plate? Those things? Yeah always been like that, it's fine.

[@jamesgoss1860]

"Of the 600,000 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, 19,273 are considered non-load-path-redundant" ......Swell.

[@westabsupplyebay4093]

I had to replay that bit again and pick up my jaw off the floor. Inadequate infrastructure is way worse across the US then I can comprehend.

[@JoshCraver9000]

I'm hoping the Chesapeake Bay Bridge isn't one of them!

[@TrailsVonMudder]

@@JoshCraver9000 It is. But just because a truss is fracture critical, doesn't mean it's gonna fall at any moment (if maintenance is routinely swiftly performed on discovered defects).

[@poetryaddict1]

My sister was on that bridge three minutes before it collapsed. I remember my mom calling her frantically after we saw it on the news because she knew my sister was headed to the west bank near the U of M campus that day and would therefore be crossing the bridge.

[@lindzriddb]

I drove over that old bridge 100s of times. Have been over the new 100s of times as well...the new one FEELS better.. I remember when this happened so clearly, I was standing in the Wal Mart craft aisle when people started calling me to tell me/ask if I was fine. It was so surreal.

[@LakinMae5]

I remember I was in middle school when this happened, seeing it on the news is such a vivid memory to me.

[@amyhaberlein6880]

So much good research. So much negligence.

[@BrickImmortar]

Thanks Amy! Yeah, 40 years worth sadly.

[@blue9342]

My best friends dad was almost involved in this. On the day it happened, he decided to go home from work early, took I-35W home and went over the bridge just a few hours before it collapsed.

[@icegiant1000]

I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and was actually moving that day from Minneapolis to another town. In any event, the collapse was an embarrassment. We have a saying in MN, there are two seasons, Winter and road construction. We pay a ton in taxes for our roads and bridges. The only point I wanted to make was that the collapse wasn't due to your typical cheap skate, corner-cutting, or crappy maintenance type of neglect. As your video went into detail over, this collapse was rather complicated, and until it happened, I don't know how obvious it was that it could happen. Obviously, it should not have happened, but I am reluctant to paint all of America, or at least Minnesota, with the 'only as good as a 3rd world country' paintbrush. IMHO.

[@ghost1.357]

Bruh if those aren't some facts, I swear they have been working on 35w my while life.

[@kingskand]

As a Minnesotan, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was on I-94 westbound, in rush hour traffic. I'll never forget that moment, just like 9/11. What was crazy after that, was how the cities got their act together - Fast - to add lanes and divert traffic to compensate for that lack of a very main artery in our cities. I completely expected everyone's commute to triple, but while I'm sure there were many snafus for many residents, in general the ability to get across the river wasn't as debilitating as I'd have expected. That bridge shuttled SO MUCH traffic. Also impressive was how fast the replacement bridge was finished. Sobering to realize everything is aging and not to take safety for granted.

[@starstatusvillarreal3747]

Government did it. All for $

[@iainmalcolm9583]

Well Researched & presented video. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was in Minneapolis in 2015 and stayed just off I-35W so I may have driven over the replacement bridge while I was there. I'll be honest, I was more concerned with driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and on some of your 6 lane roads to worry about the state of any bridges.

[@RonWrightwrites]

Wrong side of the road? What about wrong side of the car? You never noticed that you are sitting with the door at your left elbow instead of your right?

[@KBird-flylow]

I live in Minneapolis and was living here when this occured. They left the wreckage alongside the river for years, even after the new bridge was completed. It was a little upsetting to see it every time you crossed the river.

[@jcamillo66]

See while we are all distracted with hating each other.... our bridges and buildings are under code . WE NEED TO FIGURE IT OUT AND PULL TOGETHER OR WE ARE ALL IN TROUBLE!

[@draves8953]

Wasnt biden pushing an infrastructure plan? The one that republicans were adamantly against?

[@qjtvaddict]

Abolish congress

[@AccentYouLovingheart]

Indeed! All in trouble! United we can stand and make the difference that is necessary to our survival.

[@carmendelcastillo7724]

@@AccentYouLovingheart that means money being spent on these things. And one party and it's members do not to waste money on actually fixing things so as to prevent these things from happening. Its all well and good to say that we need to come together but let's be real and understand that one party will be pulled along kicking and screaming.

[@RobinTheBot]

Sure buddy that will mean spending less money on stealing my rights and more on stuff that you don't get credit for lol

[@pumatato2005]

I was just driving over the bridge that took its place the other day and thinking about this! Good timing 👌

[@alistercat]

Nope, I have been terrified of bridge collapse since i was a kid and always anticipate it/get anxious about it when driving or riding. Once i got a cell phone in high school i had a saved message ready to go when crossing them riding in the school bus telling my family i loved them. I'm doing better but it's still always a thought. It's one of the reasons i didn't get my driver's license until i turned 18 instead of 16.

[@nebulaone908]

It's not about how much money there is for infrastructure, it's who has it, how is it being used? Is our taxpayer dollars going to what's really needed or in someone else's pocket? It doesn't matter how much we pay if it doesn't go to the places we think it's gonna go.

[@jake_of_the_jungle9840]

America needs an audit

[@dinaboop]

Right, like last night I was thinking about the Metro in Montreal, and how nice it is. Contrast that with NYC subway system, which SHOULD be better funded, and wtf?

[@functhefucc5798]

Well, then give a fuck about politics. You used to have 80 larger Media companies and a Newspaper in every town. Now it's Like 5 companies, and your newspapers are dieing. American journalism used to be regarded as the best in the world, and today all you have are partisan hacks supporting the Dems, and dogwhistling psychopaths supporting the Reps on national TV. Get your act together america.

[@nataliecruzat9999]

I can’t believe you haven’t done this one before!!! It’s such a big deal here in MN, there’s literally a mini exhibit on it in our state history museum

[@jg5001]

I cant believe it was 2007 at the time. I still remember like it was yesterday.

[@BadHairdayKimmie]

"America's infrastructure is like that of a third-world country..." I didn't like bridges before they started falling from neglect and decay. This isn't helping my phobia.

[@drabonlady]

@H Sh I don't if you skip that part of the video, but they are literally quoting the video. And with context it's not an offensive quote in anyway.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

@H Sh I'm from a third world country. It is the truth, it is not offensive.

[@BadHairdayKimmie]

@H Sh it was a quote in the video by Roy LaHood, 16th United States Secretary of Transportation The video was literally of a poorly built, maintained, and inspected bridge (infrastructure) that fell and people died.

[@r.a.6459]

_“It's an insult to actual third-world countries, which has better infrastructure.”_

[@DanaTheInsane]

It was actually under refurbishment when it happened.

[@wapartist]

I have often thought about how much slow moving or densely non-moving cars in traffic on bridges affect the loads. This answers it. Great video as always!

[@yeahyeahd]

I will never forget being there that day. It felt so surreal and it's something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I really appreciate the care you took in creating this video.

[@jaredlewis8689]

I see so many cracks and damage just walking around town and just assume “nothing to worry about the professionals know what they’re doing”…..

[@KieranChakravorty]

This has quickly become one of my favourite KZbin channels. The interesting analytical approach without drama or spectacle needs more attention.

[@jeslowe72401]

Living an hour from Memphis, this video makes me realize how much of a disaster may have been diverted by the closing of the I40 bridge.

[@LostInThe0zone]

Appreciate this report. I happened to be in Minneapolis that day, and not terribly for from this tragedy. For years, I have wondered about the outcome of the analysis. In retrospect, it's easy to spot weaknesses in industry design standards. And it is completely understandable that educators would focus on known methodology. What is tragic is that it takes a catastrophic failure to re-examine these techniques. Hopefully, any bridges designed and built to the standards used here have been modified to withstand the now known stress points at least until they can be replaced.

[@itme999]

Thank you for this thoughtful and informative video. I hesitated to watch it, because I lived in Minneapolis at that time and it was a scary time - but this was well-researched and not dramatic. Thank you.

[@laine_s]

This is an excellent entry on a channel with thorough yet understandable content. I once saw a TV show regarding the terrifying state of the US highway infrastructure. The problem is much more dire than you'd expect from a country such as this. I was appalled. It's funny how only that episode and this channel are alerting people to this danger.

[@ZentaBon]

In a large city. And people are not wanting the infrastructure bill. Bro we need this...so bad. It isn't about "us vs them" rn, we need to fucking spend the gigantic amount of money and just maintain/improve our shit.

[@michaelangeloevans2722]

the infrastructure bill has almost nothing to do with infrastructure

[@ZentaBon]

@@michaelangeloevans2722 sure, it definitely does include other stuff. It's just that these other things are things that other developed nations already have and we're just trying to catch up.

[@ZentaBon]

Remember, before EPA (environmental protection agency), our rivers actually lit on fire because of the lack of regulations regarding river pollution. Relying on people's good nature ain't enough to prevent them from taking advantage of me, you, and the environment. Lots of top business giants have a lot of money to gain by making regulations & social infrastructure seem like a very bad or even unjust thing.

[@michaelangeloevans2722]

@@ZentaBon it doesn't "include other stuff" it _is_ other stuff with a little bit of infrastructure on top. please stop running cover for dishonest people. it doesn't fool anyone except yourself. "Infrastructure as many people think of it-construction or improvement of bridges, highways, roads, ports, waterways, and airports-accounts for only $157 billion, or 7%, of the plan’s estimated cost. That’s apparently what Vought was referring to. The definition of infrastructure can reasonably be expanded to include upgrading wastewater and drinking water systems, expanding high-speed broadband Internet service to 100% of the nation, modernizing the electric grid, and improving infrastructure resilience. That brings the total to $518 billion, or 24% of the plan’s total cost."

[@DanaTheInsane]

The thing is we DO spend on infrastructure! the whole highwayt system in Minneapolis is being redesigned and rebuilt.

[@izzatfauzimustafa6535]

Those who survive a bridge collapse might need longer time to recover from the trauma & phobia. Some could never ride elevators, roller coasters and lifts alone or with their friends/family members/therapists

[@quav3r]

i'm starting to think that youtube videos like this are the causes of the little things that give me anxiety

[@LCx829]

Basically what KZbin recommends to me is enough to cause depression.

[@DH-rt2wl]

It's recommending similar videos that you watch and comment on...

[@kevinsellsit5584]

Thank you for setting a high standard other KZbin providers should strive for. Clear, concise, well studied fact based information. Spectacular!

[@Badass_Rooster]

As a first responder on scene that day! Getting on scene training kicked in and until getting home did the gravity of it sink in! To this day the anxiety when I drive over any bridge is very high!

[@dutchdc]

Your voice is sooo calming n soothing that I can feel the stress in the body n mind go away. Thank you!

[@brrsgraham6181]

I live in the "third world" and we have never had such shoddy construction or negligent safety standards. The only bridges we have lost are during tropical cyclones and none in recent decades. The compliance framework and consequences are probably key to lasting safe bridges.

[@scalemodelandrestomodproje3925]

your not wrong

[@brrsgraham6181]

@@SadisticSenpai61 you are right that there is definitely a lot more infrastructure in individual developed nations. Developing countries as a whole probably have similar absolute levels but definitely not individually. The difference that I see is how these projects are structured and more particularly how they are financed. In developing countries the funding is most often through regional development banks which have a major input into standards and contracts. Typically the projects are contracted to top international firms, who most often over engineer designs and implementation as the goal is more the level of financing and not a city council penny pinching. The infrastructure is designed with a view that it would be poorly maintained and rarely inspected so you end up with structures that will last like some of the Roman bridges still in daily use. I’m horrified going over some bridges in the US with their spindly naked steel construction, thin steel decks that vibrate and rattle with traffic flow. I have seen some bridges in mid Africa, near the Congo, never been maintained in the past three decades, but still very solid except for the guardrail metal top having been scavenged for the metal. The maintenance and inspection is usually a government job, which is a luxury if one can land such a role and in many countries inspection teams need to be seen to be busy and effective, finding issues to remain a funded office and so there is a lot of activity, who knows how useful. In some countries inspections only happen with international infrastructure assessments. It would be interesting to see how the developing world infrastructure from independence projects in the 60s and 70s hold out, being already around 50 years old and still heavy daily use. Where I live, all structures are erected by the national government and roads authority The standards are closely guarded by an engineering institution that protects it’s interests through very high standards and government endorsed membership criteria. In this country work is dependent on finding issues and safeguarding standards, but above all else, remaining within the cartel-like structure. It seems to have the desired outcomes though, people never doubt the infrastructure as it never failed in living memory.

[@larrybe2900]

@@SadisticSenpai61 Expectations due to winter chemicals, expansion/contraction, movement stresses. It is this expectation of safety that pulls planes out of service after so many pressurization cycles because of metal fatigue. Expectation of useful age is not all bad. It is maintenance that is key.

[@zopEnglandzip]

I'm not sure that's true, India and China both suffer from aging, poorly constructed, poorly maintained and overload bridges, and while some developed nations seem to suffer disproportionately from collapses this is certainly not true for most developed nations.

[@brrsgraham6181]

@@zopEnglandzip I’m sure it is true because I don’t live in every country in the third world. BTW the third world is not a country or whatever is not in the US or Europe...

[@topixfromthetropix1674]

Shortly after the I-35 bridge fell, I had to take a 50 wheel oversize load from Chicago to Miami. Indiana was so nervous about their bridges they required 6 escort cars and every time we crossed a bridge the escorts blocked traffic and I had to cross alone at 5 MPH. They even shut down the Ohio River bridge in Louisville. I was in Boston when the Mystic River bridge fell and in Connecticut when the I-95 bridge fell. Now the I-40 bridge in Memphis is showing a huge stress crack. Bridges do not seem to be something we are good at.

[@Knate1104]

Driving along, annoyed with traffic, kids talking about practice, and then boom..you’re in the water. Had to be absolutely terrifying. God bless the souls of those lost

[@FR4NKM4N]

My dad worked on the Mississippi river all his life. He had done his routine route passing under the bridge 30 minutes before it fell. My mom tried to call him but phones weren't working because so many people were trying to use their phones to get in contact. I remember my mom watching the news looking to see any sign of his boat crushed under the rubble... Seeing the school bus next to that flaming truck. It was scary. Fortunately my dad was alright and he later piloted one of the boats down there to help.

[@corrinajhartman7543]

I thought I imagined/dreamed the school bus when I watched the news as a kid, sad I didn’t, it’s a hard image to forget

[@michaellorah9051]

There is an underpass in the city of Rochester NY. It is supported by cast iron girders that literally have 2 inch wide rust holes through them. Im am 90% certain those girders are from the late 1800s. How it hasnt collapsed yet is beyond me but when it does, it will claim a lot of lives and cause millions in damages. These are a prime example of this nation's infrastructure problems.

[@PanduPoluan]

I love the outro. The water, fishes, rumbling sound, and slightly distorted chime-like tune... So relaxing...

[@sassydarcy1]

Born and raised in Minnesota. I remember that day clearly. Now, every time I am driving over that bridge...I say a prayer.

[@CandGoods]

I've lived in MN for most of my life, I remember where I was when I heard this happened. Was at a Hirshfields with family getting paint for the new house we were moving into. Also, MnDot is usually pronounced "minn-dot".

[@ItsJustLisa]

I was at a restaurant by Maplewood Mall waiting for my husband with our kids. He’d crossed it about 30 minutes before it collapsed. It came on the TVs as breaking news a few minutes before he walked in. I actually thought I’d just become a widow.

[@CamberRockerCamber]

I had just gotten to work after leaving the U of M campus after getting my books. My coworkers asked me if I saw the bridge collapse. I was confused for a second.

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

Stupid ABC speak.

[@apointtomake1517]

Nobody wants to do their job, just make excuses to be lazy... The cracked Memphis bridge is another perfect example.

[@KrK007]

One of the thing that strikes me about this video is the incredibly swift response of the first responders and emergency personnel. The River incident command center established only 25 minutes after the collapse? It's obvious there was well thought out disaster planning and training in Minneapolis.

[@csmlouis]

The irony of the collapse is that it was accelerated by the maintenance and topside improvement works done to an aging framework. From this finding, highway bridges cannot simply be maintained. It must be replaced either from outdated design tolerances (cars are bigger heavier and more time on bridge due to traffic jams) or simply lack of redundancy.

[@jeremycovelli]

Half inch, full load bearing gusset plates? Half inch sheet metal bends so easy, who thought that was good idea?

[@MyKharli]

Safety margins so often turn into cheating margins .

[@wyldebill4178]

I commute over the Grand Island NY bridges that are of similar construction and I often think about this disaster even glancing down at the gussets. It scares me.

[@surferdude4487]

My brother is a long-distance trucker. He drove over this bridge the day before it collapsed. Of all the routes he could have taken.

[@deletingmychannel]

This is so sad. Especially this happened in 2007 and still, almost 15 years later nothing has been done to improve infrastructure. I thought that’s what our tax dollars are supposed to go to. We should not be paying taxes or tolls if they aren’t fixing sh*t

[@kdrapertrucker]

Infrastructure bills are stuffed with non infrastructure spending, till the establishment politicians in both parties are tarred,feathered, and run out of town on a rail it won't change.

[@honeydipqueen]

thrilled to have JUST gotten back from a vacation roadtrip that involved many bridges

[@shibe_on_the_bounce]

I remember being a kid back in 2009 watching a documentary on this bridge's replacement. Thank you for your in-depth research and the way you present it.

[@jonathan53356]

This disaster set a lot of positive things in motion. I live in the suburbs of Minneapolis for reference. After the collapse, MN Dot inspected every bridge in the state. They found around 65 that were set for eminent collapse. The worst bridges were closed. The rest were replaced or fixed. Then MN DOT started construction on tons of bridges. I know of 5 just in my local area. Our bridges are much safer now. MN DOT seems to replace bridges if they are even close to having an issue. It's been quite annoying with construction detours and delays. However, I'm glad we are much safer.

[@lakerskid2013]

We’ll have to see if Maryland learns a lesson now after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed

[@jamesgreer1048]

In Europe there are bridges and viaducts built by the Romans 2000 years ago still in use today…why ??

[@qjtvaddict]

Europe banished their insane to the Americas

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

Viaducts carry water not traffic.

[@jamesgreer1048]

@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 clearly you’re not a European..yes viaducts carry water and water is heavier than cars ..1 cubic metre of water = 100kg

[@Nathan-gj8ch]

I'm just a welder and I walked into the room just as the deformed plates where shown on screen and I knew 100% that was really bad and not right/correct. Maybe have someone with real world experience help with the inspection, you know someone whom has actually used their hands everyday from 7am-3pm to built one look at it too.

[@heidisalaka6938]

Happy to see you are spreading awareness

[@kimchipig]

Sir, your work is superb. Amazing description and narration along with first class video editing.

[@jimmadson]

I live in Minneapolis and I drove over that bridge daily. It was designed as a 4 lane bridge with shoulders. They expanded it to 8 lanes with out fortifying the support structure. Also, they took out large sections of concrete during the renovation. I remember being able to the the water below in large holes from the deck. Research I did said the the concrete was integral to the stability of the bridge. In my opinion, they added too much weight without reinforcing the supports, took out too much concrete, and basically caused the collapse. The final report I remember said that the original design was flawed, which I disagree with. The original firm no longer existed and therefore no one was held accountable. I think that conclusion is disgusting.

[@larryboyle1249]

The US government, including all of it’s representatives, are responsible for how shabby our infrastructure has become in the last sixty years. We’re way past due for a cranial enema of both political parties.

[@lizchurch8679]

Nailed it.

[@luvondarox]

Cranial enema! Ha! But, you're absolutely right. The two party system has them bickering against each other so bloody much on sheer principle they can't even manage to agree on focusing on fixing anything. There were bridges in the area I grew up outright losing _chunks_ from their underside, and the population has tripled since then.

[@PatriotResearchGal]

While I largely agree with you, it is not until we each individually take personal stake and responsibility that any of this will change. Namely, we, the average citizens, need to step up to the plate and not farm out our collective conscience to politicians, large corporations, and blind trust in “systems” to catch errors, corruption, and crime. We have a very long way to go. But I do believe we can step up and meet the challenge. 🙏🏻

[@r.a.6459]

Reminder: if you vote in the Presidential Election, you are supporting this corrupt system to hold on longer. Don't vote, it's The Ultimate, Grandest Illusion of Choice. Both parties have the same owners - the Rothschilds - and are controlled by it. None of your presidential candidates want to serve its people, they only serve their Masters and the Elite Corporations. We need a systemic change in order to get out of this illusory trap - yet the two party system prevents its voters from choosing the systemic change we all need.

[@luvondarox]

@@r.a.6459So vote for one if the other parties. Don't *not* vote and kid yourself into thinking you're making a difference or that your apathy for doing or changing anything justifies complaining about it. Look at the other candidates. If more people voted for one of the third parties, or whomever actually aligned with their personal beliefs instead of "I only support Democrats / Republicans," "I vote party line," or "Lulz, it doesn't matter anyways, so why vote at all?" then the two party system would actually face genuine competition for the first time in _ages._ Your refusal to vote, to let your voice be heard isn't "showing the government who's boss," you're just letting the people who take the whopping 30 minutes of their day to cast a ballot have *more* influence because the are fewer people who oppose them. Changes can and will only be made by changing the status quo, and the Two Parties (and their handlers) will only take notice when people finally figure out that the Two Parties aren't the ONLY parties, competition arises and their bottom line is threatened. You want to make a change or refuse to support Dems or Repubs? Start spreading the word that there are _other choices_ and that this weird defeatist mentality of "but why bother? They're just so _b.i.g._ that nothing I ((or the thousands of people exactly like you)) do will make a difference, so I'm just not gonna do anything at all and pretend that they helps," is utterly ridiculous. If people figure out they don't *need* to choose between only two flavors of ice cream, they can put their money toward the other 31 flavors and start giving those platforms a chance to challenge the predominant mindset. You wanna kick a Rothchild and their pets in the balls? Hit them in the vaults. Start supporting the other factions. Start doing.... *something.* But if you'd rather just sit there griping and complaining, kudos. You and *38%* of the _entire country_ are sitting in the exact same boat.

[@tessiepinkman]

The sigh from you pretty much said everything that needs to be said. Fantastic video!

[@michellewalters4484]

Thank you for your diligence and integrity..

[@Anfidurl]

Another collapse video! These fascinate me.

[@neogator26]

Clearly LaHood has not spent much time in third-world countries. How can they say gusset plates and nodes are not a critical point for inspection. That's like going over a city's roadways and ignoring all intersections. Nodes are literally intersections for force loads in structures.

[@Komainu959]

First time viewer and I already know I'm gonna be binge watching all the videos! Especially appreciate that at the end he showed the memorial and cut any background music. It's very classy of you sir.

[@westabsupplyebay4093]

I remember seeing this on TV while in Minnesota at the time. It was surreal, a realitive was going to take a route having to take this bridge but didn't.When you avoid death by intuition it's harrowing.

[@cherylmysliwczyk2145]

Plethora is my favorite word.

[@lidialippold9274]

". . . you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has NO IDEA what it means to have a plethora."

[@cherylmysliwczyk2145]

@@lidialippold9274 the I just say copious.

[@toocutepuppies6535]

Should I be worried when I'm waiting for the light on the overpass and the bridge bounces up and down from oncoming traffic???

[@ThanksChris]

I’ve noticed that the Brooklyn Bridge does this. That thing makes me v nervous.

[@Lucrativecris]

Don’t all bridges shake?

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

Suspension bridges are designed to do that.

[@TheChicagoL]

In this day and age with so many questions swirling around the integrity of this country's infrastructure, YES, you should be. You should also be worried if you are "under" an overpass or viaduct, especially a railroad viaduct. In the early 70's a railroad viaduct, on Chicago's northwest side, collapsed under the weight of a short freight car move. This rail right-of-way was over a major intersection with on and off ramps leading to and from the I-90/94 Kennedy Expressway. The rail line also carried a very heavily traveled Metra commuter train line. Although this collapse happened near evening rush hour, it is miracle that no vehicles or pedestrians were crushed, especially since there was also a major Chicago Transit bus line that operated frequently under that very same viaduct.

[@lokidogproductions1289]

Having lived in Illinois that is scary. Lots of information to take in. Thank you for the attention to detail! Now I have to rewatch to see what I missed!