Negligence in New York: The I-90 Schoharie Creek Bridge Collapse

[@BrickImmortar]

Hope everyone's week is good so far! Toss a Coin to your Researcher? www.patreon.com/BrickImmortar Here's my thoughts on the Miami Surfside Collapse: kzbin.infoUgwF1Rx-sdzpQRuV2rx4AaABCQ Here's the Minnesota Bridge Collapse from 2007: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnazpKp6jseWpM0

[@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage]

I'm loving the new info I am learning. I've never been afraid of bridges but I'm glad I can learn about these failures. BLESS all touched by the incompetent people involved.

[@howardshubs7157]

Don't forget the 1983 collapse of the Mianus River Bridge.

[@TheGryfonclaw]

I’m still baffled as to why the consultants had any blame here- Because they didn’t call the right guy? State government clearly had the report, and they didn’t act on it when they had it. The consultants did their job - twice recommended the same urgent repairs and TWICE it was ignored by New York.

[@hesseldijkstra5327]

Early swamp creatures?

[@TEverettReynolds]

@11:09 "The NY State Thruway Authority deleted the call for [the replacement of the missing ripwrap] from the final contract. Same story, different incident. Just try blaming a State entity for anything. You might be amazed at how many times you can find where a State Agency failed to do its job but then tries to blame the contractor. It happens a lot...

[@tonyh4638]

@@hesseldijkstra5327 Of course.

[@michaelsommers2356]

Obviously, the consultants should have known that the state would receive and file the report without going to all the trouble of reading it, and therefore it's their fault that the state didn't read the report. The state receives so many reports that it can't be expected to actually read them all.

[@charlesellis792]

@@TEverettReynolds exactly because they have unlimited funds to fight you and turn it into your fault.

[@pointcuration1278]

All infrastructure requires maintenance, whether it’s made of steel, concrete, or loose stones like riprap.

[@palw5949]

I just missed this I was traveling back from UB to Kingston NY. I drove over it about 20 min before the collapse.. on the back I had to return to UB via route 20... I still think about it every time I travel over the new bridge...stay safe..

[@rickc303]

I was born in Kingston just a couple months after this event

[@lp115lp]

And now Cuomo's son Andrew's bridge is falling apart. Defective bolts - KNOWN defective before they were installed! Differences are - THIS bridge is in one of the longest and in the heaviest traveled part of the NYS Thruway!

[@davecrupel2817]

That's fvcking nuts. Like that is actually nuts. Another stop for gas...and that could have been it. Jesus.

[@toodjackson4438]

I went over it less than an hour before that

[@davidhollenbeck2450]

😮 that’s terrifying.. I’m sure hearing about it made your heart sink.

[@Tuberuser187]

Those poor people, I cannot imagine how scared they must have been in their final moments as they got snatched away. I respect dedication of the recovery teams to bring some closure to the families, I detest the lack of conscientious of the people who failed to prevent this accident.

[@bladeofbattousai]

It must have been terrifying. I hope they passed quickly cause the alternative is too awful to think about.

[@Tuberuser187]

@@bladeofbattousai Just driving home or to work and then that happens, terrifying.

[@kensurrency2564]

You should look up the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in Florida. Much scary.

[@Glen.Danielsen]

@@ccserfas4629 What??

[@Glen.Danielsen]

@@ccserfas4629 Thanks Chris. I’ll retreat back into a ‘comfortably numb’ blissful ignorance. Maybe I can’t stand the truth; I would psychically implode. My university training would dissipate like a vapor leaving me in a blank stare. Brother of smother, continue guarding the gates of wisdom and awareness. Sentry of snide chide, of sly slap, of condescending chastening: consider less vinegar, more love without boxing glove. Let’s embrace in this place. Wherever you are, you & I are brothers. That is the way I see it. Let us walk out into broad field in coming spring weather, letting butterflies land on us, but avoiding rattling snake! Cheers to you, sincerely, my friend. 💛🙏🏼

[@azazelbuzz]

There's no greater feeling than finishing a Fascinating Horror video, feeling bored, and immediately seeing one of your videos in my recommended.

[@TwiggysKidsandStuff]

same

[@kristirosser5479]

Same

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Didnt come here from one, but I sure watch my fair share of those 😂

[@beththompson2188]

I saw your first sentence and I thought you were going to say there’s no greater feeling than finishing a project and it doesn’t collapse. 🤦‍♀️

[@jf5357]

Socio?

[@hightower6645]

Most of us that get in a vehicle probably don't realize how many times we pass over these bridges and overpasses everyday never to think something this tragic could happen. It's scary to think how vulnerable we actually are.

[@rogermac358]

I remember this incident well. I was living in Western New York and had a good friend who had crossed the bridge about 40 minutes before it collapsed, coming home from a visit with his parents. New York State went into panic mode and inspected every bridge in the state over the next couple of months. There were a huge number of bridges closed throughout the state and it took years to finish all of the replacements. I moved out of New York in 1992 and many bridges were still closed. It is a horrible tragedy that people had to die for the state inspectors to finally do their job after so many years of neglect. R.I.P. to all who perished that day, while your deaths were senseless they were not in vain.

[@latinguy67]

Sadly, changes usually comes with blood.

[@rogermac358]

Going to ask nicely for everyone to please delete the politically motivated comments. This is NOT the place for political mud slinging, so please GROW UP AND ACT RESPECTFULLY!

[@RobinTheBot]

@@rogermac358 everything they said were facts and you're not going to get anyone to silence their free speech on true facts lol.

[@rogermac358]

@@RobinTheBot "I may not agree with what you have to say, but will defend to the death your right to say it." That being said, there is a time and place for everything and I did not want a conversation about an event in which people tragically died to devolve into politically intolerant individuals mud wrestling! My own political views are a big factor in my departure from New York, but this is not the place for that conversation.

[@larrybe2900]

@@rogermac358 ".......I did not want......." ??????????? Well, how about that? ......

[@Mochrie99]

Man, the poor guy whose body wasn't discovered for over 2 freaking years. I'm amazed I've never heard of this bridge collapse before now.

[@uploadJ]

What about the guy missing for TWENTY years! His family must have wondered ALL that time ...

[@Mandatoryuser]

It's grim but we pull bodies out of that river every year after the thaw

[@whoever6458]

Repeat after me: Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water.

[@lp115lp]

Or, at least, build a dam around your support columns! One which won't be washed away. Hence the 'boulders' claimed on the engineering report

[@Capecodham]

Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water.

[@jamescaliendo1030]

100% correct!! I worked for Underpinning and Foundation (Skanska) here in NYC for a few years, and we always drove to bedrock and anchored in

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Many rivers flow over gravel well above the bedrock. They are especially vulnerable to scour.

[@mzmegazone]

I was in high school in upstate NY when this happened, and this was all over the local news. A news crew just happened to be shooting a report on the high water levels and flooding upstream of this bridge when it collapsed. They heard the first collapse and ran over in time to capture more of it as it happened. IIRC, three of the cars weren't on the span when it collapsed, but drove into the void as they were unable to stop in time. The slope of the highway there is such that, until you're on top of it, you wouldn't notice the bridge is missing. The near and far sides create the illusion of a continuous road. After the collapse they used the two bridges to the north, which at the time were Route 5S and an abandoned railroad bridge, to carry the re-routed Thruway until a new bridge could be constructed. You can still see some of the scars on the land from the temporary bypass diversion leading from the highway to the bridges on the east side, if you look at Google satellite view. It looks like, since then, 5S has moved to use the old railroad bridge (which is much more robust given what it was designed for) and the old 5S bridge carries the Erie Canal bike path now.

[@Normal1855]

I tried finding the route they used for the detour. It seems difficult now.

[@roderickcampbell2105]

@@Normal1855 Hello Bob. This may not be of much use, but if you look for it just a little west of Dollar General Distribution Centre, it's there. The pike re-routing I can't find ether. Sorry, I have have coordinates to send. The collapsed bridge is easy to see.

[@kellyfarrell542]

35 years ago. Wow. I played basketball against Kristie Peck. Her and her mother were on way to a shower somewhere in Western New York that morning. Their car is the blue fury turned upside down and smashed. I don't know if they drove out for there on the bridge when it collapsed but they didn't see it until water subsided. So tragic, she was only 22 years old.

[@carolynmillerwright960]

My husband Bob, worked for the NYS Thruway when this happened. On the Friday before , he had been promoted and this was his 1st assignment as a supervisor. One you never forget. I remember being in the Lake George area for a Rural Letters carrier meeting when Bob heard about this accident. Devastating for sure - So sad.

[@mehmetokay7073]

In April of '87 I was working as a whitewater guide on the Cattaraugus Creek in Western New York. I remember the rains 🌧 and the high water that spring. I was on the river that Sunday. I came home and saw the news. I couldn't believe something like that could happen in New York State. On the New York State Thruway.

[@patriciayoung3267]

This was only a few miles away from my home in Fonda, NY. All the traffic from the Thruway was funneled through my little village on our river bridge. The heavy traffic caused the deck of our bridge to separate from the support pillars and the Fonda-Fultonville Bridge was shut down. They even had County Sheriffs stationed on either side to make sure no one even walked across it. It had to be torn down and replaced. The Schoharie creek is still a killer. About 10 years ago there was another flood that tore away the roadway on Route 5S that parallels the Thruway, a man's truck was washed into the river and he was killed. I don't trust anything along that waterway when it rains a lot.

[@markcantemail8018]

Patricia Young Travelling from Western N,Y The First Thing I spotted right in Schoharie were the Signs . Evacuation Signs showing the route to safety . I used to enjoy eating at the Alley Cat Diner but a flood took that place . I do remember the Detour thru Ballston Spa after the Collapse .

[@benjaminrichards679]

Very true, the Creek is notorious. I work in Cobleskill, and every time there are heavy rains, there are concerns about the creek jumping the banks.

[@davidgarris2513]

WOW. Crazy shit.

[@stonedsasquatch]

Was that 5s one the bridge next to schoharie crossings?

[@patriciayoung3267]

@@stonedsasquatch It was.

[@Uncle_Fred]

This spread footing bridge foundation clearly relies on meticulous inspection and upkeep. If state inspections become lax, there will be trouble. I hope modern bridges use piles driven deep into the bedrock.

[@daniellefelice7368]

I used to live on where the Mohawk and Hudson river meet, it’s crazy to me that the one women’s body made it all the way into the Hudson. She had to go over a giant waterfall (cohoes falls) and through multiple man-made dams and water control systems

[@NotAJosh]

Was thinking about that, it’s crazy! Let’s just hope that they learned and such a tragic accident never happens again

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

That is one hell of a ride!

[@lp115lp]

@@NotAJosh Nope, Cuomo repeating his Daddies mistakes with his "Mario Cuomo Bridge". Defective bolts and no wind deflectors so the empty trucks can be blown over before the bridge deck collapses.

[@JenBabyJen]

Nooo seriously!!! I live in Clifton park and we frequently visit the falls and the locks like that’s just insane to me 😢😩

[@apatheticaesthetic.]

@@JenBabyJen I’m in Albany &; I think it’s so freaking wild I’ve never learned of this until now. I was born in 1990 &; never heard from anyone about this tragedy even though it happened pretty much in my own backyard not too long ago..wild..

[@miked6335]

It boggles my mind that one of the victims was found in the Hudson River.

[@Vid_Master]

it must have been a crazy flood that day. I learned this is why no plants disperse seeds through rivers, it all ends up in the ocean lol

[@virahpayam]

I really appreciate the way you cover these topics with both facts and compassion for the people lost in these tragedies 🙏🏽💗

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

I begin to understand, why some people are comparing the infrastructure maintenance of the USA to third world countries. Unfortunately, we here in Germany are facing the similar problems. Politicians and authorities are rather dreaming of flying cabs and high-speed trains, but bridges, highways an public roads are crumbling.

[@larrybe2900]

So too depending on one's political enemy for essential fuel is not smart either.

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

@@RCAvhstape We are facing similar problems.

[@nocensorship8092]

There's no winning votes with maintenance so they don't care

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

@@nocensorship8092 Sad, but true.

[@hanzzel6086]

High-speed trains (and just trains in general)are great, being much safer (and potentially quicker) than cars. But that doesn't excuse ignoring maintenance on existing infrastructure. If they don't want to spend so much to maintain it, tear it down snd build something cheaper to maintain.

[@bashihart8216]

I used to picnic under the replacement bridge with my family. Nice beachy area, shade from the bridge, and water for us kids to splash around in. I didn’t know about the original collapse till years later.

[@origamikamiful]

I live near here but I didn’t know about this. Before my time. Interesting to learn local history.

[@thomasoates3003]

Excellent video. I like how you make sure that lay people such as myself can understand the technical issues at hand, but at the same time don't dumb things down.

[@FranNyan]

I really have to wonder WTF was up with the repeated removal of the note about fixing the riprap... Feels like there must have been some sort of "I know better" stubborn idiot in the upper levels that kept feeling personally insulted by the reports. Can't imagine why else multiple reports of "dump some more rock around the base" was ignored.

[@KB4QAA]

Well, when you let an undegreed 'technician" make critical and life threatening engineering decisions, this is the result.

[@NoName5589]

@@KB4QAA I don't know, it seems the top guys with the big degrees and big egos mess up more often

[@jamesmcmahonii8433]

Cost

[@jacobbaer785]

@@NoName5589 Those top guys seem to usually have degrees in Business or Administration or what have you, not engineering. So I think they thought it was a pile of big dumb rock and nothing more, so they ignored the request in order to save money.

[@TEverettReynolds]

Costs. Short-term savings over long-term problems. If asked "will it collapse tomorrow with out the riprap, especially if it was missing for years before", the answer is no. No means they can remove it from the project. Save some money today and make it the next administration's budget problem. It's not malicious, it's a failure of leadership and budgets from an entity (NYSTA) that is not held responsible for their actions, only held accountable to their budget.

[@kimhohlmayer7018]

I had heard of this but your version is superior to other stories about this. Your organization and presentation gave me more information without excessive length or loss of my interest.

[@N2NDF]

The funny part, well not really funny, of this is that I passed over this bridge the day before it collapsed. My family and I were on a around NY camping trip. And when it flooded again in '06ish I was stuck on the thruway between this bridge and the Amsterdam exit for 2 days and 2 nights while the thruway (90) was underwater due to the Mohawk and the creek flooding. I'm glad I had camping gear and food in my SUV. I also was with a family who were going camping them selves. We had fun making a fire on the road and the state police asked if we wanted to be moved and we told him we were fine. We had food and shelter. The family and I fed 14 people mostly truck drivers who were stuck with us. The police brought more wood and extra food. We had fun and played games, football and watched a movie or two on a sheet that we had and a power point projector. I will do that again but will have to bring more beer!

[@joshuazeidner5169]

Wait so you camped out on the side of the thruway? Thats insane to imagine. So you mustve been on the west side of this bridge correct? Living off of exit 29 about 20 minutes from this bridge i remember that flood very well. Everything was underwater for days

[@getchasome6230]

Sounds like a good time

[@lp115lp]

Thank God for those Troopers! They really come through when you need them. . When long haul truckers were still driving over Rt 209 through PA they used to pass through Orange county NY and over 'Lollipop Mtn'. When that iced-up the trucks would jackknife and the troopers brought hot food and coffee to the drivers!

[@angelachouinard4581]

What a great way to transform a royal pain into a great memory. My brother went to school at Niagara when we lived in Connecticut. His story about the police out in a blizzard getting everyone brought into a diner, including him, is a lot like yours. I want to thank you for helping the truckers, everything we get is delivered by a trucker at some point.

[@APizzaDriver]

I lived in Utica when this happened; it was our Army Reserve drill weekend. My SGT was from Amsterdam, NY and I can remember his wife calling to let him know what happened. RIP to the victims.

[@runlarryrun77]

Too bad you're not from Albany. I hear the Steamed Hams there are just amazing.

[@hhds113]

Wow I drilled at Utica in 2007 to 2012. Before that I was in Active Duty. I lived 2 hours away from the armory south.

[@mit9626]

I was there. There were students from SUNY Cobleskill that perished in that disaster. All due to the corruption of the New York state thruway authority!

[@lp115lp]

Thank the Cuomos

[@donmoore7785]

@@lp115lp And Obama! I am certain he is to blame also. lol

[@sixstringedthing]

I'm learning a heck of a lot about bridge engineering from these collapse videos, probably knowledge that I will never use but fascinating nonetheless! Thanks Sam. 👍

[@doghousejim]

Lets not forget the one important item missing from this entire story........This POS bridge was on a TOLL ROAD!! The owners of this "TOLL ROAD" are the ones at fault here. Contracting to the cheapest companies and refusing to pay up and build the bridge the right way. Not putting the base to bedrock and letting it sit on the river bed,...cheap, cheap, cheap.

[@ghdueujcw22]

Toll road yes, but when and was it always?

[@Syclone0044]

Wonder if the motorists who were extorted via highway robbery aka “Tolls” are able to seek some type of remedy

[@Normal1855]

@@Syclone0044 I did the math. You would spend many more hours, a lot of extra gas, and way more money, to avoid the tolls. In the long run, long trips, it's way cheaper to travel on the thruway.

[@LilAnnThrax]

I'm loving your content! Thank you for these!

[@BrickImmortar]

Thanks so much for saying that Ann, glad you're enjoying it!

[@danpatterson8009]

Having a hard time believing that the purpose and maintenance of riprap in bridge construction was not understood by civil engineers in the 1980s. Poor communication, corner-cutting, institutionalized incompetence- that I can believe.

[@darkwolfe6986]

What a sad and horrific tale for those that died. Even sadder knowing the loss of life could have possibly been prevented by so many different people who could have stepped in saying there was a problem with the bridge.

[@NoName5589]

You've got such a calming voice and your information is fantastic. I'm glad I found this channel I don't know about you guys but I can't see why you'd choose to make a shallow footed and high maintenance bridge ever. Sure there were pipes in the ground, why not have the designer move the feet and add a third foot in the middle to allow said foot movement? I can't see it being cost effective to build bridges you have to keep dumping rocks at the base of

[@jamesharmer9293]

It's cost effective because it's someone else's budget.

[@confusedkemono]

The amount of effort and detail in your videos is admirable. Wish I found this channel Sooner!

[@vincentparent2851]

I was 8 months old when it happened and I still hear people talk about it to this day. I never heard the story until this video. Amazing. Thank you.

[@azcomicgeek]

The typical reaction is, It was someone's responsibility to recognize the problem but it was passed down the line until ignored. Any deficiency should Demand immediate notice to determine the importance. Even a minor safety discrepancy is a Major issue until someone who can take the blame signs off on it. How many disaster would be averted if someone was held Criminally liable? Whistleblower laws need to be applied to infrastructure flaws. The inspectors who report the flaws that are overlooked by administrators should not be the scapegoats.

[@richardscathouse]

Especially considering how many Roman bridges not only stand to this day. As working bridges.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Interesting to see something on KZbin about something that happened in your area (I live about 30-40 mins away from this bridge)

[@mikelarry2602]

Do you trust the new bridge ?

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

@@mikelarry2602 Yea I have driven across it many times

[@unknown-ql1fk]

Gives you warm and fuzzy feeling right? Our glorous leaders in Albany don't give 2 fukks about upstate people

[@barbarahimes5625]

I remember working at the former Amsterdam Memorial Hospital at the time when visitors came in telling us what had happened. Absolutely horrific. God rest the souls of those poor victims. So sad.

[@mariekatherine5238]

I remember this very well. My friend’s husband was an engineer and involved in analyzing what happened.

[@peterbradshaw8018]

I am studying bookkeeping but find your reports fascinating.

[@bobtheflyingmonkey]

I’m really glad you’re doing more of these infrastructure disaster videos.

[@Greg-wn2pp]

I remember hearing stories of people on a nearby thruway overpass screaming and waving at other cars to warn them of the impending danger of the collapsed bridge. A tractor trailer jackknifed and blocked the westbound lanes to prevent more people from driving to the collapsed bridge into the Schoharie.

[@dmac6004]

As to phone calls. Having inspected about 500 bridges on county and state roads in NJ I can tell you from experience that the phone call is critical. I have had bridges at least partially closed immediately because of our inspect. Some were restricted either as to weight or traffic lanes based on those inspections and phone calls. Also it should be noted that this bridge was constructed before the Interstate program and as such while on an interstate signed route was part of the great northeastern toll road projects that covered the greater northeast from Main to Illinois well prior to any talk of interstates. It is from some of these, most notably the NJ turnpike, that the Interstate design standards were drafted. Further the advances in highway/bridge engineer have made significant progress since that time. This is not excusing NY from not acting but merely to provide a better understanding of how things have happened.

[@rhondavroman5191]

My husband's family is from Schoharie and his aunt still lives there. We went on a day drive to sight see and she told us about this bridge. I got to go to the Schoharie creek. This is a beautiful place. Not at all what I was expecting to see in New York. I love it there.

[@Scraggledust]

IK this is a year old - but my first thought was, “Wow. That’s what a creek is really supposed to look like!?. Not when it flooded, but before. Obviously I live somewhere hot, and creeks are not like that. They hardly ever have water. May the deceased and their families exist in an endlessness, splendid, happiness

[@LUVBOTZ]

I live in the Capital Region of NY and I remember when this happened. I was in 8th grade at the time. My dad used to work for the NYS DOT and was on the team that helped redesign that bridge after the collapse.

[@welshdave5263]

Yesterday I was sad that I had watched all of your collapse series, now I'm happy for a little longer, thanks!

[@kimberleyannedemong5621]

I went over that bridge headed home to Syracuse NY the day before it fell. I also went over the Green Island bridge the morning before it fell in at noon back in the late 70's. To this day I hate going over bridges

[@EdwardRingwald]

Let me tell you about a cautionary tale when it comes to driving bridge pilings into sturdy bedrock. When I was watching this video at 4:58 I noticed that the pile caps on the Schorarie Creek Bridge were driven into the creek bottom and no pilings driven into bedrock. What happened in the construction of the Schorarie Creek Bridge happened on the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida when it was under construction. When the original 1954 Sunshine Skyway northbound span was built the pilings for the main piers were of steel and driven into bedrock. During construction of the 1971 Sunshine Skyway southbound span in 1969 the alarm was sounded when cracks were found in one of the main channel piers, Pier 1-S. The cause of the cracking was that the pilings - made of concrete and not steel - were driven into the soft bay bottom rather than into bedrock. The pier had to be repaired with steel pilings driven into bedrock, which is why Pier 1-S looks different than the three other main channel piers on the old Sunshine Skyway. The repair costed Florida taxpayers $3 million. Pier 2-S on the old Sunshine Skyway’s southbound span - the anchor pier that was knocked down when the Summit Venture rammed into it on 9 May 1980 - also had concrete pilings driven into the bay bottom. But there were no cracks or any other deformities noted during construction. I say this because in theory, had Pier 2-S had steel pilings driven into bedrock that anchor pier may not have been sheared off at its base upon impact. (The Summit Venture came to rest upon Pier 2-S of the northbound Sunshine Skyway span, that pier was sturdier thanks to steel pilings driven into bedrock). Now what do both the Schorarie Creek Bridge in New York State and the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida have in common? Corners got cut somewhere during construction, mainly to save money somewhere. Were soil boring studies done on Schorarie Creek to locate bedrock in which to drive the pilings down into? Compare to the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway where NO soil boring studies were done - instead, plans from the 1954 Sunshine Skyway span were used. Which leads us to the gold standard when it comes to bridge construction, especially over bodies of water such as Schorarie Creek or Tampa Bay: Do your soil boring studies to see how far deep is it to bedrock. Drive your bridge pilings from the pile cap down into bedrock to provide a firm footing for your bridge. Use steel pilings rather than concrete pilings.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I remember this one well, as above and beyond the horror of what happened to those poor people it almost doubled the trip time to and from College on breaks that year. Ended up having to loop through Pennsylvania. There was some insane rainfall that year. I remember there were some really tragic drownings.

[@usmale49]

I enjoy the way you break everything down. It helps me understand exactly what happened, why it happened and so forth. Great voice for narration too! I just think your channel is a real gem. Keep up the good work and I do thank you for the upload!

[@mynameisladder3481]

A video from you and fascinating horror in one day. Im set.

[@inkyfingeredknits4102]

I had never heard of this before but I’m not surprised. Schoharie is in a low plain and is prone to flooding. When hurricane Sandy came through 10+ years ago the water was over the top of many of the one story houses. It took years to rebuild the community.

[@carrinejones7545]

I was 17 at the time and never knew or heard of this tragedy 😔😢😪😞💔😕. MAY, THEY ALL REST IN PEACE 😇✝️🙏.

[@randyrobertson6116]

It's scary to recall the fact I used to travel to little falls NY quite frequently in the 80s....particularly around that time. We used to go over that bridge all the time and on a Sunday we would be heading back to CT. My dad used to like to leave fairly early so that would have put us in the vicinity of the bridge. Spooky. I remember after the collapse they had to erect a temporary bridge, I hated going over it as a kid.

[@nuggets0717]

I grew up in upstate New York and am familiar with the area where this occurred. I was unaware of this incident. Thank you for creating this video.

[@richardscott2622]

I am writing this as a testament to what I witnessed in the presence of my employer H.A Hart const. Co, during a maint check of construction equipmnent we were under the bridge observing the pilings dancing on the bedrock in the presence of a state engineer when trucks went over the bride at 65 mph the pilings would lift enough to put your fingers under the pilings .. the engineer knew this was dangerous ,but we don't know if it was related to higher ups obviously if it was nothing was done...

[@treecrabwill]

I lived in upstate NY for a while, and both this video and the Ethan Allen video took place in areas I was familiar with. Shows what a great state NY is

[@Rod-bp8ow]

The structure has reached its 3 decade shelf life, when it is of those, it should be maintained from time to time, or reinforcements needs to be placed for the infrastructure to be stable and safe in its near future completion/project.

[@jennc4242]

Thanks - this is one of those things I partially recalled from childhood - I was always afraid the Grand Island Bridges would fall

[@BaronFeydRautha]

Gotta do a video on the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse

[@ChromatestJPantsmaker]

I lived in Amsterdam and we used to go swimming under the original bridge. We were under that bridge the previous summer and I remember that it had neon orange spray paint all over the piers marking the areas that needed to be repaired. I don't know how much is a lot when it comes to bridge repairs, but I would consider the amount of markings to be "a lot". I never would have remembered that inconsequential (at the time) detail if the bridge hadn't collapsed less than a year later.

[@Shadowmew55]

Dont care if I'm at work, when I see a new collapsed video I click

[@timelesslimit5786]

I remember this, I lived on the Creek at the time, I was 11 yrs old and lived less then 20 minutes from the bridge.

[@Sheikh_Speare]

I remember hearing about this on Modern Marvel's Engineering Disasters many years ago. It's awesome that you gave it attention.

[@deuteronimus750]

And none of the negligent officials did much if any prison time.

[@melodyoswin4709]

Bridge engineer here… a lot of recommendations we make are ignored by DOTs. If only y’all knew. How many bridges are in “poor” Condition before the recommendations for repairs are even taken by the DOTs

[@3orM00Rrecharacters]

Deep in to the comments here but will add anyway: This coverage has made me question, for the first time, the infrastructure spending bills of our government/s . I am Australian and live there/here now, but have a green card that is still valid (til 2025). Spent nearly 20 years in New York. This video served me a really good reminder that the rear view mirror is in fact cloudy.. I remember taking so many trips on the I90, and seeing the cracks and strain that roadway was under. I didn't think much of it as a driver, until a) I left, and b) I watched this video. You are a champion for what you do and I hope you are able to share your findings with more people of influence!

[@jdwht2455]

We were on the NY Thruway, I-90 when this happened but about 10 miles east when this happened. Schoharie Creek is usually a pretty placid waterway until we have torrential rain and in this case washed the support piers out

[@David_B_Dornburg]

While my grandma was alive I use to drive the thruway every weekend from Schenectady to Canajoharie to visit her. I passed over that bridge a lot back then. The collapse didn't just shut down the thruway, they also closed Rt 5S on the south side of the Mohawk river which ran parallel to that part of the highway for over a year.

[@w4shep]

I was a passenger in a big rig truck owned by Herkimer Cheese and passed over this bridge a couple hours before the collapse. I remember the frantic cb calls/phone messages to the truck driver later to see if he was safe. This was well before cell phones. We hadn't realized it collapsed until some time later and wondered why everyone kept calling and were so concerned. More so the driver - only a few people knew I tagged along on the run to NYC. My first near miss.

[@tinner1975]

this is about 4 miles from my house. my father video taped the second part of the bridge falling down and the clean up.

[@debbied9997]

Again, this is so scary to think that we rely on these 'experts' every time we cross a bridge or walk into a building that everyone has done their job right and that I am safe. It's like I'm living in denial or else I would be paranoid of everything.

[@rambob69]

I LIVED SOME 5 MILES TOWARD SCHENECTADY OFF RT 5 IN ROTTERDAM JUNCTION....WENT UP TO SEE IT THE NEXT DAY....

[@jamesmcmahonii8433]

Pattersonville myself

[@hughwoatmeigh6999]

I'll point out that old-school railroad stone piers last 100s of years after the line is abandoned. You can see the piers standing long after the bridge is gone. Back in the day, and with heavier loads, they went down very, very deep. Scour simply cannot get deep enough. I'm not saying "the old ways were better," just an interesting result of massive safety factors because we just didn't know how deep we needed to go.

[@digger105337]

Just plain Willfull neglect by NY state thruway " authority"! engineering firm notified them of the problem. The guy that kept omitting the rip rap repair over and over should have done jail time. Trust the experts! Fudge!

[@brookeg5979]

I really appreciate the detail in your videos. Excellent research and presentation. Thanks!

[@wrmlm37]

How dreadful, the absolute NUMBER of people/companies/ agencies that had to "eff up" for this to happen. It's incredible that engineers might risk their reputations like this...the rest? Well, same reason, $$$.

[@PaulJersey]

Very interesting video. Very well presented.

[@Straswa]

Great vid Brick Immortar, RIP to those poor souls lost during the collapse.

[@Kimzapoppin]

I haven't watched this yet but I am about to. I grew up in Upstate NY and the day before the collapse I had been in Albany at The Olympics Of The Visual Arts and we crossed over that bridge on the way there and home. When the news about the collapse came out the next day we all thought how lucky we were. Had it happened a day earlier a school bus full of high school kids may have gone off the bridge. Update: I just watched it. Still gives me chills.

[@nicholaskalescky1926]

Thank you for your work on these videos. I recently found your channel and have subscribed! I am really interested in this topic and as someone who works with civil engineers on our projects it has really inspired me to better understand what they propose in our projects (i am a landscape architect myself). Even on much smaller projects i see over sights, alot of my work is in designing and permitting amenity centers and commercial sites and i sometimes can catch stormwater designs that dont work or have issues with it. Health, safety welfare is what i look for in reviewing plans! Keep up the good work man, you have a fan in me!

[@harriettedaisy2233]

Why the contractors and subs were blamed for not bringing their findings to the project manager’s attention, is beyond me. Wouldn’t the proect manager be expected to read to reports submitted?

[@hnktbt]

😳😳 this one's close to home, no pun intended. the rivers around there can pack a punch when flooded, the roads get washed out and replaced pretty regularly, but obviously that doesn't justify what happened in the slightest. i didn't even know about this despite being local my whole life before now. huh.

[@AccentYouLovingheart]

Thanks for another of your detailed informative production.👍🏿 Outstanding reporting.🥰

[@stonedsasquatch]

You should do one on the Schoharie limo crash from a few years ago. Absolute horror all due to greed of one family.

[@orangehoof]

Thanks for your explanation. Upon watching, my first question was "why didn't they close the bridge"? It is not uncommon for engineers to partially close a bridge by reducing the number of lanes or rerouting traffic so that the safer bridge takes all the traffic temporarily. My guess is that nobody of official capacity thought this bridge was in any danger until it collapsed and yet anyone could have seen the water reaching the level where the load on the bridge would overwhelm the support. While there is certainly blame to go around, I place the largest blame on the state board that removed recommendations to replace the "riff raff" (?) and the highway supervisors who refused to close the bridge. 10 people died because of their decisions.

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

Riprap

[@davidgarris2513]

@@kurtvonfricken6829 No, he had it correct. He was referring to the riff-raff in the state government. Lol

[@mmiller1188]

You can still see where the interstate was directed through a field onto NY5S and then back onto 90

[@bonniephillips5672]

Thank you Sam!! Your videos are always so well done and informing. Stay strong!!

[@GMtransmissiontech74]

I remember this well , I was only a kid when it happened. We would travel that part of the thruway all the time . What a tragedy

[@kevin_1979]

I was 8 when this happened. I lived about 20 miles from there. I clipped the newspaper article the next day because I deemed it important. Still have it.

[@CaptOrbit]

The reading of the names and the inclusion of the year make and model of the types of cars they were driving had an impact on me. I know what all of those cars look like and can picture them inside and out. It put me right there at the scene. How absolutely tragic and awful and unnecessary. Rest in peace.

[@masskilla469]

I was going over The Tappan Zee Bridge in New York about a year before they built the new one at around 4am on the Northbound side in the left hand lane. While going over the bridge I saw part of the roadway was missing in the far right lane. I immediately stopped my Car and drove backwards and put my car 30 feet from the missing roadway and put my hazard lights on. I called 911 telling them to stop the cars from going over the Northbound side of the Bridge because there is a section of roadway missing. I grabbed a flashlight and stood behind my car waving it to stop drivers from going over that section of the bridge. At 4am there was no traffic and I successfully stopped two cars who blocked the other two lanes. The State Troopers Showed up and I showed them the missing section.

[@lawrencenienart6287]

Yes, I seem to remember that it was carrying way more than designed for, and that the piers were not of a sound design-using wood piles that was beginning to rot. IIRC, they were trying to save on steel due to the Korean war taking place...not sure how true that could be.

[@saab9251]

I work for a very old industrial pump manufacturer and I’ve seen station layout drawing for municiple, waste water, and spillway pumps dated in the 40’s and 50’s. Even back then they were considering 100 year water levels and some even considered 500 year water levels. There’s no way these same factors aren’t considered for bridges.

[@Pfooh]

'Even 500 years'. To my european ears, that's an interesting perspective. Safety here usually starts at a 1 in 1000 years levels, and goes up to 1 in 10000 or higher for critical infrastructure.

[@gladitsnotme]

Horrific to think about, but thanks for bringing attention to things like this.

[@apatheticaesthetic.]

OMG! I’m from upstate New York.. about 35 minutes from Amsterdam/schohaire.. &; this happened 3 yrs before I was born, but I’ve somehow never heard of this!! How have I never heard of this collapse?! I use I-90 every single day, &; I’ve used the highway they’re talking about multiple times of my life.. one of the victims is from Rensselaer.. that’s literally across the river from me like 5 minutes away. So tragic.. Btw im from Albany NY. Where the last victim was found 3 yrs later in July..

[@gob455]

I'm loving this content!

[@Gr8Brit]

New favourite channel

[@literallyshaking8019]

My friends mom drove over this bridge 30 minutes before it collapsed that day. It’s crazy when you think how simply running late or changing the timing of your day even by a little bit can avoid, or contribute to disaster.

[@dianthis]

Man do I remember this. Don’t live too far from there. Went to go look at aftermath. So horrible!! RIP to all.