Catastrophic Bridge Failures Explained - How They Happened

Let's investigate some unbelievable bridge failures and find out how they happened!
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[@SilverThunder710]

Railfan here, and I got some more information on creosote. That compound is generally still used in some cases to keep wooden railroad ties, and I can testify that to be true because I used to have to worry about getting my shoes covered in the stuff whenever I would walk across the railroad tracks in Atlanta, Texas, especially in the small stretch between the Main St and Hiram St crossings. The best way to actually tell if wood is creosote-treated is that the stuff is very, very dark-colored, almost black, and the smell, especially in summer, is absolutely overpowering, and once in a while when rail maintenance crews are fixing the rails, the sparks from the thermite chemical will ignite grasses nearby, and sometimes even the ties themselves, which flare up incredibly quick. In an unrelated addition, the Harmony Ridge Trestle, on Google Maps, has indeed been rebuilt with materials that won't burn, specifically the wooden sections were replaced with more contemporary steel and rebar. The old truss section over the Colorado River itself still remains intact to this day, and the contrast between the newer western portions and the antique eastern one is obvious when looked at from above. I'm sorry I've rambled on for this long; just thought I'd dump some more information here.

[@BeAmazed]

thanks for the insight SilverThunder! hope you enjoyed the vid

[@christopherlenahan3906]

Creosote is a distillate of coal tar. It's full of nasty stuff and classified as probably carcinogenic. To expand; Working with petroleum-pitch(the general class of hydro carbon solid byproducts). You should definitely try to limit your exposure to it. Keep your fireplace chimney's clean and if your walking on old rail-ties regularly, don't track that stuff into your house. It will off-gas and long-term exposure where it causes issues. We use pitch as a binder like the oil(bitumen) in asphalt, so ton's of it a day. We are annually tested for bladder cancer, even wearing full respirators because of skin contact and skin absorption of vapors. I'm sorry I've rambled on for this long; just thought I'd dump some more information here. :)

[@kentuckyrailfan1]

Thanks for the info @SilverThunder710

[@NootandBoots]

@@BeAmazed tbh I'd probably just action movie instinct style rush across the bridge

[@ExpressRailfan]

​@@BeAmazedThe Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse was in fact the worst.

[@Dustfired]

I'd love to see a video in regards to near disasters that were averted due to quick thinking

[@andrefiset3569]

Maybe the old Champlain Bridge In Montreal, due to the use of salt for de-icing and lack of drainage his life was shortened by half. The engineering to prolong his life is as fabulous as the ones it remplace.

[@botigamer9011]

CitiCorp in NYC comes to mind

[@MrsxLadieeb]

Look up close calls

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

@@andrefiset3569that thing was doomed tho, like the I-35W bridge.

[@surajitmahanta6686]

In India, One railway bridge was near to collapse due to severe flooding & engineers did a good job by putting a Train on that brings to prevent from collapse.

[@malstria]

I grew up just east of Tacoma, WA and we grew up with stories about "Galloping Gertie", better known as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. My mom told us several times about how her and my dad got stuck on the Tacoma Narrows bridge one night when the winds were high. To this day she is terrified of suspension bridges because of that night. They have, thankfully, replaced the bridge and added a twin bridge to help reduce congestion, which hasn't worked all that well since traffic rates increased dramatically during the planning stages and the twin bridges now only slightly reduce commuting times. The second bridge does also help cut down on the windshear, however, which is a blessing.

[@ProfessorJayTee]

Adding new roads/bridges never reduces congestion for long, since it simply encourages more people to move to that area.

[@dsandy8110]

Back in 1958 the suspension bridge over the Peace River on the Alaska Highway at Taylor B.C. Canada collapsed. The cause was never made public. The truth was they were building a refinery at Taylor and and they dug a hugh trench for the cooling pipes in front of the north anchor for the suspension cables. A few months later the anchor started to move. The north tower started to lean and the roadway pulled away from the north bank. Total collapse of the north span. Now you know something almost no-one else knows.

[@stellviahohenheim]

and then everyone clapped

[@joeleboeuf]

2:12 This railway bridge certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Cinders and Ashes!"

[@Brandon_YT560]

Yup that is true

[@muni_Thomas_boi]

I see you heard of Thomas

[@ZakKelly-qc7lk]

But no one was hurt😂😂

[@AmanDeep-gl6xe]

Whos here after baltimore bridge collapse 😢

[@usernameisusername]

It was blown up

[@larrys4618]

​@@usernameisusernameput the crack pipe down

[@TheOneCity1]

😂😂

[@SRPSpy]

@@larrys4618My guy is speaking facts, bro is on somthin

[@Gary_Fairbrother]

Was about to ask thar myself 😅😅

[@mikelewis9980]

As a kid we drove over a bridge on the ohio river up in wv only to find out it collapsed 1 hr later.

[@AriY-----]

Oh hell nah

[@colewesting1234]

Holy crap dude

[@TheDarkAnimator]

Oohh hell nooowwoo wo ooow

[@thatloganor]

holy that was close

[@donnachurch386]

😱

[@phoenixfirex]

Here in Denmark a bridge collapsed while it was under construction. The foundation had been made during the winter when the ground was frozen. Then in the summer when they were pouring concrete, the whole thing collapsed because of the now unfrozen ground. One worker fell off and even if the fall didn't kill him, he was crushed by the some of the concrete falling on top of him.

[@sallytackley4206]

Oof

[@TwoWholeWorms]

St Peter: "And how did you die, Good Sir?" Construction Worker: "I became a mancake." St Peter: "Big oof."

[@sumeyaabdi2759]

​

[@bobsmale9006]

🎉🎉😂😂

[@1gbayfisher]

Poor building technology....

[@TheConedera]

Your videos have gotten so much better. You give thorough explanations in this one about each bridge failure. Other channels skip over the details, not even knowing where in the world some of the clips were recorded. Anyway - good on ya!

[@richardburke4250]

Next time my dad says,”There’s no reason to be scared of bridges.” I’m gonna show him this

[@kyliegeib8866]

My great uncle worked on the Mississippi on a tug boat. He remembers the day the i35w bridge collapsed in minnesota. He was one of the first boats called up the river to pull cars out of the water. He said it was the most devastating and haunting day he could remember on the Mississippi. When he arrived he said that vehicles lights were still glowing under the water. The worst of it all was pulling cars out that still had kids in them. Something that still haunts him to this day.

[@mackenziewoloschuk7375]

My condolences to him and what he had to witness...

[@weatherwitchandfelinefamiliars]

The huge wooden bridge on fire looked astounding 😮 Fascinating video of really shocking events around the world 😕❤️

[@RandomFacts909]

Be Amazed never fail to entertain us

[@beck86]

Should've listed the Westgate bridge collapse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Two years into construction of the bridge, at 11:50 am on 15 October 1970, the 112-metre (367-foot) span between piers 10 and 11 collapsed and fell 50 metres (164 feet) to the ground and water below. Thirty-five construction workers died and eighteen were injured. Many people who were at work at the time in the nearby office buildings, still remember seeing it to this day.

[@MartinElliott-uk7qp]

I remember the west gate bridge collapse .I was working in Port Melbourne as an apprentice motor mechanic . On hearing the massive noise we all ran into the street to see what had happened Iwill never forget the noise of it because we so close to it

[@kenneth9874]

What caused the collapse?

[@denimadept]

Unfortunately, there are all too many examples of bridge collapses.

[@bentboybbz]

Knowing how old and how little maintenance our local bridges get I worry not about car accidents but bridges collapsing on i95

[@Chaz-videocreator]

Rest in piece... Tubby!😢

[@bjmcfarland1]

Yes ; I rode my motorcycle over the 35W bridge in Minneapolis hours before it collapsed. I had a friend that was stuck in traffic and decided to get off and take 10th Ave that runs parallel to 35W. Or she would have been on it. So it doesn't matter what is going on it does happen.

[@susanrobinson910]

Some of these bridge collapses are oddly mesmerizing to me… And I think it is important to remember just how powerful a large, flowing body of water can be! Especially if it is flowing downhill! Great video!

[@BeAmazed]

Yes indeed!

[@rettrettferdigrespekt4872]

@susanrobinson910 Have you ever seen water flowing in other direction than dowhill?

[@bricknmotor]

​@@rettrettferdigrespekt4872I've seen water flowing down river lots of times or flowing down my sink and tub. Flowing down roofs and gutter drains. Hmm bet there's more if I thought harder about it but neh. 😆😆😆

[@drztopgun]

Pr123 temporary bridge had me rolling in laughter just because I could hear the voice in the background saying."it took it" 😂

[@SweetLala25]

I think that last one was the worst. So many people had to have lost their lives even though you didn't really acknowledge it. I feel so bad when others suffer for dumb human errors.

[@unbatteristaacaso]

On August 14th, 2018, 43 people lost their lives due to the collapse of the Morandi Bridge. Most of them were driving on the bridge, but some of them were people who were working in factories located under the bridge.

[@ludonymous526]

Yeah. That's a level of sheer negligence so heinously horrible, it's clear just how much Atlantia has seriously f**ked up.

[@plektosgaming]

Fun fact: The actual cause of the Tacoma Narrows bridge failure was not the swaying itself, as it had done that for months in other winds, but one of the anchor cables between the main suspension cables and the road eventually came loose under the repeated stress of being pulled over and over again. Once one had been pulled out, the rest quickly followed.

[@stopthebullshit404]

So what you are saying is the constant swaying was not the cause of the bridge structure failing but it was one of the cables coming loose because of the constant swaying. Makes sense.......NOT!!!!

[@plektosgaming]

@@stopthebullshit404 The bridge had swayed for months in the winds and they thought that it was fine. Then one of the cables popped loose - then another and suddenly the "swaying" was more like a roller coaster. Bad design, and inevitable given how the cables were attached. Arecibo was the same in that it would sway 10 meters or more in storms and they thought that was fine - until age and water leaking in caused one of the cables to come loose. Once that happened, there was no saving it. The aftermath of the Tacoma Narrows bridge was that the main cables where intact with hundreds of cables hanging from them - minus a road. WHY we build tresses under the road is so that if this happens, the road is still supported from below/repairs are possible. Wind loading still happens, but it now is supported from above and below, making a major break less likely.

[@AnotherWittyUsername.]

The Tacoma Narrows bridge was always a little bouncy even in the slightest breeze. That bounce earned the bridge it's nickname "Galloping Gertie".

[@ludicrous7044]

How about Bouncing Betty?😁😝

[@JPriz416]

I walked out on a glass panel in the Toronto tower and that made me think I will never walk on a glass bridge in my life.

[@solomongainey838]

I did the same in the Sears tower in Chicago. The quickest my feet had ever moved.

[@ashee697]

Love your videos man, keep it up.

[@abyss5977]

such good information videos!! :D

[@ludonymous526]

The Ponte Morandi one is easily the most disgusting, most wretched of them all. Such awfully extreme negligence, hideous incompetence and dreadful politics were all the bridge's undoing, and it tops those Chinese bridges by a long shot.

[@killeing]

*How They Actually Happened* : "Hey, is the Bridge done yet?" "Eh, close enough. Let's move on to the next one."

[@-Xen]

?

[@homeboy_roy1570]

I remember learning about the Tacoma bridge in elementary school. The locals nicknamed it galloping gertie

[@KnightRanger38]

For me it was in middle school - nearly 40 years ago.

[@jus10lewissr]

I've lost count of how many times I've seen the Golden Gate Bridge destroyed in movies over the years.

[@stevenhj3124]

VERY interesting and well produced. Thank you.

[@miciogattomatto]

saying "Ponte Morandi *Bridge*" is like saying "Morandi Bridge Bridge" since Ponte in italian literally means Bridge! also, the Italian PM at the time wasn't Luigi di Maio (who also has never been PM), but Giuseppe Conte (who was in charge from 2018 to 2021) also, you did not cover the 43 deaths in the Morandi bridge collapse...

[@contra1124]

not the only thing they didn't cover or the only error. this channel's research seems to be on the sloppy side

[@sakuraplumlove5292]

And just yesterday the Mizoram bridge collapsed in India while it was under construction. This video is eerily well timed 😅

[@alexe.garciacruz4389]

So much respect for taking the Time to talk about the PR situation.

[@FC70YT]

I can’t imagine what it’s like to experience a bridge collapsing while you’re on it.

[@Ancientreapers]

9:39 Ah my George Washington Bridge. I walk across that one from time to time just to feel the vibration from the traffic alone. Especially during rush hour. 😆 On each side of the bridge there is a pedestrian walkway.

[@shantereed]

I remember watching them build new bridges in my hometown and being scared of them. Bridges have always fascinated me and the one bucket list goal was accomplished visiting Golden Gate. I think the glass bridge was the scariest. What an incredible experience that tourist had.

[@plektosgaming]

To explain the issue in China, just go to your local hardware store. The bolts there are typically from "overseas" and largely made out of recycled steel or mild steel with a fake hardened coating. They fail at a fraction of the stress of new steel. You can typically just snap them off with a breaker bar if they are rusted far quicker than using a hacksaw, as they tear like taffy. The companies simply lie and once it's been shipped overseas, there is no legal recourse. The issue is that this cheap "for export - we look the other way" steel was used internally, so thousands of projects were built with defective rebar and bolts. Bridges, apartment blocks, parking structures... it's all just waiting to come apart if stressed a little too much.

[@zetsuboushinjiruu9350]

A Country cannot be called a Powerful if the Country itself is Corrupted and has a Faulty Buildings.

[@robertfarrow5853]

Tofu dregs. The whole of China is collaosing. The concrete is also crumble.

[@brucedale4465]

A steel China built bridge I wouldn’t trust, much less a Chinese glass bridge never unless I had a death wish!

[@plektosgaming]

@@brucedale4465 The issue is that under load (say, the wind) glass really does not like to flex very much. They can mitigate it somewhat like they do with windshields, but if you are not super strict with maintenance, sadness will follow.

[@cheetahpro-uc3cu]

hello i love your videos

[@-Xen]

🗿

[@Shamrockfreddyplays903]

​@@-Xen🗿🍷🍷🗿🍷🍷🗿🗿🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿

[@Park55-de9pr]

Love the videos keep up the great work

[@toomuchfun1098]

It's always a great day when Be amazed posts as I learn new thing each video

[@BeAmazed]

Glad to hear it!

[@galaxy_lord218]

I want to tell a story about a moment nature embarrassed itself so my dog escaped the house and then he had no idea what to do so he decided to literually sit in the middle of the road and then my father came back from work and he asked us why our dog is sitting in the middle of the road and that got me laughing very hard

[@mirthenary]

The multiple Chinese bridge collapses reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes when Calvin asked his dad how they find out weight limits for bridges. His dad replied,'They drive bigger and bigger trucks over the bridge until it collapses and then they weigh the last truck then rebuild the bridge!'

[@doublegfernandez4594]

When I saw the glass bridge part, I was also scared since I also don’t like heights, but ya wanna know what freaked me out more? Where the panels landed, like seriously, imagine if they landed on property, or worse, some random pedestrian

[@TwistedpepperQueen]

19:13 I-35W bridge. Both of my brothers were on this bridge on opposite ends. Thank the Lord they survived.

[@rickruthstrom222]

My brother drove over it earlier that day. He was home by the time it collapsed.

[@DaddyHaZze]

Not this video popping up after the Baltimore bridge collapse.. smh

[@theepicbl4234]

I love watching your videos before bed. They have really helped with my general knowledge

[@BeAmazed]

Happy to hear that!

[@robsymons-gp4jo]

😂

[@robsymons-gp4jo]

😢

[@robsymons-gp4jo]

L

[@robsymons-gp4jo]

😂

[@Maxvla]

You say the I35W bridge was a design problem, but then go on to say they allowed much heavier trucks than it was rated for, and they added 20% more weight via concrete AND it had heavy construction equipment on it, and only then did it fail. Seems to me the design held up fantastically, but was abused in multiple ways, leading to the collapse.

[@KnightRanger38]

I think there was also a problem with lack of maintenance on the I 35W bridge - not the design itself.

[@BasementEngineer]

@@KnightRanger38 I don't think so. There were several inspections that the gusset plates were deforming.

[@wewinnew]

It's chilling to see how quickly things can spiral out of control in these catastrophic failures.

[@chrisbassett8996]

I love this guy, my kind of narrator

[@lilnobody.]

I remember when the I 35w bridge collapsed I was 7 and me and my family were scared that my dad was on it luckily he was safe and had to stay late at work and spent the night in Minneapolis.

[@sheilaholmes996]

Crawling to safety!🙀🙀 The Tacoma Bridge collapse was not funny. There was a dog in a car on the bridge. The owner was able to save himself.

[@tomasneel1980]

Entropy is like a silent sudden unexpected death

[@jessevanasse8994]

"Remind me never to fight an iceberg" *The Titanic*: "OH NOW YOU TELL ME!"

[@silver3155]

Human negligence was the reason for most of these fall 😢😢

[@thunderdragon8341]

one bridge i know of that collapsed and seen the video of it its the tacoma narrows bridge that bridge was rebuilt and still standing today with a 2nd bridge along side it and is now a toll bridge

[@sniperking4154]

I love your vids keep up the good content 👌

[@ferrarim5p75]

The H-shaped girders refers to the girders/beans on both the left and right ends of the (cross-section of the) deck. It is not the H-shaped towers that the video had highlighted.

[@9pm274]

We got Amazed.

[@amari2166]

Great episode be amazed

[@PuufVR]

it was uploaded 5 minutes ago you sent that 2 minutes ago, this is a 30 min video YOU DIDNT WATCH IT

[@amari2166]

I did watch it

[@pepepalerm5723]

Hola desde Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 yo he vivido aqui toda mi vida y yo pase por Hurrcan Maria Y Fiona y veia video asi todo el tiempo despues de las 2 tormentas

[@yayie2235]

The first burning rail wooden bridge is actually a blessing.

[@joaquinmengel2224]

Love the riddles do more please

[@Jokey37]

I Love it❤ keep up the good work

[@sunnyD_1]

I love your videos

[@Oldfartstuff2.0]

Bahaha. The description of Tacoma narrows is hilarious. Trusses and gutters and they forgot gussets

[@pumirya]

thanks for another fun and interesting video.

[@Bored667]

Amazing videos as always ❤😲😲

[@Ancientreapers]

8:42 And that is why you never see a marching band or any other rhythmic marching on a suspension bridge. There's a big risk of setting off the bridge's natural resonant frequency with the same results as the Tacoma bridge. Why risk fate.

[@haggisenjoyer18]

Cool

[@sylwiameissner4942]

Well that is why you should Check if your Bridge can even stand still for people trains Cars whatever to get across . Enjoyed watching have a nice day.

[@brendawalters3728]

Surprised the Mianus River Bridge collapse in 1983 didn't make your list

[@libyawillconquerusingdemot3682]

hmmm, wasn't the wibbly wobbly bridge on the video "most expensive construction mistakes in the world"?

[@no-name018]

Hurray! Got a new phobia...

[@Martin-xi6xz]

😂😂

[@tv_cat___]

😝🤣😂

[@Martin-xi6xz]

The one made of glass looks scary

[@inesitagc11]

🤣🤣🤣🤣me too🤣🤣🤣

[@BestGinger69]

Love the videos keep them up Edit can you do a video on mackinaw bridge

[@AgricultureTechUS]

Totally unexpected! This is more interesting than I thought.

[@giovannacasadio9600]

I was in Sanremo that year when the Morandi bridge collapsed and I was lucky that I wasn't travelling back home that day, it was devastating seeing the remains a week later on my way home. Corruption is the main cause to this and poor government, Aldo everything takes so long to do here in Italy. In my town we cannot cross the main bridge after the floods we had in May and they said it will take more than a year to fix it as it was damaged.

[@user-ci2sh2ym5i]

Too bad you didn't wait until 24 March 2024 for the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster in Baltimore, Maryland, USA! A containership called Dali registered in Singapore had the worst nightmare a mariner could have, this 299+ m ship lost power and steerage, and the ship drifted right into the north main support for the 3rd longest truss span of any bridge in the world, and the whole cantilever span collapsed into the Patapsco River, with 6 fatalities. Fortunately the highway patrol was notified in advance of the impending crash, and the bridge except for a construction crew fixing potholes all public traffic was closed! The span that collapsed was 366 m long.

[@TheSchultinator]

To be fair, the bridge didn't collapse to any structural or maintenance defect (unless you count 'loss of a main support' as a defect xD)

[@geographyfriend]

Your videos are the only way to be a nerd and be cool

[@jus10lewissr]

Gallopin' Gertie is one of the most famous bridges in history -- all for the wrong reasons. That bridge is literally part of the itinerary in structural engineering courses.

[@UNICORNSF3ProgameplayProRACER]

You are amazing👍

[@midhunsuresh5800]

Love your videos. Please do look into the maps you showed in your clip as the India Pak border seems a bit off. Considering its a conflict area i request double checking the same.

[@MuffinZidk]

I wanna see a disaster movie made of this that whould be sooo Amazing

[@theroadbug7274]

One that you missed was the I 90 floating bridge between Seattle and Mercer Island in Washington. A new bridge was built and opened, and the old one was closed for repairs and maintanence. During this time, an inspection port was left open, causing one of the floats supporting the bridge to flood and finally sink. This cause a chain reaction of more of these floats to sink.

[@khoahockhampha66]

*too much emotion for a video thank you bro😱*

[@ThoosiesCorner]

Never knew bridges could be so scary. But most of them are safe!

[@hasmikharutyunyan4626]

don't fall...the bridge!

[@hasmikharutyunyan4626]

fire alarm broken bridge.

[@PugLord-tv3zn]

cool

[@WilliamDearthwd]

1:11 Now, that was a real case of burning bridges!

[@kunkka5]

0:51 at that time they already used creosote because they didn't know how flammable it was, but that doesn't mean that they had to use it in the 21st century, but it also means that they had to use the same color back then, if there are so many better colors to choose from to protect wood than creosote

[@kenneth9874]

Funny how long it lasted considering

[@mred8002]

I was impressed by how the roadway guardrail attached to the Puerto Rico bridge did not tear loose but followed the bridge into the river.

[@solomongainey838]

Me too 😂 both ends of the bridge.. Guardrail was like nope I'm doing my job.

[@tonybrown3172]

With respect to the bridges that failed due to corruption in politicians, contractors, engineering firms, and sub par materials, what did they think?? That the bridge would still perform without consequences?? Such stupidity

[@LOKI--bk3tt]

I just got the notification and i got excited for no reasons

[@peccatumDei]

You missed an important one, the Silver Bridge collapse in Gallipolis, Ohio, December 15, 1967.

[@NoahDaun.]

Yes

[@Ruthmcnair-zr4se]

The Baltimore Bridge collapses in the New I m said that the big bridge collapsed😭😭 that was blocked for the bridge that collapsed😖😖😖😖 to ocean City!!😭😭😢😢

[@kumaribarbosa5514]

Poor Bridget 😔

[@spenceycat]

Like this if u came here from the Baltimore incident

[@Darthkermit_frogo]

New vid let's go 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Eddieavina123]

Love your video Be Amazed and keep up the great work you do

[@BeAmazed]

Thank you so much!

[@robertwilloughby8050]

You can mention a near catastrophic bridge failure. In 1978, British Rail decided to check on the wooden piles of the Barmouth Bridge in Wales. It was a good job they did. 70% of the wooden piles were seriously damaged by..... a worm! Specifically, the Ship Worm, also known as Teredo Navalis. They asked for a report which said that the bridge was in danger of collapse within 3 months. British Rail immediately banned locomotive hauled trains, only diesel multiple units could cross, and only at 10mph or slower. Over 3 years, the wooden piles were replaced one by one, and the new piles were encased in concrete to prevent attack by the Ship Worm. So this has a happy - if astonishingly expensive - ending.

[@martinbozik3524]

VAS

[@elydelapenajr.1146]

true to life and better than the effects on some of the movies I saw! epic!

[@joshfacheritoxd2047]

Amazing video!

[@MR.Spritelover]

This didn’t age well….