The Race to Save Texas’ Failed Megabridge

[@TheB1M]

Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks - www.masterworks.art/theb1m

[@fourutubez7294]

If it looks like a Ponzi scheme, shills like a Ponzi scheme and stinks like a Ponzi scheme .....

[@SeverityOne]

And another downvote because of today's sponsor.

[@d.b.cooper1]

Is this the new Ape NFT but for the millenial middle class?

[@aarongraham6207]

It really reduces the trustworthiness of your videos when you advertise an obvious grift

[@russ.harding3d]

Noooo not B1M copping out and promoting dodgy masterworks! I'm so sad to have to unsub from this one. There is no waitlist (why would they pay to advertise if they had people just waiting to give them money??) and you don't actually buy shares in any art itself... Its all a certain shaped scheme - seriously disappointed in you Fred.

[@owenkariuki4438]

“Infrastructure has the power to shape millions of people’s lives for the better but only if it’s built right.” Perfectly put.

[@JaKingScomez]

Cap

[@Ry_Guy]

Well technically it can shape their life either way, obviously we're hoping for a good shaping and not a tragic one. I think too many construction companies take this for granted trying to save money which is just ludacris.

[@PerishingForLackOfKnowledge]

Yeah. The whole world uses trains mainly except for uneducated Americans. God help us

[@Gdsamplify]

pretty obvious statement

[@kennypalermo9071]

@@Gdsamplify What year when this bridge in Corpus Christi be completed on?

[@allentrevino9280]

I live in Corpus and have been waiting years for this bridge to be completed, having said that this video is surprisingly in depth about the causes of the delays and the fixes being used to try and correct the problems already found.

[@jaylove2012]

I live in the Bluff and I think I would rather take the long way around than use the bridge to go to Portland , Ingleside , or any of the other small towns on the other side of the bay ! it;s not "A bridge thing" it's a "That bridge thing " !

[@nomnoomz]

@@jaylove2012 Thanks to superman and the Golden Gate bridge scene, I have phobia of tall bridges.... I used to live in Corpus and would choose not to get on it if I could... My hair would standup every time I saw the new towers being built and here I am watching this video and my phobia being reassured. Thank goodness for the Independent engineer studies. :D

[@itslife1399]

@@jaylove2012 I can't afford that lol plus it'll the fastest way to get to where I live

[@pbinnj3250]

The video said nothing about the causes of the defects, only the causes she’s for the delays.

[@olin9310]

@@pbinnj3250 Cause was the poor engineering by the firm fired that originally designed the project...

[@william2william]

Problems like these are caused by engineering firms trying to save money with construction techniques that end up costing hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars to fix.

[@jossland1628]

They have too, because that's what customers demand- as affordable and cheap as possible. We can create things with much longer lifespans and endurance than we do, but we don't because we want something useful for now and cheap.

[@samuelgomola9097]

It's a much harder problem, and you are looking at it through a keyhole. It's nothing wrong with it. Not everyone have time to do extensive research, but at least you should learn to acknowledge you are not capable of evaluating it.

[@wobby1516]

Sounds like another 161 Maiden lane NYC.

[@AGeeksTouch]

​@@jossland1628have to? Not at all. "No" is a reasonable answer for something potentially threatening lives.

[@bubble0]

@@AGeeksTouch If one firm says no the next will say yes. Firms can't afford to be picky about their customers.

[@ClementinesmWTF]

What’s funny is that this isn’t even the only cable-stayed bridge in Texas under construction and facing problems because of Figg…Houston is building its own similarly-sized ship channel bridge replacement and also had to halt because of foundation/tower issues. Luckily, both projects are both getting fixed up and moving forward.

[@vrettos99]

its insane that the state continued to keep them on staff and not double check their work after what happened in FIU

[@ClementinesmWTF]

@@vrettos99 well they didn’t keep them on after FIU. That was actually the whole reason they took them *off* the project. The Harbor Bridge was assigned to Arup-CFC as the lead engineers, and the towers designed by FIGG for Houston were demolished and are now being redesigned and engineered by COWI as the lead engineers. I know Texas government officials suck (in fact I personally voted against them), but it’s absolutely amazing how many nullbrained people like you will act like those in the government don’t do the right things and will outright make up facts (e.g., “the state continued to keep them on staff”) for some reason. This also applies to “the grid” that so many armchair experts online love to talk about but really know next to nothing about. It’s absolutely disgusting to see people like you who claim to be “on my side” talking like this when it’s clear you know nothing and it’s only for shitting on the “other side”. It’s the reason I loathe democrats.

[@craigsymington5401]

Windows based computers + half baked engineers = disaster!

[@mmmd3429]

​@@vrettos99Profit over people, welcome to Texas. The money is being funneled into certain pockets. The state party wants deregulation to make more $$$. Change orders = $$$$

[@cesarpalmos8235]

@@craigsymington5401 A tool is only as good as its operator.

[@daprovocateur]

Reminds us of how important inspectors and regulators are to keep us safe. Best to avoid collapse even if they increase costs and completion time.

[@dean._.0.0]

Republicans want to deregulate more, could you believe that? 🤣

[@FastGuy1]

Are you going to pay for that?

[@phanna7492]

@@FastGuy1 Either pay now to do it right or pay in a lawsuit for all the people who died from a bridge collapse.

[@OmmerSyssel]

​@@FastGuy1Ever noticed the catastrophic consequences of that attitude to mankind and nature? Start with the background for Standard Horizon.. 💥☠️💸💸💸

[@hb1338]

@@phanna7492 Or pay a second time to re-build it.

[@samantha07sanchez]

My great grandfather helped build the Harbor bridge! Seeing it go is so bitter sweet :(

[@P.mario92]

That's awesome

[@dolomaticus1180]

Some people in the comments here are missing a critical point about construction here: When something wrong happens on one project, we check over other Construction projects to see if everything is shaping up to standards. That is how the problems got caught in the first place, somebody became cautions and wanted to make certain this would still be up to snuff and found out the problems, I rather they find the problems BEFORE the bridge opens up, not afterwards. America has plenty of bridge screwups and disasters due to no checking over things.

[@hb1338]

What rubbish. For any number of reasons, the project should have been inspected and verified before construction started, NOT part way through.

[@dolomaticus1180]

@@hb1338 You miss again. Unless several negative factors are kicking in. Usually engineers work with what is given to them and people build it, now if either mistakes or things on site change, almost everybody thinking things are going along well. Also to point out something you said : BEFORE construction started. For which it is, but like all plans and projects, things change once the dirt is broken and work begins, both positive and negative.

[@mmmd3429]

So you're saying Texas did zero due diligence before the project? The Florida incident was only in the national news. Where is the money being funneled to?

[@DavidKnowles0]

All of these issues should have been caught in the design phase not during the construction phase.

[@dvs620]

​@@mmmd3429This is Texas. Of course the government overlooked it. Our state government has been controlled by the GOP for over 30 years and all we've gotten is a grid that fails when it snows and is in danger of failing when it gets over 100f, which is every summer in Texas. They roll back regulations on every industry that pays them to. It's not surprising that this happened. What's surprising is it got caught.

[@honkhonk8009]

The added bike/pedestrian path is cool. As much as I like cars, having a few pedestrian paths is much needed. Loved biking as a kid.

[@SB-go8fp]

Not really cyclist are kind of stupid here in New Mexico we have Bike trails everywhere yet on weekends you see bikers on the street creating Traffic jams. They are spoiled brats who always play the victim when someone runs over them

[@Bacopa68]

There's a pretty big bike culture in Corpus from what I hear. Plus Chicanos and Salvatruchas kinda have a bike culture out of necessity. I haven't been there since I was a kid. Went there on a three day weekend trip to the valley because my parents loved road trips and my dad thought we should least go to Mexico.

[@MrJoeolive]

Will be interesting to see the use as it is quite the incline and covers quite the gap.

[@cosmoray9750]

We have the same problem here in Canada. The incompetence and this is only a small bridge.....look up below. " Sask. engineer slapped with an 18-month suspension after designing bridge that collapsed hours after opening "

[@cardiiiiii]

yea people like you r not texans if u want to walk go to nyc

[@everburn]

Reminds you of how much blind trust we put in the construction industry.

[@TheB1M]

Absolutely. So many other projects round the world every day are completed without issue. We use so many buildings and pieces of infrastructure without a problem, taking the work of this amazing sector for granted.

[@headerahelix]

I think about this sort of thing every day, though I'm sure I'm in the minority. It's terrifying.

[@Spike20101000]

Might be more telling of the US's mentality to infrastructure. Cheep, fast, deal with it later, if ever. If its not this bridge its road, rails, the electric grid, healthcare, there seems to be a bottomless pit of problems. The slightest flex like a bad storm and it crumbles.

[@KrisRyanStallard]

This is why safety regulations and inspections are important.

[@Vile_Entity_3545]

@@headerahelixTerrifying? So everywhere you go you are quaking in your boots in case something collapses or drops on you? I pity you that you must be scared of your own shadow.

[@althejazzman]

Seeing the clips of the original bridge being built with guys hanging off the sides of steel girders was the most impressive part.

[@Zraknul]

You roll back to enough old style builds, and you ask what the body count was. Ie: the Brooklyn bridge claimed the lives of at least 20 workers, 11 for the Golden Gate Bridge (19 were caught by fall arresting nets). There's an old expression, safety regulations are written in blood.

[@jonathankleinow2073]

Someone needs to write the story of how Figg fell so far. They were one of the premier bridge design firms in the U.S. before the collapse in Miami.

[@davidhill3724]

didnt they decide to start going hard into the girl power thing

[@r3dp1ll]

@@davidhill3724 wokism ?

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

@@davidhill3724 I find it hard to believe that would ever be relevant to a company's performance.

[@OmmerSyssel]

​@@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022 might be, there are content on this medium, where a female engineering team were responsible for a collapsing bridge ... 👀🤷🏼

[@krashd]

@@OmmerSyssel There's also many hundreds of examples of male-built bridges collapsing.

[@Sashazur]

I wonder if adding more piles under the foundation will really help. I think this risks having the same issue that affects the leaning Millenium tower in SF, which is that if piles get too close together they capture the soil in between them, turning them into what is effectively one big pile with less overall friction holding it in place, vs actual multiple piles with more friction.

[@lewisdoherty7621]

In a place like that where there are no structures next to it, I thought it might be an idea to drive pilings at an angle to avoid what you are pointing out. Depending on the wind and other pressures, some of the pilings will go into compression and others in tensile, but all would provide resistance to movement against more of the earth.

[@pjburges]

The ground in Corpus Christi in that area is like soft soup. All sand, and all sinking and sliding. Very water saturated all the way down. Tough to build a foundation on something like that. They should have grossly overbuilt the two tower foundations, but I guess they had not spent much time digging holes on the Texas Gulf Coast. Swampland.

[@joshdaly2343]

Piles depend on end bearing pressure as well as frictional resistance. So although, it could result in what you are saying, the net outcome would probably still higher strength. The deeper you go, the more pressure the soil at that level can take.

[@Bacopa68]

@@pjburges Yeah, it's a long way to any hard shale or limestone. Texas east of the 35 Line was a vast inland sea, along with most of Louisiana, and chunks of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

[@goldenhate6649]

@@pjburges You do realize the water table in a large majority of areas is just 10-20 feet down? Your point is kinda mute when that is considered. Yeah the surface is soupy, so what, that's what the pylons are for

[@duanebidoux6087]

Well, you should check out what is happening on a massive bridge being built in Houston as well. Construction was halted on that bridge several months ago when they discovered massive design issues that I don't understand. It is a bridge that crosses the Houston Ship Channel.

[@mikew2928]

I think the same engineering firm designed the uncompleted Houston bridge. Later, a different company did a design review and recommended changes. Concerns of a conflict of interest were raised when the review firm got the new construction contract. There is a suspension bridge of the same design completed in 1995 that crosses the Houston ship channel at Baytown, TX. They removed a tunnel there when the channel was deepened. The first and furthest inland channel bridge was completed in 1973. Concerns arose when it was found that the bridge was sinking. At only 41m (135ft) clearance several ships have hit it.

[@selanryn5849]

That was another FIGG project. The design problems were so extensive that they demolished everything that had been built and just started over.

[@WestOfEarth]

@@selanryn5849 😮

[@donquique1]

The piles were sinking.

[@duanebidoux6087]

@@selanryn5849 I'm talking beltway 8 over ship channel. The last time I was in that part of the city was several months back and there was a lot of structure built. Is he talking about another one?

[@stevegibson743]

I live in Corpus and this video is way out of date. As of July 2024, they have come a looooong way on its construction. The main spans (one in Corpus and one in Portland) are nearly connected to the second nearest inbound piles. It's amazing watching this span being completed with having to block off the ship channel. It is almost like they are alive and growing towards each other.

[@charaznable1131]

If this was a rail project or anything done in California this would be blasted on news media constantly

[@ianhomerpura8937]

They did the same with Texas Central between Houston and Dallas. Southwest Airlines really hated any competition.

[@darthmaul216]

Because roads keep the status quo whereas rail changes it

[@krashd]

Democrats are not as petty and vindictive as republicans, sadly.

[@mmmd3429]

Every state needs California to blame. Responsibilities are hard.

[@everythingbutthegirlfan762]

I know it's a double standard. While voting in Texas is still predominately Republican, the demographics of Texas are just as bad as California. Which goes to show that demographics are more important than politics. Ultra liberal, but ultra White Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are still living well.

[@yips_way]

I'm a retired "simple" CAD draughtsman with a previous career in the steel fabrication industry too (making things with steel, not making the steel itself), and the times I've seen design or build issues amazes me considering the people designing them are supposed to be highly intelligent and highly educated engineers. My practical experience enables me to see problems my colleagues and engineers never saw. It seems at times that the more further educated some people get, the less common sense they have and practical/logical thinking declines too. So many of have zero practical experience and stick to what they read or were taught, unfortunately SOME of them are too stubborn and won't waver from it due to ego - especially Architects! Luckily I've also found many engineers extremely receptive and grateful for problems being brought to their attention that they weren't aware of - basically saving their ass! 🤣 Some issues I have seen in the past have been glaringly obvious - unless of course it wasn't in a book!

[@anodakatoda6902]

"Highly intelligent and highly educated" is not enough without some wisdom included.

[@palmharbor6317]

You are so great, Man. 😂

[@illuminerd3757]

its gotten much worse.

[@jgdooley2003]

There is a tension which exists in many sectors between "book learning" and practical learning picked up when working hands on in a particular sector. All too often HR practitioners concentrate on formal degrees and qualifications and reject candidates out of hand who may have acquired their knowledge while working on a jobsite. Both types of knowledge and learning are needed in any well-run sector. Also there is a tendency for companies to opt out of training and development and rely too much on the academic sector to provide that training and development, often at great cost to individuals and their families and unaffordable to many families whose members may have the needed practical skills and know-how but lack the needed formal degrees to compete successfully in todays jobs-markets.

[@vincentgrinn2665]

its amazing how many things are poorly designed and poorly built these days and worrying that only a few of them are stopped and fixed before theyre finished

[@refreshfr]

Well, how else are they going to afford their 5th yacht if they don't make it as cheap as possible with an inflated bill

[@SummerSausage1]

Biden's America.

[@Racko.]

It's intentional

[@Emanuele246gi]

What does tell you that it's "these days"?

[@valentinius62]

​@@Racko.In this case, I don't think so. But overall it seems to be an ever increasing feature. The Communists are doing their best to de-industrialize western countries, so they can be able to say that Capitalism is a failure. Some of it is pure sabotage...lots of fires at industrial plants, food processing businesses, train derailments, cell tower sabotage, refinery fires, computer hacking... Then there's the practice of pushing unqualified diversity hires and the politically reliable though otherwise incompetent into key positions and industries including engineering.

[@brandonalaniz360]

From Corpus feels like the bridge will never be done. Crazy seeing you making a video about my home town.

[@GazMoby]

Very enjoyable as always 👍

[@TheB1M]

Thank you so much!

[@Supernaut2000]

I can’t help to see similarities with the Millennium Tower in San Francisco and this bridge re foundation and piles. Scary that much of the bridge got built before these 5 major issues were discovered.

[@KB-ke3fi]

It's unstable ground there. There are no rocks. It's all sand.

[@mrxman581]

​@@KB-ke3figeological surveys anyone? Then why even build this bridge here if the terrain is not adequate? Seems fishy.

[@neilkurzman4907]

It’s completely different the problems with the millennium tower is California, liberals, socialist woke communism. Texas is perfect. Which means the bridge was completed on time and under budget.

[@ELMS]

That was an excellent summary, Fred. Tip of the hat for being concise and comprehensive at the same time.

[@neweratraxx2768]

this bridge was also set to be the tallest structure in Texas, one thing you guys missed is the main reason the construction came to a halt is because the inspectors were found to be the same ones working on the hard rock casino that collapsed in New Orleans which is the reason I guess they went back to look over everything from the beginning

[@streetwearjimmy]

Also, the bridge at that college in Florida that collapsed.

[@bobbytamez3962]

South Texas

[@neweratraxx2768]

Update they found a huge crack in the bridge a week or 2 ago one of the workers posted it on ig

[@streetwearjimmy]

@@neweratraxx2768 Jesus Christ smh. I’ll blame the crack on the supports being exposed to salt water constantly. Crazy how I left Corpus Christi 2 years ago when the construction was actually going on and I’ll be coming back in October for school to barely any progress.

[@neilkurzman4907]

Why would state inspectors work in two different states?

[@johnstuartsmith]

This bridge and the Millenium Tower are some of the many reasons that the whole body of civil engineering relating to soil characteristics, the use of piles to create stable foundations, and how reinforced concrete box-shaped roadways age over the years needs to be re-evaluated.

[@bosorot]

Thumb up if you think that , B1M should not promote masterworks . Or at less put a disclaimer that "This is not financial advice, please do your due diligence with your money" .

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

Glad to hear not only Germany faces such issues in large construction projects ...

[@MicroSBs]

sadly the whole world. Its a combo of greed and well these are HUGE projects with very complex specification to be met with more demand than ever.

[@stroll-and-roll]

Of course not haha. Why would you think its only Germany? It happens all over the world, all the time.

[@MicroSBs]

@@stroll-and-roll I brought it up because some comments here are using this video to Troll US infrastructure woes .

[@d.b.cooper1]

It's a tale old as time itself, nothing new. Being on time, to standard & budget is the rare exception, not the rule.

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

@@d.b.cooper1 that might be true, however Germany has truely perfected the fine art to f*ck large scale projects up

[@GraysonBearden]

My grandfather was an original steel worker for the harbor bridge when it was constructed back in the 1950s. Those of us that live in Corpus Christi are super disappointed with the way this construction has been progressing,. The downtown area is overrun with a cluster of construction. Temporary roadways make absolutely no sense and make it hard to get anywhere. And most of us are vowing to never drive on this new bridge. 😂 Thanks for putting together a comprehensive video that explains these issues and solutions better than our city and those responsible have. Been watching this channel for years. It was neat to see my city on it.

[@colbygill533]

Yeah everyone I know says I'm not driving on it for a while after it's built.

[@moose5.9]

Wow imagine the old timers getting it right with no computers and in today's world we have huge mistakes being made with the most advanced engineering programs. Makes ya think what else haven't we uncovered from similar construction builds

[@hb1338]

The calculations are the same, they are just done faster. The decision criteria and the budgets have changed though.

[@moose5.9]

@@hb1338 how are the calculations done the same if this needed major structural support for the pilings? Not to mention the other structural components in the roadway connections

[@kylevining9195]

Long story short is it’s just a simpler design. Truss bridges can be designed by hand because they can follow fundamental structural analysis for determinant structures. You could build a truss bridge the size of the new one, but it would be 4x the cost of the post-stressed concrete segmental bridges that FIGG pioneered in the 80s. The biggest cost of bridge building is labor. Pre-stressed segmental bridges are tougher to engineer, but much simpler to construct because many of the pieces can be fabricated off-site and “dropped” into place.

[@Honeycomblife]

Back then we still had construction workers that were descendants of great highly advanced people

[@Zraknul]

The trick isn't building it, the engineer's job is to design it to be cheap. It's easy to build a strong little model bridge with screws and 2x4s. It's harder with popsicle sticks and glue.

[@thomastehan9477]

As a resident of Corpus Christi your very informative analysis is greatly appreciated.

[@ravenfeeder1892]

It's almost as if the initial engineering team didn't understand hurricanes.

[@Distress.]

FIGG is based out of Florida and has built many bridges. It was not ignorance, it was negligence.

[@hb1338]

@@Distress. Maybe not. One way to nail your opponents is to change the design constraints. Suppose FIGG designed the bridge to withstand 1 in 50 years hurricane strength. Change that constraint to once in 100 years and the bridge is no longer good enough. The choice of 1in 50 or 1 in 100 is mostly arbitrary.

[@pjburges]

@@hb1338 Exactly - and thats how they probably underbid their competitors. The devil is in the details.

[@robbo219]

I commute every morning near the construction of this bridge. Yes people are nervous about the stability of this bridge. Based on our local news, the General Contractor is responsible for the the costs of the issues. We’re tired of years of detours and construction delays.

[@switawivr6]

As someone who commuted across the Harbor Bridge for quite a while this is especially poignant. Corpus Christi simply cannot exist without a harbor bridge. Beyond commerce and transportation the city's very identity is tied to this historical Landmark in the same way San Francisco is tied to the Golden Gate Bridge.

[@davetv4705]

It really pieces my heart to see such massive projects being halted due to errors after spending billions on them! I suggest that such projects should be thoroughly inspected by experts at every level of advancement before the next stage.

[@hb1338]

The failure to inspect is precisely why the project is in such a mess.

[@controlledsingularity8084]

Government mandated policy to pick lowest bidder, to ensure "proper" use of budget... who knew the cheapest option cut all the corners? Politicians omegalul.

[@savagekingtexas_3990]

I used to live in Corpus Christi, Texas. Seeing the ships pass by near the aquarium and go underneath us when crossing the bridge was quite surreal. I moved out of Corpus in May, hopefully they'll get this bridge done by 2027. If the Harbour bridge did collapse, people would now have to go via Port Aransas Ferry or through Odem. It probably would block the precious canal to the Harbour too

[@phanna7492]

The Port of Corpus Christi in 2021 handled 6,843 vessels and over 167 million tons of cargo, the latter of which was a new monthly record in the Port’s history.[9] The Port of Corpus Christi is the nation’s leading export gateway for crude oil and No. 2 gateway for exports of liquefied natural gas. The first export of crude oil to be shipped from the United States following the lifting of a federal ban on American crude in 2015 was from the Port of Corpus Christi. That shipment was aboard the Theo T tanker, which carried crude oil overseas from NuStar Energy LP’s dockside facility in the Port of Corpus Christi.[10] The Port of Corpus Christi, as of August 2022, holds roughly 60 percent of the U.S. crude oil market share.[11]

[@hb1338]

@@phanna7492 That's all well and good, but he state of Texas appears to be unable to build safe bridges.

[@counterfit5]

@@hb1338 or a reliable electric grid, for that matter

[@harleypruett]

⁠@@phanna7492I was a dock worker contracted to NuStar. I helped fill the Theo T!

[@kaymillerfromTX]

@@hb1338How aren’t we? Over half of Americas bridges at structurally deficient. This is a US route operated by the federal government, not the state. Our state highways are pretty good.

[@mikeybhoutex]

Not the only FIGG bridge in Texas that's had issues. Port Arthur and Sam Houston Tollway bridges too. I wonder why this cable stay/fancy structures/less pylon design is even being used for such large structures. The Sidney Sherman bridge, a 'simple' girder bridge over the Houston Ship Channel on I-610 East is 50 years old, has had fires and ships hit it, keeps being repaired, and is apparently in no danger of being replaced, with retrofitted materials apparently keeping it alive instead of figuring out a plan to replace it (which would be quite the effort.... it's pretty packed and there's an exchange on the south side to consider as well...) Question I have is this: What is that 610 bridge doing that these new ones aren't? Besides having apparently better engineering firms behind them... :| I'm sure there's history of that 610 bridge being a 'fun' project too, but still... All these problems with the Harbor bridge in Corpus look to be due half to the design itself...? Thanks in advance if you decide to help, and for reading it at all, y'all have a good one!

[@pjburges]

Just taking a stab at it - I'd say the construction manufacturing equipment, technology, know-how, and engineering design guidelines and knowledge from the older girder bridge just no longer exist in the USA. What steel mill in America makes girders like that? And who has the equipment to rivet and bolt them? Whereas these steel tube extrusions and cables are probably all made overseas at some place in China or Korea for the absolute lowest cost, cookie cutter, and so all the designs are constrained to that type of manufacturing. Girder is dead because we couldn't build it if we wanted to is what I am saying. Bethlehem Steel and many others are long gone. EDIT, by girder bridge I assume you mean truss or box/girder bridges specifically.

[@edwardklein5770]

I think a lot of it has to do with its location. It's essentially at the end of the ship channel and there aren't port facilities in the loop that would be looking to take larger ships. There are a lot more major facilities between 610 and the Beltway that would probably welcome bigger ships if they could fit under the Beltway bridge. 610 is also already several lanes wide, whereas the Beltway 8 bridge is only two lanes in each direction. The new Beltway bridge looks like it will be four lanes in each direction.

[@Bacopa68]

@@pjburges Yes, the 610 Bridge is a box girder bridge. As mentioned elsewhere, there isn't much a problem because only smaller ships go up that far and use the turning basin. If you drive a German car, it likely went under that bridge.

[@Bacopa68]

@@edwardklein5770 And if they get their four lanes in each direction, I predict TxDot studies will show the Lynchburg ferry still needs to stay in service. Back in the 80's after the current BW8 bridge opened, they said they would shut it down. It remains in service today.

[@caseymitchell5477]

​@@pjburgesthese can be built in Seguin, or Houston. There are steel mills there.

[@Anthony-ot8vl]

Those of you who haven't seen this bridge in person, it's insane. I'd rather they stop it and get it done safely.

[@AlphaToOmegaXG]

Texas. Doesn’t need saving. Texas is great and thriving.

[@jayforerunner965]

I was just down at Corpus Christi and saw this massive soon to be bridge. I hope they manage to get things rolling eventually.

[@hb1338]

As long as it is only cars and trucks that roll.

[@SoCalFreelance]

Crossed that bridge many times in my 300ZX back in the 90's, good times.

[@Kni0002]

Design seems similar to the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne which collapsed during construction

[@papasquatch2432]

Interesting watch. Thanks.

[@Love2Cruise]

You know a bridge is famous, or infamous, when it’s included in a video game. This unfinished bridge can be seen in American Truck Simulator.

[@DakotaofRaptors]

Really?

[@petsematarykeeper]

I live near here, so cool to see it on one of my favorite channels. No pun intended

[@JT-gd7he]

I grew up in Corpus in the 70’s, thru the 90’s. My mother’s family lived there since the 50’s. My grandfather was employed by the Texas Highway Departnent, my uncles were employed by the city (street and wastewater). I don’t think anyone from Corpus is really surprised by this planning disaster. It’s just another day in Corpus.

[@easysneezy]

I can not imagine living in corpus, sounds like hell. I mean the beach is so nasty that they built hospitals right next too it. And what's with the fucking college, they say it's on a island, but that's only when the tide is high.

[@daveb7663]

Except Corpus has nothing to do with this, it's a 100% TXDOT project.

[@kayhenry6293]

I was born, and grew up, in Corpus. As a kid, the only way across the channel was the Tule Lake lift bridge on Navigation Blvd. It could take a really long time to cross if you hit it at the wrong time!

[@varoonnone7159]

In my country, Mauritius, when the new tramway was being built, many complained that the project was given to an Indian firm saying that there will be accidents. There haven't been any due to the tramway itself Well, it's clear that western firms are not more reliable

[@Techstriker1]

Having once been in an engineering program and saw who actually graduated at the end, it's a miracle more stuff doesn't fail spectacularly.

[@bwhog]

"If engineers built buildings the way computer programmers write programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization." Sometimes that statement isn't quite so funny...

[@Techstriker1]

@@bwhog Reminds me of the "Write your code like the person who'll maintain it is an axe murderer who knows where you live." Either way though, seems like few do.

[@stxrynn]

@@bwhogI saw that cartoon hanging on the wall in our computer science bldg at college in the 80's. I am no programmer, and that comic helped me realize it!

[@MrJoeolive]

It's wild to drive by that thing as see how massive it actually is.

[@tatianaes3354]

*INCREDIBLE* incompetence.

[@RenaissanceThinking]

For the life of me, my friends at the Harbor can't tell me why a tunnel wasn't dug to begin with!

[@jayjdietrich]

Corpus is a "look at us" town and nobody would be able to see a tunnel. I don't know anyone who would drive over this new bridge and I doubt they'll change their minds ten years from now.

[@mar56cos]

@@jayjdietrichgood luck getting around to Portland. People will drive on it as soon as it opens up.

[@ericg7183]

@@mar56cos just take the Joe Fulton, it was always an alternate route for me, when I lived in Portland, and there was a wreck on the bridge.

[@Affalterbach1967]

5:22 is the detail I subscribe for. Interesting that 'rebar everywhere, in concrete' is not a safety design strategy, but adding rebar is a mitigation only for retroactively discovered weak points.

[@techmage89]

Rebar brings problems of its own, namely the potential for corrosion. If you expect the concrete to always be under compression, rebar isn't needed, but obviously in this case that expectation turned out to be a mistake. It's a good lesson that engineers need to be really thorough in their analysis of structures like this.

[@whiteknightcat]

I passed a convoy hauling some the trapezoidal concrete roadway sections to Corpus Christi last month. Those things are absolutely immense!

[@ronr5194]

I did not expect to see a video of the bridge in my hometown! Glad they are shedding light on this

[@HYDROPONIQ]

Believe it

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

Make them financially responsible. Always the same thing, projects get way out of budget and past their deadline and no one in the government raises an eye, because it’s tax payers money not their own. In NY one project for the LIRR was 10 years and 50 billion over budget. And when finished it still has leaks, escalators that don’t work, and myriad other issues.

[@efimovv]

Money money money... here we can clearly see what money is not enough. You need people who can actually build things, not just consume money.

[@glebkrawez5046]

​@@efimovvit is not money, it is responsibility. Money are just most logical way of making it, without going towards severe measures.

[@efimovv]

​@@glebkrawez5046 I agree with you - resposibility is a key. But after you defined responsibility in money soon you got insurance/expert/audit/whatever companies who (for a bit more money) took responsibility from anyone to... nowhere. Because they also pay money when issue happened while pointing to each over. And now you have giant money flow around different pockets and very little outcome in real world i.e. bridges.

[@utsalax24]

We drive over the harbor bridge every day. The new construction has been a major inconvenience since it started. It has also made a huge mess out of North Beach.

[@Jmason713]

Not sure of the scale compared to the harbor bridge but it is most likely very similar to the bridge under construction by the same engineering company in Houston, TX, and its almost a mirror of the situation going on with this bridge, several years delays, structural issues at play and massively elevated budget. See “beltway 8 bridge rebuild”

[@JohnnyJamesGio]

5:26 using measurement units only Americans understand is tight :D

[@bubtrucker]

People all around the world play basketball. You know FIBA is a thing lol

[@JohnnyJamesGio]

Fair enough

[@sammyday3341]

Excellent presentation.

[@ryans.5843]

I was wondering why this wasn't done. I was there when they broke ground. Traffic is terrible now.

[@DanoFSmith-yc9tg]

I drove by there about a month ago, it truly is massive. And I grew up in a harbor town with a massive bridge, Hamilton Ontario, but the one in Corpus dwarfs those back home.

[@flyingpanhandle]

Impressive initial cost for the bridge. The Mersey Gateway bridge in the UK, albeit smaller longest span, is twice as long, with the same number of lanes, and cost less, and took just three years to build.

[@flightmaster999]

That bride does look like the one in this video, but the height seems much lower. That reduces the cost of the approach lanes by quite a lot.

[@MavisKonopelski]

Your explanations were very clear and easy to understand, thank you.

[@keeganbrown9967]

I never understood why engineers don't just overdesign these projects to begin with. Cheaper to design it super strong at the start than it is to cut corners.

[@howardswanson4708]

Engineers don’t over design structures because it multiplies the cost. Generally, if you increase the strength of something, it also increases the weight. That means that everything that is supporting the stronger piece also needs to be larger and heavier. Stronger also means more expensive. This also a turns into a network cost problem. If you spend more money on bridge A, it reduces the amount of money that a state has to spend on bridges B through Z. Having one super bridge and many bad bridges is worse than having all mediocre bridges.

[@majorrev8690]

@@howardswanson4708 "Engineers don't..." All of em dont? Can you quantify that statement please? I spent almost 30 years in engineering performing engineering. Im curious as to your experiences. Honestly, your comment sounds like you know absolutely nothing about the subject. Its just a generic rant.

[@illuminerd3757]

@@majorrev8690 "engineering performing engineering." I think you spent 0 years

[@majorrev8690]

@@illuminerd3757 OK bud. Do you know how many positions and titles there are in an engineering group? One with a few hundred members? Not everyone worked on projects, actually DOING engineering wk. I can see how my comment confused someone, such as yourself. I'll take that one.

[@thezionsoho]

Can yall talk about the Sam Houston Channelview Toll Bridge project that is in a very similar state of limbo

[@lk29392]

Being from Houston I thought this video was going to be about the Beltway 8 Ship Channel Bridge safety issues here. Well, it looks like Texas has some bridge problems y'all.

[@mmmd3429]

Texas is one big infrastructure nightmare. It just doesn't get the flack other states get.

[@GeekyMedia]

Absolutely superb. Looking forward to you boys covering this in the podcast

[@tomwalsh96]

A shared bike and walking path is such a bad idea, you're basically just making one large walking path and an obstacle course for bikes

[@WolfSeril107]

let's be honest though, it's texas, no one will ever bike or walk on that path

[@tomwalsh96]

@@WolfSeril107 😆this is true

[@tymccarthy5465]

Bikers in Texas: oh gee thanks for that bike and ped path next to a 6 lane highway and 1 mile in the air. Can't believe rail wasn't included...

[@elisabethkolling6697]

The rail industry l doesn't like inclines, especially steep ones.

[@TheRailwayDrone]

So are we gonna call this a boondoggle like we do rail projects in this country? I've never seen as many issues with a BRIDGE like this video describes.

[@re8746]

I lived on Padre Island at the Nautillus Galleria from 91-95. Use to love going to The Palace and watching Michelle Morris dance.

[@1432CW]

Note that the old bridge was built using engineers who could do math and use slide rules and transits (and who were very often at the site, inspecting things first hand), and skilled human laborers. The new one is being attempted by engineers who can only use CAD and GPS and were allowed to use calculators to do math in school. They do as much as possible over the internet, in part because they very often live thousands of miles away and so cannot conveniently visit the site. They get their day-to-day information about what is going on on-site from third-party companies who use their own unskilled labor and automated processes to gather the information. The actual construction is being attempted with mostly unskilled labor dependent on highly automated equipment. Why does the result surprise anyone?

[@hasbeenracing]

My guess is the current bridge would never pass today’s construction standards. But it’s been standing for 50 years. Projects today are completely over engineered because the risk if things go wrong is so catastrophic and we’ve become completely risk phobic.

[@MAL-92]

One of my biggest issues with where I work as well. We’re modifying a 747 with the design engineers being 1500 miles away and have never stepped foot on our A/C. Makes no sense. 🤬

[@jamesturley5337]

Once my son gets off a certain age these are the channels I’ll be making him watch

[@sanderdeboer6034]

Why didn’t they consider a tunnel? Here in the Netherlands places where large ships have to move, tunnels are default. Like in Rotterdam (Obviously) and around the Noordzeekanaal (That now has the largest lock in the world) where three tunnels have been build.

[@humorpalanta]

Same thought here. Saw this massive monstrum literally several km long and massive, has to be built upwards and downwards a lot, has to take against massive winds... And I was like: Build a tunnel? Build 2 massive holes each side, bring in 3 boring machines (1-1 for each side and 1 for the safety middle passage) and it is done simple. I believe the issue come from the fact that Uhmericans cannot think small. They have these vast lands and they immediately think of using it while we Europeans usually lack space so we work around it.

[@sanderdeboer6034]

@@humorpalanta Most tunnels here are prefab concrete parts immersed on the spot and connected to each other. Bit perhaps boring is required here because of land ownership issues. However it looked like a prime location for such a relatively cheap tunnel. Next to no wind issues, tunnels also require less maintenance and have a long lifespan. The oldest tunnel in The Netherlands is the Maastunnel in Rotterdam, build in during the war and finished in 1942.

[@humorpalanta]

@@sanderdeboer6034 Couldn't be immersed in this case. The channel has to be available 24/7 365 days of the year. The water is not too deep so they would need to dig and then sink and cover back. So prefab is not playable. Only boring machine.

[@1000rogueleader]

Expense. Building tunnels is generally more expensive than building bridges in America. Not that there are no tunnels in Texas. There used be two tunnels under the Houston Ship Channel. One of them was replaced with a bridge, one still exists, but its only two lanes.

[@sanderdeboer6034]

@@1000rogueleader The tunnel build below our shipping channel here near Amsterdam costed 272 million euros or 295 million dollars. This was build using pre build concrete tunnel segments that were sunk into place. This is a relatively cheap method for constructing tunnels. The latest tunnel to be build is under water is the Westerschelde tunnel with a total cost of around 800 million dollars. It is almost 7 KM long or 4 miles, and goes beneath the Westerschelde that goes to the harbor of Antwerp in Belgium. I feel this is a very similar situation of that in Texas. This was build by TBM’s, so more expensive, but for longer distances more effective. And the building costs are not the only thing you have to look at in terms of cost of ownership. Tunnels require less maintenance and bring the main advantage ships are not hindered in any way. Also they can be open with any wind speed, while bridges especially of this size often need to be closed in severe weather.

[@charlesbaran1106]

People around the country always criticize New York for overdue and overbudget projects, but it can happen anywhere. Hope the bridge issues are resolved soon.

[@mmmd3429]

Texas??? Come on, they are bigger cons than New York.

[@HanTheProphet]

My palms start sweating and I get unreasonably angry at myself if I make a mistake that costs me even half a day on some home diy project This is insane lmfaoooo

[@SlickNickBA]

In 1923, in the U.S. we could build seemingly any structure, and in 2023, we can't even build a bridge. Better days are long behind us.

[@CMVBrielman]

4:14 Apparently, California is the only place in the US that has climate issues. (I can’t imagine anything else unique about California)

[@ericscottstevens]

Being from Michigan not sure any bridge project could be worse than the Zilwaukee bridge debacle in the 1980s. Well this one tops it.

[@Samuel_J1]

At this point with so many things going wrong they might as well just give up

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Of course you can say that cuz you have no vested interest in the project so what do you care??

[@jrod4855]

For the last 27 months, I have been watching the bridge come together, Working security in various areas around it. with 10 and half to 11 months to go, I think they're gonna make it. Texas Department of Transportation says they are on track.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I think that is one advantage of the past because they didn't have computers they would make sure the structure was reinforced to a level 3 times of what they thought was good enough, just to be sure. Whereas now we go as close to the knifes edge as possible due to computer models giving accurate(-ish) readings, meaning it can be built with less material and therefore less cost to the company, not to the piblic of course just the company so it can make more profit. But this causes huge issues as one tiny variable change can throw the bridge into a dangerous category, making it so much more expensive to do remodeling, reordering of material etc. Making cost sky rocket

[@hb1338]

Rubbish. The computer models use exactly the same mathematics and engineering as was used a long time ago.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@hb1338 no it doesn't

[@joshdaly2343]

​@@hb1338computers use finite element analysis. Although this is theoretically possible by hand, it is literally impossible for any human to do the same amount of calculations as the computer can in any cost effective time.

[@joncdav1]

Good video. I was just there two months ago watching them work on those two structures that support the cabling. At least now, I know what they were working on. Thank you! BTW - my Grandfolks lived in Corpus at the time they built the previous bridge. They couldn't believe the size the first bridge. They said living in Corpus at that time was like being on vacation everyday. Of course, it'all in decline today, but it's still a lot of fun.

[@mattwoodard2535]

"Everything is bigger in Texas." Including (sadly) some peoples egos about being from Texas. sm

[@memonk11]

Some?!

[@mattwoodard2535]

@@memonk11 I have meet some honestly great people from Texas that in no way have a bloated ego about being from Texas. You need to take people on a case by case basis and not paint everyone with the same broad brush. sm

[@mattwoodard2535]

@@lisasdfwhightechworld9946 So what? That has nothing to do with what anyone is talking about. sm

[@mattwoodard2535]

@@lisasdfwhightechworld9946 Which STILL has nothing to do with the subject. Well, other than to start to make it look like you are one of the people with an oversized ego sadly. I hope I am wrong. sm

[@MrMattie725]

I thought it was a re-upload, but it was Practical Engineering that made a video about the same issues a few months ago :)

[@dxtxzbunchanumbers]

How much federal money is going into this monstrosity

[@JRMcDowell]

Just thankful someone was keeping an eye on this and inspecting it and not sweeping it under the bridge per say. ;)

[@Faizaan2468]

Great video but stay away from Masterworks

[@sadgod361]

I'm terrified to ride on it when it is complete

[@windsorSJ]

This bridge has had so many fixes, problems and corrections that even when built I believe it will still be unreliable.

[@Progrssn]

Unbelievable amount of physics to evaluate. I wd never think the way a crane was set up wd affect the final dynamics of a bridge.

[@thepowerpal4713]

Yall could easily make a series on major infrastructure projects in Texas, such as the interstate 35 expansion in Austin, interstate 45 rerouting in Houston, or the Sam Houston Tolley Bridge. We have several large infrastructure projects that have seen countless setbacks and controversy.

[@niqhtt]

Because they are addicted to cars and refuse decent public transport

[@chefssaltybawlz]

No. We don’t want 45 rerouted. Anyone here knows that idea is a joke, 59 was a lake for 8 days after harvey why parallel 45 to it? 🙄 and interstates are federal, Sam Houston is owned by the county.

[@thepowerpal4713]

@@chefssaltybawlz I'm just giving out ideas on what's going on here. I'm not a fan of the 45 route either, but im not sure what txdot and the feds are planning with it. Hopefully someone sensible will help find a solution that satisfies all parties, but that is definitely not a guarantee.

[@chefssaltybawlz]

@@thepowerpal4713 ooooh I gotcha. Do you live in Houston? If not, didn’t mean to sound crass but it blew my mind that they legit proposed that AFTER harvey 😂 🤦🏿‍♂️ you can tell our elected officials are just top quality haha

[@thepowerpal4713]

@@chefssaltybawlz Yeah I'm from Houston. I work for the state actually, so I know what an absolute mess the beuracracy is when dealing with infrastructure.

[@A-ph7hf]

Wow, I've been in Corpus Christi for the past 2 days and knew nothing about this bridge except that it was being built. Now I know the history and challenges. Just coincidence that I saw this video on my feed, I guess.

[@thomaslanders2073]

The US is a joke when it comes to relatively large infrastructure projects. I guarantee it would be virtually impossible for the US to build something like that new Hong Kong bridge even if they had five times higher budget and ten years more time 😢

[@dakmycat3688]

In California we’re dealing with the over budget speed train.

[@curtisdaniel9294]

Texas? You could do a whole video on how much texass cares about outdoor workers in the hot sun.

[@joetrey215]

What about it? Texas Administrative Code 295.165: "Every temporary place of employment shall be provided with an adequate supply of potable water for drinking. Employers shall make drinking water readily accessible to all employees during all working hours and rest periods in sufficient amounts to meet their needs."

[@DakotaofRaptors]

Seriously, what does that have to do with engineering?

[@davidejames]

It's beautiful Bridge and deserves to be built right with any cutting corners / flaws ❤❤

[@amandab.recondwith8006]

I suspect if we knew of the mistakes and potential failure of much of our infrastructure, we'd be so appalled, we'd all stay home and commute online!

[@Sacred_Silence]

0:22 "If it ever gets finished" Yep, sounds like Texas.

[@gryff8400]

Downvote for masterworks.

[@choglatemilg]

As a texan i am old enough to remember that the government used tax payer funds to build the toll roads here then gave massive no bid contracts to corporations to run them as for-profit toll roads. it ended up being a huge racket and at this point we even have surge pricing for some of the HOV style toll roads (mopac express for example). i have seen the prices as high as 30 dollars for a one way trip, and the funniest part is that it doesnt help to alleviate traffic really at all. Texas infrastructure is a deregulated nightmare.

[@neilkurzman4907]

Well, obviously you’re incorrect. Because private industry always does things better and cheaper than the government ever could. That attitude and $1 billion in upfront money gift Politicians incentive to sell a public roadway to a private company for 100 years. They get the benefit of cutting taxes while other people pay for it for the 90 more years after that.