Baltimore bridge easily collapsed by a ship

[R. Hartono]

 

[FJK]

I wonder why this possibility wasn't factored in when the bridge was designed, is it something that couldn't have been anticipated at the time?

[other one]

There were barriers there, but when the bridge was built, we didn't have ships that weigh 400 million pounds.  I'm not sure what kind of barrier could stop that kind of weight.

[FJK]

15 minutes ago, other one said:

There were barriers there, but when the bridge was built, we didn't have ships that weigh 400 million pounds.  I'm not sure what kind of barrier could stop that kind of weight.

I can understand that, but what I can;t understand is the entire bridge collapsing from one tower being accidentally hit.  One section of it where the ship hit certainly would be, but the whole thing from end to end?

I don't think more destruction could have been done if it were a deliberate demolition job being done to make way for a new one.

I imagine it will take many weeks to fix it, I wonder how hard it will be to reroute the traffic it carried elsewhere.

[other one]

3 hours ago, FJK said:

I can understand that, but what I can;t understand is the entire bridge collapsing from one tower being accidentally hit.  One section of it where the ship hit certainly would be, but the whole thing from end to end?

I don't think more destruction could have been done if it were a deliberate demolition job being done to make way for a new one.

I imagine it will take many weeks to fix it, I wonder how hard it will be to reroute the traffic it carried elsewhere.

That was the way it was designed.  The way it is all tied together.  Old technology.   I heard someone speaking for the city say it would likely take  a year.   Traffic there was awful as it was.   It is an interstate loop.

[FJK]

1 hour ago, other one said:

That was the way it was designed.  The way it is all tied together.  Old technology.   I heard someone speaking for the city say it would likely take  a year.   Traffic there was awful as it was.   It is an interstate loop.

I wonder how well they will be able to keep the harbor open for shipping while it is being rebuilt?

I understand a large part of the economy of the area and the US in general is produced by it.

[other one]

28 minutes ago, FJK said:

I wonder how well they will be able to keep the harbor open for shipping while it is being rebuilt?

I understand a large part of the economy of the area and the US in general is produced by it.

It is huge for the economy.  The only port in the country that is busier is Los Ángeles.  About a fourth of coal exports leave there.

It shouldn't take long to clear the sea lane, I don't know about the reconstruction.

[The_Patriot21]

A ship that big vs a bridge like that....yeah it's going to go down hard, especially getting hit from the side like that.

It was never ever designed to take a hit from the side from a 400 million pound boat. There are very few bridges that could. The golden gate bridge.... maybe, but even then I wouldn't want to try it.

It's simple physics. It's a bridge...not a wall. You want it strong enough to handle the traffic that goes over it and major weather, but cheap enough that it doesn't totally bankrupt you and you can maintain it. To make a bridge that is high enough to let ships through, strong enough to fit those requirements is tough enough.

But, no engineer in his right mind is going to be able to plan for something 5 times larger then he's ever seen in his life smashing into it. 

No one can account for everything, especially the things they don't know, save for God.

 

 

 

[other one]

I'm guessing when they rebuild the bridge, it will not be designed to all fall down if one part is damaged or knocked down.

[FJK]

1 hour ago, other one said:

I'm guessing when they rebuild the bridge, it will not be designed to all fall down if one part is damaged or knocked down.

I certainly hope so!