Don't know, when i worked for the Lane Construction Co. on the Plymouth Meeting section of the Blue Route (I-476), traffic was stopped intermittently while placing beams across German town Pike, Chemical Road & the east -west Green Stamp.
" The bridge can survive a F5 storm,can't survive a sunny Thursday in Miami"? 10-25-18 UP-DATE:
- Thread starter step.eng69
- Start date
Where are you getting the info that this is cable stayed construction? That would require the construction of a significant tower(s), that seems like overkill for such a lightly loaded structure.
edit: I just saw an article on the bridge which does say it was in fact "cable stayed" after the fact but not for structural purposes.... more for aesthetics and vibration damping.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/west-miami-dade/article206122229.html
I think the diagonals also have to be performing as a true truss. I don't seen any other way it could support itself.
Nitt Lion answered that....the structure has to perform as a truss system if the cable stays are for aesthetics.
If I have some time on Friday, I'll run some calcs and see how this odd looking truss is actually distributing the loads.
Up-Date: Not much yet....
Received this from my weekly news from The American Society of Highway Engineers.
NTSB releases preliminary report on FIU bridge collapse
The agency is still in the process of investigating the cause of the collapse
BRIDGESNEWSMAY 25, 2018
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Link to Prelim Report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HWY18MH009-prelim.pdf
Link: https://www.roadsbridges.com/cracking-reportedly-observed-fiu-bridge-two-weeks-collapse
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the agency's ongoing investigation of the pedestrian bridge collapse that took place at Florida International University (FIU) on March 15 in the city of Sweetwater.
According to the report, the 174-ft-long bridge fell about 18.5 ft onto SW 8th Street, crushing or partially crushing eight vehicles that were stopped below the structure at the time of its collapse. As a result of the collapse, one bridge worker and five vehicle occupants died, while four bridge workers and four other people were injured.
The report notes that on March 10—five days before the collapse—the walkway, diagonals and canopy comprising the bridge was moved from the lot, using transporters, into position across the roadway and then lowered onto the bridge piers on either side of the road. On that same day, per the bridge design plans, construction crew members were de-tensioning the bridge diagonal members on the north and south ends of the structure. When the collapse occurred on the 15th, a crew was on the structure to work on retensioning the number 11 diagonal member connecting the canopy and the deck at the north end of the bridge. Since a crane was used for the March 15 work, two of the three westbound lanes below the north end of the bridge were closed to traffic, but the five eastbound lanes remained open.
The NTSB says they are continuing to evaluate the bridge design, construction process and materials, as well as evaluating cracking in the areas of diagonal members 2 and 11. The report says that photographic documentation from Feb. 24 depicted cracking around diagonal 11. The agency is conducting additional forensic examination of several bridge structural components and destructive testing of multiple core and steel samples. The collapse is still under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intention to issue safety recommendations for future work.
Received this from my weekly news from The American Society of Highway Engineers.
NTSB releases preliminary report on FIU bridge collapse
The agency is still in the process of investigating the cause of the collapse
BRIDGESNEWSMAY 25, 2018
Facebook LinkedIn Twitter
Link to Prelim Report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HWY18MH009-prelim.pdf
Link: https://www.roadsbridges.com/cracking-reportedly-observed-fiu-bridge-two-weeks-collapse
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the agency's ongoing investigation of the pedestrian bridge collapse that took place at Florida International University (FIU) on March 15 in the city of Sweetwater.
According to the report, the 174-ft-long bridge fell about 18.5 ft onto SW 8th Street, crushing or partially crushing eight vehicles that were stopped below the structure at the time of its collapse. As a result of the collapse, one bridge worker and five vehicle occupants died, while four bridge workers and four other people were injured.
The report notes that on March 10—five days before the collapse—the walkway, diagonals and canopy comprising the bridge was moved from the lot, using transporters, into position across the roadway and then lowered onto the bridge piers on either side of the road. On that same day, per the bridge design plans, construction crew members were de-tensioning the bridge diagonal members on the north and south ends of the structure. When the collapse occurred on the 15th, a crew was on the structure to work on retensioning the number 11 diagonal member connecting the canopy and the deck at the north end of the bridge. Since a crane was used for the March 15 work, two of the three westbound lanes below the north end of the bridge were closed to traffic, but the five eastbound lanes remained open.
The NTSB says they are continuing to evaluate the bridge design, construction process and materials, as well as evaluating cracking in the areas of diagonal members 2 and 11. The report says that photographic documentation from Feb. 24 depicted cracking around diagonal 11. The agency is conducting additional forensic examination of several bridge structural components and destructive testing of multiple core and steel samples. The collapse is still under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intention to issue safety recommendations for future work.
List of Bridge Failures
The big one always talked about in Ohio is the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River at Gallipolis. I've been over the replacement a number of times.
The big one always talked about in Ohio is the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River at Gallipolis. I've been over the replacement a number of times.
Gusset plates at a few joints (nodes) were designed undersize in thickness. the design review/check failed to recognize the design flaw.
This disaster always come s to mind....such a stupid design change where the load path was not accurately studied.
Remember my fellow engineers, "the devil's in the design details"
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F.W.I.W.
Why did road under FIU bridge stay open?
Federal judge blocks release of records
By Nicholas Nehamas
October 05, 2018 04:43 PM
Updated October 05, 2018 08:34 PM
A federal judge Friday blocked the release of documents that could shed light on why a busy road outside Miami was not shut down before a brand-new bridge developing severe cracks collapsed and killed six people.
Judge William Stafford said the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency investigating the Florida International University bridge disaster, “was exercising its valid federal regulatory authority” in keeping the documents confidential from the media.
Stafford’s ruling essentially overturns a previous decision from a state court that would have released the records under Florida’s broad public records law. Stafford said the state court did not have proper jurisdiction to rule on the matter. His decision suggests federal jurisdiction over the accident preempts state law.
The documents in question include minutes and notes from a meeting held hours before the newly constructed pedestrian bridge fell down March 15. They are in the possession of the Florida Department of Transportation. The Miami Herald requested their release from FDOT after the collapse, but the NTSB ordered the state not to share the records, saying their publication could threaten the integrity of its probe.
What was discussed in that meeting may prove crucial. The meeting was held because alarming cracks had developed in the span even before it was raised into place above Southwest Eighth Street. After the meeting, a construction crew clambered on top of the bridge to tighten steel rods running through the span. The workers were standing on the bridge when it came crashing down, and their actions may have caused the already over-stressed bridge to collapse, according to bridge engineering experts consulted by the Herald.
It’s not clear who decided the road should stay open during the construction work and why. FIU was the lead agency on the bridge project, which was meant to connect student housing in Sweetwater with its main campus and allow pedestrians to avoid a ground-level crossing of a road bustling with commuter traffic. The university was joined in a supporting role by FDOT, although the state has controversially tried to distance itself from the project. The meeting was attended by representatives of FIU, FDOT and contractors working on the bridge.
Without the records, answers aren’t likely to come soon: NTSB investigations generally take at least a year to conclude.
“This is a devastating decision that renders moot Florida’s public records law,” said Aminda Marqués Gonzalez, the Herald’s executive editor. “We are extremely disappointed that the public will have to continue to wait for answers.”
The records could have been made public in August, when a state court ruled they should be released to the Herald. The newspaper had sued FDOT to obtain the documents.
The NTSB responded by taking the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern Division of Florida and asking Stafford to quash, or declare invalid, the state court ruling.
The judge assented, ruling that because the state court order had such an impact on the NTSB’s investigation, the federal agency was essentially a party to the case, even though it was not named in the Herald’s lawsuit. In most cases, the federal government cannot be sued under the doctrine of “sovereign immunity.”
That meant the state court “lacked jurisdiction over the matter,” according to Stafford, a long-serving judge who was appointed to the bench by President Gerald Ford in 1975. His order denied the Herald’s request to send the case back to the state judge and dismissed it from federal court.
The Herald has the option to appeal.
Christopher O’Neil, a spokesman for the NTSB, said the ruling “affirms the protections for information that preserve the integrity of the NTSB’s investigative process.”
O’Neil said the agency will release evidence used in its determination of probable cause before it issues a final report.
“The Department respects and will follow Judge Stafford’s ruling,” said Ed Seifert, a spokesman for FDOT. “The Department has continually asserted the public records would have been produced if not for the restrictions imposed by the National Transportation Safety Board.”
FDOT — like FIU, the city of Sweetwater and several contractors — has become a formal “party” to the NTSB investigation, meaning the state agency is cooperating in the probe and must follow federal instructions.
The $14.2 million bridge was built on the side of Southwest Eighth Street in a process known as accelerated bridge construction, which is meant to lessen road closures. But it began developing cracks at its north end even before it was raised into place above the road on March 10. Once the bridge was in the air, the cracking grew significantly worse. A two-hour meeting was held March 15 to discuss the problem. But a senior engineer from the bridge’s design firm FIGG said the cracks were not a threat to the span’s structural integrity, according to accounts from FIU and FDOT.
The road stayed open and workers were sent to tighten rods running through the span, possibly in an attempt to close up the cracks. Shortly after, the bridge collapsed, killing five motorists and one worker. Several other people were injured.
A preliminary report from the NTSB highlighted the cracks. The NTSB investigation may ultimately help determine if keeping the road open was an act of negligence. If so, criminal charges could be filed, although Florida law sets a high bar for winning convictions in construction accidents. Several civil lawsuits have also been filed by victims’ families and survivors.
One federal agency has already weighed in on how much of a red flag the cracks should have been. According to an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, contractors that did not evacuate workers from the bridge because of the cracks violated worker-safety rules.
The federal agency fined five contractors a total of $86,658 for that and other violations last month.
Independent engineers consulted by the Herald said the cracks were the result of an apparent design flaw in the bridge. They said a key structural support could not bear the weight placed on it once the bridge was in the air, and that the cracks should have been a signal to stop work on the bridge and close the road.
When the workers put pressure on the span by tightening the rods, the experts believe, the entire structure collapsed.
Nicholas Nehamas: 305-376-3745, @NickNehamas
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article219564830.html#storylink=cpy
Why did road under FIU bridge stay open?
Federal judge blocks release of records
By Nicholas Nehamas
October 05, 2018 04:43 PM
Updated October 05, 2018 08:34 PM
A federal judge Friday blocked the release of documents that could shed light on why a busy road outside Miami was not shut down before a brand-new bridge developing severe cracks collapsed and killed six people.
Judge William Stafford said the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency investigating the Florida International University bridge disaster, “was exercising its valid federal regulatory authority” in keeping the documents confidential from the media.
Stafford’s ruling essentially overturns a previous decision from a state court that would have released the records under Florida’s broad public records law. Stafford said the state court did not have proper jurisdiction to rule on the matter. His decision suggests federal jurisdiction over the accident preempts state law.
The documents in question include minutes and notes from a meeting held hours before the newly constructed pedestrian bridge fell down March 15. They are in the possession of the Florida Department of Transportation. The Miami Herald requested their release from FDOT after the collapse, but the NTSB ordered the state not to share the records, saying their publication could threaten the integrity of its probe.
What was discussed in that meeting may prove crucial. The meeting was held because alarming cracks had developed in the span even before it was raised into place above Southwest Eighth Street. After the meeting, a construction crew clambered on top of the bridge to tighten steel rods running through the span. The workers were standing on the bridge when it came crashing down, and their actions may have caused the already over-stressed bridge to collapse, according to bridge engineering experts consulted by the Herald.
It’s not clear who decided the road should stay open during the construction work and why. FIU was the lead agency on the bridge project, which was meant to connect student housing in Sweetwater with its main campus and allow pedestrians to avoid a ground-level crossing of a road bustling with commuter traffic. The university was joined in a supporting role by FDOT, although the state has controversially tried to distance itself from the project. The meeting was attended by representatives of FIU, FDOT and contractors working on the bridge.
Without the records, answers aren’t likely to come soon: NTSB investigations generally take at least a year to conclude.
“This is a devastating decision that renders moot Florida’s public records law,” said Aminda Marqués Gonzalez, the Herald’s executive editor. “We are extremely disappointed that the public will have to continue to wait for answers.”
The records could have been made public in August, when a state court ruled they should be released to the Herald. The newspaper had sued FDOT to obtain the documents.
The NTSB responded by taking the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern Division of Florida and asking Stafford to quash, or declare invalid, the state court ruling.
The judge assented, ruling that because the state court order had such an impact on the NTSB’s investigation, the federal agency was essentially a party to the case, even though it was not named in the Herald’s lawsuit. In most cases, the federal government cannot be sued under the doctrine of “sovereign immunity.”
That meant the state court “lacked jurisdiction over the matter,” according to Stafford, a long-serving judge who was appointed to the bench by President Gerald Ford in 1975. His order denied the Herald’s request to send the case back to the state judge and dismissed it from federal court.
The Herald has the option to appeal.
Christopher O’Neil, a spokesman for the NTSB, said the ruling “affirms the protections for information that preserve the integrity of the NTSB’s investigative process.”
O’Neil said the agency will release evidence used in its determination of probable cause before it issues a final report.
“The Department respects and will follow Judge Stafford’s ruling,” said Ed Seifert, a spokesman for FDOT. “The Department has continually asserted the public records would have been produced if not for the restrictions imposed by the National Transportation Safety Board.”
FDOT — like FIU, the city of Sweetwater and several contractors — has become a formal “party” to the NTSB investigation, meaning the state agency is cooperating in the probe and must follow federal instructions.
The $14.2 million bridge was built on the side of Southwest Eighth Street in a process known as accelerated bridge construction, which is meant to lessen road closures. But it began developing cracks at its north end even before it was raised into place above the road on March 10. Once the bridge was in the air, the cracking grew significantly worse. A two-hour meeting was held March 15 to discuss the problem. But a senior engineer from the bridge’s design firm FIGG said the cracks were not a threat to the span’s structural integrity, according to accounts from FIU and FDOT.
The road stayed open and workers were sent to tighten rods running through the span, possibly in an attempt to close up the cracks. Shortly after, the bridge collapsed, killing five motorists and one worker. Several other people were injured.
A preliminary report from the NTSB highlighted the cracks. The NTSB investigation may ultimately help determine if keeping the road open was an act of negligence. If so, criminal charges could be filed, although Florida law sets a high bar for winning convictions in construction accidents. Several civil lawsuits have also been filed by victims’ families and survivors.
One federal agency has already weighed in on how much of a red flag the cracks should have been. According to an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, contractors that did not evacuate workers from the bridge because of the cracks violated worker-safety rules.
The federal agency fined five contractors a total of $86,658 for that and other violations last month.
Independent engineers consulted by the Herald said the cracks were the result of an apparent design flaw in the bridge. They said a key structural support could not bear the weight placed on it once the bridge was in the air, and that the cracks should have been a signal to stop work on the bridge and close the road.
When the workers put pressure on the span by tightening the rods, the experts believe, the entire structure collapsed.
Nicholas Nehamas: 305-376-3745, @NickNehamas
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article219564830.html#storylink=cpy
Appears the the Flordia DOT might be evading some responsibilty!
link: https://www.roadsbridges.com/fiu-bridge-collapse-fdot’s-role-may-have-been-bigger
FIU bridge collapse: FDOT’s role may have been bigger
Miami Herald, NBC6 Miami discover more clues that point to the agency being more involved
Bridges News October 23, 2018
Nobody wants a starring role in this spotlight, but it looks like the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was far from the understudy it claims to be in regards to the FIU bridge collapse back in March.
According to NBC6 Miami, FDOT engineer Thomas Andres wrote to the design-build team in 2016 that he had concerns regarding the pedestrian bridge’s structural integrity. He believed it was vulnerable to cracking. The FIU bridge dropped on live traffic on March 15 and killed six. Photos released months after the collapse show severe cracking prior to the span going down. FDOT also claims Andres was not in the office the day FIGG bridge engineer W. Denney Pate left a voice message about cracking observed, but a copy of a calendar obtained by the Miami Herald revealed Andres was on duty.
FDOT has called itself just a bystander since the day of the collapse, limited to issuing traffic permits, conducting a routine preliminary review and acting as a “pass-through” for federal funding.
Shortly after the collapse, FIU officials exchanged heated emails with FDOT when the state agency outlined its role in the tragedy. FIU believes the public has been “misinformed” when it comes to FDOT’s involvement.
The NTSB is still working through its investigation on the collapse, and it may not be until 2019 before it is made public. In early October, a federal judge blocked the Miami Herald’s attempt to obtain internal FDOT documents in the days leading up to the collapse.
link: https://www.roadsbridges.com/fiu-bridge-collapse-fdot’s-role-may-have-been-bigger
FIU bridge collapse: FDOT’s role may have been bigger
Miami Herald, NBC6 Miami discover more clues that point to the agency being more involved
Bridges News October 23, 2018
Nobody wants a starring role in this spotlight, but it looks like the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was far from the understudy it claims to be in regards to the FIU bridge collapse back in March.
According to NBC6 Miami, FDOT engineer Thomas Andres wrote to the design-build team in 2016 that he had concerns regarding the pedestrian bridge’s structural integrity. He believed it was vulnerable to cracking. The FIU bridge dropped on live traffic on March 15 and killed six. Photos released months after the collapse show severe cracking prior to the span going down. FDOT also claims Andres was not in the office the day FIGG bridge engineer W. Denney Pate left a voice message about cracking observed, but a copy of a calendar obtained by the Miami Herald revealed Andres was on duty.
FDOT has called itself just a bystander since the day of the collapse, limited to issuing traffic permits, conducting a routine preliminary review and acting as a “pass-through” for federal funding.
Shortly after the collapse, FIU officials exchanged heated emails with FDOT when the state agency outlined its role in the tragedy. FIU believes the public has been “misinformed” when it comes to FDOT’s involvement.
The NTSB is still working through its investigation on the collapse, and it may not be until 2019 before it is made public. In early October, a federal judge blocked the Miami Herald’s attempt to obtain internal FDOT documents in the days leading up to the collapse.
Today, the NTSB released their report on what took place. An article about their findings is at THIS LINK
I did the bridge walk a couple years ago, despite being petrified of heights. Great experience and spectacular views, but I wouldn't want to go through it again personally.
