Nancy Young wrote:


> "maxine in ri" > wrote
>
> > support. My guess is the current work which had lanes closed put too
> > much stress on one side of the highway.
>
> Once on Mythbusters there was something about the stress on
> steel and how, if you got a vibration going at just the perfect
> rate, you could bring down a building. I know they were
> resurfacing, I wonder about those machines that chew up the
> asphalt for replacement. They usually don't just repave over
> bridges, they grind some of the asphalt load off. Of course we
> will find out eventually, seems like maybe it was a combination of the
> heat and the construction activity along with some weakness that
> did this bridge in. Those poor people.


There is a famous case of a newly - built bridge collapsing in the
Pacific Northwest around 1940. IIRC it was a suspension bridge and
the wind set up harmonic vibrations that eventually collapsed it. It
was a big deal at the time, you may have seen newsreel footage of
it...

Really long and high bridges somewhat oogie me out. I've crossed the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge a number of times and I am frankly glad when we
get over it. One time some friends had a flat tire on this
bridge...an "adventure" I'm glad I missed (it happened when they were
going out to the Delaware shore for the weekend, I was supposed to be
with them but I came the next weekend instead).

Of course there is also the scary footage from the San Francisco
earthquake of 1989, with those cars going off of the Bay Bridge...

In any case, I hope all you birds up there in the MSP area are
okay...


--
Best
Greg