Author Topic: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?  (Read 795 times)

HankB

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And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« on: September 08, 2022, 10:57:52 AM »
Here's a video of a (fortunately) small footbridge collapsing in the Congo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-kll84mjm8

This was a BRAND NEW bridge, and it collapsed during the ribbon cutting ceremony.  :rofl:

Saying anything more would be racist.
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2022, 11:01:52 AM »
Quote
Saying anything more would be racist.

It's not a skin color problem, it's a culture problem.
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Ron

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2022, 11:24:18 AM »
It's not a skin color problem, it's a culture problem.
noticing either is racist
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cordex

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2022, 12:55:45 PM »
This was a BRAND NEW bridge, and it collapsed during the ribbon cutting ceremony.  :rofl:
You undersold it.  That could not have been timed more perfectly.  It collapsed at the very moment they were cutting the ribbon.

Do they usually do multiple ribbon cutting takes?  It looks like they'd already cut the ribbon and were doing it again.

The guy in the suit wasn't going to let the woman cutting the ribbon get off the bridge before he did.

Brad Johnson

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2022, 01:00:40 PM »
Looks like it was made out of used conduit and old vehicle frames. Sketchy, sure, but should have easily held what few people were on it. I'm guessing either one of the frames was rotted through or they joined them with something other than an actual weld.

Brad
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WLJ

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2022, 01:13:24 PM »
You undersold it.  That could not have been timed more perfectly.  It collapsed at the very moment they were cutting the ribbon.

The ribbon was the only things holding it up.
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dogmush

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2022, 01:45:26 PM »
The ribbon was the only things holding it up.

That's what I was going to say.  The ribbon was structural.  As soon as they cut it the handrails flew apart, and they were what was holding the bridge together.

MechAg94

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2022, 01:59:57 PM »
Looks like it was made out of used conduit and old vehicle frames. Sketchy, sure, but should have easily held what few people were on it. I'm guessing either one of the frames was rotted through or they joined them with something other than an actual weld.

Brad
Probably still could have handled a few people at a time, but not 10 or 15 on it during the ceremony.  Not really an excuse.
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Pb

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2022, 02:14:06 PM »
Notice the old bridge made of scrap wood beside it appears intact...  =D

WLJ

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2022, 02:17:09 PM »
Notice the old bridge made of scrap wood beside it appears intact...  =D

Was build by British engineers 100 years ago
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bedlamite

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2022, 02:47:08 PM »
Guy in camo managed to hold on to the bottle pretty good.
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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2022, 03:22:43 PM »
Guy in camo managed to hold on to the bottle pretty good.

Can you imagine the carnage if the bridge had lasted long enough for them to bust the bottle on it?
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lee n. field

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2022, 03:40:50 PM »
Here's a video of a (fortunately) small footbridge collapsing in the Congo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-kll84mjm8

This was a BRAND NEW bridge, and it collapsed during the ribbon cutting ceremony.  :rofl:

Saying anything more would be racist.

A short footbridge.  How hard is that?
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Brad Johnson

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2022, 03:49:35 PM »
Probably still could have handled a few people at a time, but not 10 or 15 on it during the ceremony.  Not really an excuse.

If a truck bed can handle 4000lbs of bricks, ten or fifteen skinny Congalese shouldn't be a problem. I figure they butted two old truck frames together and hit them with a couple of bolts or maybe a few welds, neither of which are up to that kind of tensile loading.

Brad
« Last Edit: September 08, 2022, 05:29:31 PM by Brad Johnson »
It's all about the pancakes, people.
"And he thought cops wouldn't chase... a STOLEN DONUT TRUCK???? That would be like Willie Nelson ignoring a pickup full of weed."
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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #14 on: September 08, 2022, 04:46:21 PM »
It's the "Democratic Republic" of the Congo.  That explains the failure.  Any country with "Democratic Republic" in its name is really not.
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zxcvbob

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #15 on: September 08, 2022, 04:55:07 PM »
That's what I was going to say.  The ribbon was structural.  As soon as they cut it the handrails flew apart, and they were what was holding the bridge together.

I'm pretty sure that is exactly what happened.  The bridge was probably okay (For now. Barely) supporting just its own weight, but it needed the ribbon (which was in tension) when people were standing on it.

They should have used a longer truck bed that would span the whole thing instead of trying to piece two together.  But that would have cost more, so less money available to steal.
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cordex

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #16 on: September 08, 2022, 05:01:09 PM »
I'm pretty sure that is exactly what happened.  The bridge was probably okay (For now. Barely) supporting just its own weight, but it needed the ribbon (which was in tension) when people were standing on it.
Not sure if serious. 

The ribbon wasn't actually connecting the rails at the time of this cut.  The ribbon had already been cut at least once.  On the left of the screen you can see the original ribbon tied to the rail fluttering in the breeze.  The woman and the guy in the suit was holding the free end of the ribbon to be cut again for whatever reason.

zxcvbob

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #17 on: September 08, 2022, 06:34:54 PM »
Not sure if serious. 

The ribbon wasn't actually connecting the rails at the time of this cut.  The ribbon had already been cut at least once.  On the left of the screen you can see the original ribbon tied to the rail fluttering in the breeze.  The woman and the guy in the suit was holding the free end of the ribbon to be cut again for whatever reason.

Yeah, I was serious.  But after watching it again a couple of times in slow-mo I'm not so sure. 
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WLJ

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Re: And you thought AMERICAN bridges were bad?
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2022, 01:45:30 PM »
Norway

Norway bridge collapses, drivers of 2 vehicles rescued
https://apnews.com/article/denmark-norway-bridge-collapses-a58169043be2ae195070da29028987a6

An examination of the bridge and collapse

How Did the Engineers Miss This?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSPI0xkTifI
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