6 killed in Minneapolis bridge collapse

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yes 6 people have been confirmed dead and they are predicting more once they are able to rescue all those cars from the Mississippi. They say there are at least 50 cars still submerged in the river and they are doing everything they can to make sure everyone is brought to safety.

We all need to be praying this horrific situation.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.***

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,

Miles_Christi
 
most of my family lives in the twin cities; luckily none of them were anywhere nearby. the stories the survivors are telling sound terrifying.
 
I’ve been watching the news…how horrible.

My prayers are with the people and their familes…
 
Let’s all join together and pray for the victims and their families and the twin cities of St.Paul & Minneapolis. I understand that the Twins Stadium is nearby and a game was just underway and the city decided to keep it going because the traffic jam would have been overwhelming with the bridge collapse.

God will get us through this terrible time!
 
Something is VERY not right here. I’m a civil engineer by trade and the facts presented so far do not add up.
  1. Minnesota has one of the best bridge safety records in the US as well as having one of the smallest backlog of structurally deficient bridges. There would be little excuse for a major deterioration to go unnoticed and uncorrected.
  2. Media reports say that two of three lanes in each direction were shut down for routine resurfacing (not a structural repair). Thus the load on the bridge should have been MUCH smaller than usual, not exactly prime conditions for a failure unless multiple illegally overloaded trucks were present at the same time as loaded aphalt trucks and portable concrete traffic barriers. But then again, your average reporter wouldn’t know a resurfacing from a deck replacement, so I guess we wait and see what comes out.
Naturally pray for the victims, survivors and rescue workers. Pray too for the stressed out, underpaid inspectors who make pass/fail decisions on our nation’s infrastructure with insufficient tools, insufficient budget and intense political pressure to not make trouble.
 
I’m praying in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
I have many relatives there I pray they are safe and help to all those families. 😦
Dessert
 
Horrible what happened. My family will keep them, the victims and their family, in prayer.
 
manualman said:
Something is VERY not right here. I’m a civil engineer by trade and the facts presented so far do not add up.
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I’m an engineer too (but not structural). It seems to me that bridges don’t just collapse. I’m sure there will be an investigation and I wouldn’t be suprised if something related to the resurfacing comes up. Something like a contractor cutting what he thought was just rebar.

I spent the first 25 years of my life in the Twin Cities and all of my family is there. It took all night to account for everyone. My family was spared. My sister and brother-in-law cross that bridge twice every day.

Prayers to those less fortunate.

Nohome
 
Nohome said:
I’m an engineer too (but not structural). It seems to me that bridges don’t just collapse. I’m sure there will be an investigation and I wouldn’t be suprised if something related to the resurfacing comes up. Something like a contractor cutting what he thought was just rebar.

I spent the first 25 years of my life in the Twin Cities and all of my family is there. It took all night to account for everyone. My family was spared. My sister and brother-in-law cross that bridge twice every day.

Prayers to those less fortunate.

Nohome
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Praise be to God that your family was spared! :grouphug:

I will continue to offer up prayers for all of those involved in this terrible tragedy as well as their families.:crossrc:
 
manualman said:
  1. Minnesota has one of the best bridge safety records in the US as well as having one of the smallest backlog of structurally deficient bridges. There would be little excuse for a major deterioration to go unnoticed and uncorrected.
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that bugs me, too. i’m in washington now, and all the years i’ve been here i’ve been complaining (only half-jokingly) that minnesotans are the only competent people in the nation. (present company excepted, of course 👍) “it’s those winters,” i say. “character building! incompetence will get you killed!”

and so it has. what’s up with that?
 
Dacinom said:
Prayers of Thanksgiving here. My 5 year old daughter goes to special ed school Downtown Minneapolis. She crossed that very bridge twice yesterday on her bus. I could be at the funeral home now making plans…instead I am home safe with my children. Praise be to God for the gift of family he has given me, I am very grateful especially today.

Prayers to all those that lost. All day I have been thinking how it could have been me. May God grant them comfort.
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So glad your dd is safe! How scary…😦
 
According to CNN one recent report, I believe it was in 2005, said that the bridge was structuarily deficient. According to BBC world news there are conflicting reports about this bridge. Twenty years ago the bridge was found to be OK.

The truth will all come out in the investigation.
My prayers are with the families and victims of this bridge disaster.
 
Pondero said:
According to CNN one recent report, I believe it was in 2005, said that the bridge was structuarily deficient. According to BBC world news there are conflicting reports about this bridge. Twenty years ago the bridge was found to be OK.
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The bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” in 1990. It was one of the 70,000 bridges in the USA to fit the category. It is a categorical term rather than an engineering assesment deeming the structure unsound.

A good friend of my nephew is now listed among the missing. His license plate number was recorded in the river. With the area being my home town I suppose it was only a matter of time before this became personal.

Nohome
 
manualman said:
Something is VERY not right here. I’m a civil engineer by trade and the facts presented so far do not add up.
  1. Minnesota has one of the best bridge safety records in the US as well as having one of the smallest backlog of structurally deficient bridges. There would be little excuse for a major deterioration to go unnoticed and uncorrected.
  2. Media reports say that two of three lanes in each direction were shut down for routine resurfacing (not a structural repair). Thus the load on the bridge should have been MUCH smaller than usual, not exactly prime conditions for a failure unless multiple illegally overloaded trucks were present at the same time as loaded aphalt trucks and portable concrete traffic barriers. But then again, your average reporter wouldn’t know a resurfacing from a deck replacement, so I guess we wait and see what comes out.
Naturally pray for the victims, survivors and rescue workers. Pray too for the stressed out, underpaid inspectors who make pass/fail decisions on our nation’s infrastructure with insufficient tools, insufficient budget and intense political pressure to not make trouble.
Click to expand...
not an engineer myself, im just a degreed meteorologist. Ive heard several times now that with that design of bridge, when one metal beam goes the rest of the beams go. I cant believe something along that lines was ever allowed to be built anywhere. from my prespective after looking at a picture of that bridge when it was up myself, ive got to say the design depends on metal for support and not enough on concrete. if I ever come accrross a bridge like that to cross in my travels Im going to be very wary of crossing it. it looks like in the design of it they were trying get to fancy , too cute. Im very sad for those people in mn and wil be praying for them and praying we design better bridges and take care of them.
 
I hope you have an amphibious car then! Because fewer than 0.5% of the roadway bridges in America are NOT dependent on structural steel. Even when it LOOKS like concrete, there is steel inside the structure that is doing all the resistance of tension. Concrete has effectively ZERO tensile strength. It is a compression material. Bridges inherently involve members in tension, so steel it is except for some VERY few old and experimental new wooden structures out there (on very small spans).

A note to all: don’t get caught up in media witch hunts over the ‘structurally deficient’ rating of the structure. This is specific engineer jargon that has a more subtle meaning than it sounds. Basically it means the bridge does not meet all the structural design requirements TODAY for the traffic load experienced on it TODAY. An interstate bridge designed in 1965 could be in BRAND NEW condition and still be rated structurally deficient based on 2007 codes and traffic loads. In short, those inspection reports did NOT constitute an alarm that the structure was in danger of failure.
 
manualman said:
I hope you have an amphibious car then! Because fewer than 0.5% of the roadway bridges in America are NOT dependent on structural steel. Even when it LOOKS like concrete, there is steel inside the structure that is doing all the resistance of tension. Concrete has effectively ZERO tensile strength. It is a compression material. Bridges inherently involve members in tension, so steel it is except for some VERY few old and experimental new wooden structures out there (on very small spans).

A note to all: don’t get caught up in media witch hunts over the ‘structurally deficient’ rating of the structure. This is specific engineer jargon that has a more subtle meaning than it sounds. Basically it means the bridge does not meet all the structural design requirements TODAY for the traffic load experienced on it TODAY. An interstate bridge designed in 1965 could be in BRAND NEW condition and still be rated structurally deficient based on 2007 codes and traffic loads. In short, those inspection reports did NOT constitute an alarm that the structure was in danger of failure.
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Fair points. But, explain to us why that bridge failed when it also received a “structurally deficient” rating? It seems that bridge was truly deficient and the inspectors did NOT catch it…so what are we to do?
 
Nohome said:
The bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” in 1990. It was one of the 70,000 bridges in the USA to fit the category. It is a categorical term rather than an engineering assesment deeming the structure unsound.

A good friend of my nephew is now listed among the missing. His license plate number was recorded in the river. With the area being my home town I suppose it was only a matter of time before this became personal.

Nohome
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I am truly sorry. My prayers are with your nephew and his friend’s family. 😦
 
Nohome said:
The bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” in 1990. It was one of the 70,000 bridges in the USA to fit the category. It is a categorical term rather than an engineering assesment deeming the structure unsound.

A good friend of my nephew is now listed among the missing. His license plate number was recorded in the river. With the area being my home town I suppose it was only a matter of time before this became personal.

Nohome
Click to expand...
My Prayers are with you. I live about a mile from the bridge and work even closer. It’s a nightmare.
 
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