Massive Bridge Collapse in MN USA

[sparkyftw]

I left my house right after it happened to hang with my pals. One person had phone problems but other wise funs were fine (although we didn't use them much)

 

Angry: from what I heard, the kids were fine on the bus.

 

Also I have heard that the bridge was under maintenance. Just minor things, like filling potholes and such.

 

 

Makes me Leary of the new bridge in town over the river, they found problems with it during construction

[Jachyra007]

I've been up into Minneapolis a few times for work, and I can only imagine the kind of traffic mess that bridge collapsing is going to make for the next few years...

 

Michigan - The state that looks like a mitten...dur...

[Angry_Games]

i remember the dude from Countdown saying right before his hour ended that cell phones weren't working at all in the area around that, which would really suck (though fire/rescue/police have their own towers usually in case such a thing happens)

[sparkyftw]

Oh traffic is going to be screwed over. 35w is a major route in and out of the city.

 

Part of the problem is so many people calling other people all at once. 6:09 is still middle of rush hour.

 

Also according to the news (local), 22 out of Minneapolis' 26 firetrucks responded. And rescue boats from every county for miles (I would say 50 minimum) responded.

 

Also add in all the citizens on the river with boats who were there to.

 

That is a lot of chatter, even for a dedicated rescue tower.

 

 

edit: Although I am not exactly sure, this could affect barge traffic. We get tons of those. Also tons of train activity.

 

 

edit 2: I would say I am atleast 20-30 minutes from the scene, I have to check. I know I am about 15 minutes from soundx98, towards st paul.

[soundx98]

Of course BBC seems to have the best pics. (best news too as far as I am concerned)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6927178.stm

 

Warnings on all the local stations as coverage continues to NOT visit the site and to NOT use your cell phone in the area.

Unlike an aircraft accident where there is a manifest, the rescue workers have no idea who was on the bridge or who could be missing. There are still crushed cars that have not been inspected.

 

The good news is that a school bus with 60 kids on it from a field trip all made it out OK. The bridge carried up to 200,000 cars per day and was only 40 years old (1967)

 

Totally amazing that more weren't killed/injured.

Had the tragedy occurred during winter months more could have skidded off the bridge or into the river.

 

Many many of us folks feeling lucky today that we were not on the bridge at that time.

[Jachyra007]

Those are some pretty good pictures...How would you like to be in a car from #10? I'm surprised brakes even held at that point...

 

Looks like trains, barges and highway traffic will be at a near standstill at that junction...only other route to divert land traffic would be 94->280, as if that wasnt bad enough at times. I've got friends in the company that live up in Minneapolis, Glad they are OK as well.

[General Septem]

Apparently at this point, there's 30 missing and four confirmed dead.

 

The All-Knowing, All-Feeling, All-Sensing Maha-Rushie is not in today, but his stand-in is currently complaining about how newscasters are going to use the footage as "entertainment".

[Syngensmyth]

Apparently at this point, there's 30 missing and four confirmed dead.

 

The All-Knowing, All-Feeling, All-Sensing Maha-Rushie is not in today, but his stand-in is currently complaining about how newscasters are going to use the footage as "entertainment".

Do I hear "ditto" language from the General?

[PeTeZZ]

My heart goes out to all families who's lost loved ones in the collapse. A similar albeit a smaller bridge collapsed last year in Montreal killing some. Unfortunately, I believe these occurrences will continue as these "older", many built in the fifties, bridges are subjected to increasing volumes of heavier vehicles. your presidents words sounded so hollow, not very sincere! IMO PPPPUUUUUU. Someone must have just woke him up from his nap!

[General Septem]

Do I hear "ditto" language from the General?

 

We've been having our bathroom remodeled, and the remodeler likes to listen to WHAM AM (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Lonsberry, etc), so it's been on in the house for almost three weeks now.

[RyderOCZ]

What the hale is a "Michigan"?

Its the state where all the great memory company Rep's are from

 

:eek2: :angel:

 

Seriously: I can't imagine being on that bridge or to have just driven over it and see that behind you

[Angry_Games]

this is the bridge I have to cross every single day into Twin Falls, the largest city in southern Idaho:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perrine_Bridge

 

As a kid it was a thrill, but as an adult, even before this bridge collapse, I've found myself getting slightly nervous thinking about having to cross it, but then I just drive and don't think about it much.

 

The messed up thing is that the Snake River Canyon means to get in and out of Twin Falls, you either cross the Perrine Bridge, or you go about 10 miles east to another bridge spanning the canyon, the Hansen Bridge

 

(down on the right column, under "Points of Interest" click the bottom one, Hansen Bridge)

 

Or you go 30 miles farther east, all the way out to the city of Burley, Idaho, where the Snake River is still at ground level (before it drops down into the canyon).

 

Or you could go west about 20 miles and cross a short bridge across the Snake River while down at the bottom of the canyon, lol, or go another 10 or 15 miles farther west and cross over the river at ground level in the bottom of the valley (as the canyon widens and the walls grow shorter and eventually round out to hills and flat-topped volcanic mesas)

 

So basically 25-35 miles east and 25-35 miles west of Twin Falls, you got a canyon that ranges from a few hundred feet wide and deep, to one that is 1500-3000 feet wide with a 450+ foot drop lol.

 

Pretty scary if you really sit down and think about it, because who is honestly going to drive 50+ miles out of their way just to maybe not fall into a canyon (at least falling into a river from 10-20 feet up would give you a good chance to live...but 486 feet up? This is some of the stuff that keeps me awake at night lol)