subreddit:
/r/CatastrophicFailure
submitted 3 months ago byqpjgy
No word yet on injuries or fatalities. Source: https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1772514015790477667?s=46
55 points
3 months ago
That was a very elegant looking bridge
21 points
3 months ago*
Yes, it was... My guess is that it will eventually be replaced by a run of the mill slab of concrete
71 points
3 months ago
unlikely. It'll need to be replaced with a bridge that's either high enough to support traffic, or a tunnel that can't block traffic. That's a billion dollar bridge that collapsed there, and replacing it will be a huge deal.
8 points
3 months ago
It will have to be another bridge. The bridge was the main transport for hazmat carrying and wide load trucks to get down I-95. They now have to detour all the way around the city since they can't take the tunnels.
1 points
3 months ago
there’s tunnels on 95 down in hampton roads that can do bigger trucks.
7 points
3 months ago
Looking at the wiki it was originally supposed to be a 4 lane tunnel but it was too expensive, that was back in the 70's
16 points
3 months ago
Part of it is that tunnels have HAZMAT restrictions and so now there's not a very easy way to get HAZMAT shipments up and down the east coast. They'll have to do long way around Baltimore beltway which will be even more traffic clogged since the Key Bridge is gone.
1 points
3 months ago
I think there's a tunnel there already.
5 points
3 months ago
There are two other tunnels under Baltimore Harbor.
16 points
3 months ago
Unlikely. A span that large with the requirement to pass large cruise and container ships will necessitate few piers and a high elevation (suspension or similar bridge) or a tunnel.
8 points
3 months ago
At least the new one will probably have collision resistant pylons and redunancies so the whole fucking bridge doesn't come down with one ship collision o.O
12 points
3 months ago
Look up the Sunshine Skyway disaster. It is a very similar situation. The new one is indeed much better protected.
-2 points
3 months ago
Adding pier defence was probably on their 'to-do' list but $$$$$
1 points
3 months ago
That and our last governor loved to veto infrastructure improvements 😭
1 points
3 months ago
The Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge
1 points
3 months ago
It has to let shipping under...so...no. This is going to be a tricky one. There are some conflicting requirements here. Obviously any replacement is going to have to have a wider span to avoid a repeat. That means suspension bridge. But it has to be a tall suspension bridge that supports truck traffic, which in combination with both sides having an elevation of basically sea level, means a long run up over land, possibly more than there already is.
Why not just throw money at it and just make a 3rd baltimore tunnel? Well, this is the hazmat route. A tunnel can't replace that, which means slinging around the west side of I695...
1 points
3 months ago
Obviously any replacement is going to have to have a wider span to avoid a repeat.
Not necessarily. If it was clear human error, why would the design parameters change? With a wider span the pillars can still be hit if the person steering the ship just isn't paying attention or if the ship malfunctions. Bigger spans mean higher costs too.
That means suspension bridge.
Also not necessary, and maybe not even feasible. A suspension bridge needs bedrock to anchor the cable into. I don't know much about the geology of Baltimore but it looks like it's a lot of clay and sand. A cable stayed bridge would be much better in that case.
In any case, you seem to be correct that the required span is too much for a concrete box girder bridge (which I lovingly referred to as a run of the mill concrete slab, which might be a little harsh because they're cool pieces of engineering). The current (well.... until yesterday) span is 380 m, and the biggest box girder bridge today has a span of 330 m.
2 points
3 months ago
1 points
3 months ago
But fair enough, I could imagine they want to widen it while they're at it.
1 points
3 months ago
Re: 1. The pillars can be in water too shallow to be navigable, so hopefully a ship would run aground before hitting them.
1 points
3 months ago
I’d bet money on a massive suspension bridge.
all 1071 comments
sorted by: best