Bridge Collapse Baltimore
#1
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Francis Scott Key Bridge has collapsed after it was struck by cargo ship ![Sad](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/sad.gif)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...tt-key-updates
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...tt-key-updates
#3
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Amazing the ship didnt sink or turn over. Removing the bridge and ship will occupy the salvage people for a while. The design of the bridge looks poor with no protection of the towers against passing ships.
Last edited by philat98; Mar 26th 2024 at 1:29 am.
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#5
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An engineer speaking on the BBC said that bridge design was prohibited about 50years ago after a similar disaster in the US. Strange they didnt do any remedial work or impose a tug escort to make things safe.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosco_Busan_oil_spill
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#11
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Luckily it's spring, so the impact will be reduced. Given that Baltimore is a major port serving much of the East Coast, the collapsed bridge is going to be removed very quickly from the shipping channel. I am doubtful that European consumers will notice any impact to supply or prices.
#12
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The ship looked "very close" because the shipping channel between the bridge supports is quite narrow, bizarrely so in my non-expert opinion. I also predict that the replacement bridge will be a more typical suspension bridge which will allow a much wider shipping channel, so that ships would likely run around before they got close to a main bridge support.
Last edited by Pulaski; Mar 26th 2024 at 8:29 am.
#13
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The I35 bridge was an entirely different design of bridge, in a different type of location (narrow river, in a gorge, with no threat from ocean-going vessels), that failed because it was life-expired, poorly maintained, and severely overloaded (by the deadweight of several inches of concrete and asphalt that had been added to the road surface over the decades), so I doubt there is any comparison to be made between the collapse of I35 bridge and the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore.
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The ship looked "very close" because the shipping channel between the bridge supports is quite narrow, bizarrely so in my non-expert opinion. I also predict that the replacement bridge will be a more typical suspension bridge which will allow a much wider shipping channel, so that ships would likely run around before they got close to a main bridge support.
#15
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I imagine the replacement will be a suspension bridge that has its main towers on the south west river bank and the end of the spit of land extending from the NE river bank, which would be a main span of just over a mile (1.7km), and leave the entire width of the river free of obstructions to shipping, even though the navigable channel would be narrower.