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RPM

RPM 26419

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This seems bad.

Vital Memphis bridge shut down after officials find structural crack

210512181125-03-memphis-crack-hernando-d

(CNN)Transportation officials discovered a crack Tuesday in a major artery in American infrastructure, meaning it could be closed for months.

The Hernando de Soto Bridge on Interstate 40 in Memphis, Tennessee, was shut down Tuesday and will be closed for emergency repairs, according to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

Tennessee shares responsibility for the bridge with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), which discovered the crack during a routine inspection and immediately shut down the bridge, the release said.
"For the motoring public's safety, the bridge will be entirely shut down while crews investigate the crack's extent further and then repair the problem, which could take some time," the TDOT release read.

Detours are in place in Tennessee and Arkansas with traffic being rerouted in both directions to Interstate 55 as an alternate route across the river. It is unknown how long the bridge will be closed. Authorities have also shut down river traffic until further notice.

With boat traffic closed, there are at least 24 vessels with a total of 346 barges waiting to travel the Lower Mississippi River in either direction, according to Lt. Mark Pipkin of United States Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River.

More than 50,000 vehicles drive over the bridge each day

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Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen 5354

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Well if they wait just a little longer they can put it out as a new project and not have to worry about those pesky annual inspections.  I wonder if other states do like Texas which actually mandates inspections of every bridge in the state.  It always has seemed like a basic requirement, sort of like dam inspections, but getting to this point requires serious neglect.

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DigglerontheHoof

DigglerontheHoof 21264

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I'm certainly no engineer but that's no crack, that looks broken and separated.  How in the fuck does something not get flagged long before it gets to that point?  

I was under the impression that large metal structures like that were scanned w/ monitoring equipment that could find small and even micro cracks.

I wonder how many bridges across the nation are in danger of a major event. 

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Captainant

Captainant 27930

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5 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I'm certainly no engineer but that's no crack, that looks broken and separated.  How in the fuck does something not get flagged long before it gets to that point?  

I was under the impression that large metal structures like that were scanned w/ monitoring equipment that could find small and even micro cracks.

I wonder how many bridges across the nation are in danger of a major event. 

If I recall, something like 1 in 3 bridges are in need of immediate repair or replacement. Were gonna be seeing a shitload more of this. 

Other fun fact with this bridge - it's also impeding traffic up and down the Mississippi River since vessels aren't permitted to transit underneath the busted bridge. Something about supply chain problems...

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Guest Lobo

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29 minutes ago, Captainant said:

If I recall, something like 1 in 3 bridges are in need of immediate repair or replacement. Were gonna be seeing a shitload more of this. 

Other fun fact with this bridge - it's also impeding traffic up and down the Mississippi River since vessels aren't permitted to transit underneath the busted bridge. Something about supply chain problems...

Yeah, we’re about to have our own little Suez Canal incident. Whatever slight chance you had at getting lumber this month just went to zero. 

“the line starts at the Mississippi and they’d better start taking numbers” /fredthompson 

Edited by Lobo
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RPM

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9 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Yeah, we’re about to have our own little Suez Canal incident. Whatever slight chance you had at getting lumber this month just went to zero. 

“the line starts at the Mississippi and they’d better start taking numbers” /fredthompson 

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image.png.8595b505d6859c0da79649d2935655ef.png

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RPM

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53 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I'm certainly no engineer but that's no crack, that looks broken and separated.  How in the fuck does something not get flagged long before it gets to that point?  

I was under the impression that large metal structures like that were scanned w/ monitoring equipment that could find small and even micro cracks.

Were talking a joint Arkansas / Tennessee operation. I'd be impressed if they have duct tape.

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'stache

'stache 21899

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Gotta love modern society. Build shit cheap because "low taxes!" and shit falls apart in a matter of decades. Meanwhile, bridges from ancient Rome are still standing and some are even usable if they weren't being preserved.

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Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen 5354

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27 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

So, in engineering speak, "structural crack" means "completely broken in two with the ends separated and offset"?

Technically I think we would call that a colossal fucking failure in my field which is civil engineering, but feel free to ad lib.

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Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen 5354

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23 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Gotta love modern society. Build shit cheap because "low taxes!" and shit falls apart in a matter of decades. Meanwhile, bridges from ancient Rome are still standing and some are even usable if they weren't being preserved.

Steel is a wonderful construction material, both in tension and compression, but there are only so many load  cycles you  can put on a ductile material before it fails.  Ironically steel usually does show some pretty obvious signs of failure before something like this happens.  It looks like corrosion weakened that spot before tension separated it but I am no structural engineer. 

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Guest Lobo

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I can't prove it yet, but I assure y'all---in the strongest terms possible---there's an A&M engineer involved in this somehow.  

Edited by Lobo
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clapclapclap

clapclapclap 9000

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24 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Gotta love modern society. Build shit cheap because "low taxes!" and shit falls apart in a matter of decades. 

Could you go be an uninformed knee jerk somewhere else?  It was built with mostly Fed funding (ever heard of the interstate highway system?) during the LBJ and Nixon administrations, when the top tax rate was 70% (income over $100,000/yr).

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'stache

'stache 21899

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2 minutes ago, clapclapclap said:

Could you go be an uninformed knee jerk somewhere else?  It was built with mostly Fed funding (ever heard of the interstate highway system?) during the LBJ and Nixon administrations, when the top tax rate was 70% (income over $100,000/yr).

Then we lowered taxes drastically and failed to maintain basic infrastructure, and now as someone said before a third of bridges are in disrepair. I have a whole rant about it but this is dt, so my views are considered CR.

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clapclapclap

clapclapclap 9000

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1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Other fun fact with this bridge - it's also impeding traffic up and down the Mississippi River since vessels aren't permitted to transit underneath the busted bridge. Something about supply chain problems...

The river isn't going to be closed the entire time of repairs, this is just a temporary measure.  And most of the water cargo is bulk, non-time sensitive goods.  Grains, coal, pipe, etc.  As for truck traffic, it's only an inconvenience.  There's still the older I-55 bridge a few mile to the south, the I-155 bridge 70 miles to the north, and a 2-lane bridge in Helena, AR 50 miles to the south.  For through traffic about an extra hour or so to detour, up to 3 extra hours for some Memphis based traffic.  Supply chains will be fine.

The primary impact is on commuters.

 

Edit:  Almost forget the reason I came to post.  Here's a little context:

E1NC_UpWEAM3bok?format=jpg&name=900x900

Edited by clapclapclap
I know a little German, too
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Guest Lobo

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2 minutes ago, Poe It Up said:

Yeah, I wonder how many of those Roman bridges have 40 ton trucks driving across it every day. 

Fair point.  37 Citroens a day passing over a bridge is quite different than several hundred 85,000 pound tractor trailers.  

No sarcasm, no CR...I think a green new deal/infrastructure plan could be a lot more bi-partisan and receive much more broad support in America if it first addressed---on what we drive instead of in what we drive.  I love renewables.  I support hybrid cars and green jobs because we're just a decade away from all of that taking over.  What we are a century away from having happen though, is our fleet of 85,000 pound trucks being able to float their cargo on drones and battery powered light rail trains.  America's cargo needs roads and bridges to get from A to B.  A proper energy plan and a proper infrastructure plan needs to begin with how to move cargo and critical assets around the nation.  After that, commuters can have a place in line.  It was Eisenhower and Kennedy that thought of all this shit up anyway, both darlings of their respective parties. 

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Reagan1k

Reagan1k 3024

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21 minutes ago, TXSooner518 said:

So I'm driving from Austin to Memphis area next Wed, and back on Sun, and we have a forecast for rain for my entire drive on Wed, gas prices to the moon, and now this cramming all cross-river traffic onto the 55 bridge causing delays. 

Wheeee!

Might want to consider heading down to 10 and then up 55 with a stop in Scott, LA for some Best Stop.

Will not add that much time and a much easier drive than dealing with all that bullshit in AR

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Fair point.  37 Citroens a day passing over a bridge is quite different than several hundred 85,000 pound tractor trailers.  

No sarcasm, no CR...I think a green new deal/infrastructure plan could be a lot more bi-partisan and receive much more broad support in America if it first addressed---on what we drive instead of in what we drive.  I love renewables.  I support hybrid cars and green jobs because we're just a decade away from all of that taking over.  What we are a century away from having happen though, is our fleet of 85,000 pound trucks being able to float their cargo on drones and battery powered light rail trains.  America's cargo needs roads and bridges to get from A to B.  A proper energy plan and a proper infrastructure plan needs to begin with how to move cargo and critical assets around the nation.  After that, commuters can have a place in line.  It was Eisenhower and Kennedy that thought of all this shit up anyway, both darlings of their respective parties. 

The gas tax hasn't changed since the 70's I believe. That would be a good place to find revenue, and increase it to reflect modern vehicles, and gas mileage.  Yes, an infrastructure deal where the tax dollars actually went to infrastructure, and not some back hole of a general fund would get support.

Holding breath NOOOOOOOW...

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40946

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52 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Then we lowered taxes drastically and failed to maintain basic infrastructure, and now as someone said before a third of bridges are in disrepair. I have a whole rant about it but this is dt, so my views are considered CR.

Don’t you mean when congress started channeling 40% of the Federal gas tax revenue away from highway maintenance to their non-road pet projects two generations ago? Same for some of the state legislatures.

Look at which states are the worst at screwing their road maintenance:

https://www.roadsbridges.com/report-finds-some-states-diverting-large-portions-gas-tax-roads-bridges

Edited by Armybrat
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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

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37 minutes ago, clapclapclap said:

The river isn't going to be closed the entire time of repairs, this is just a temporary measure.  And most of the water cargo is bulk, non-time sensitive goods.  Grains, coal, pipe, etc. 

Speaking as the (then) PM who had three barge loads of refinery equipment hung up on the Mississippi for several months, I feel for anyone involved with this.   Jesus, I had suppressed that project way down deep. Stomach hurts now.  

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TXSooner518

TXSooner518 2439

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31 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

Might want to consider heading down to 10 and then up 55 with a stop in Scott, LA for some Best Stop.

Will not add that much time and a much easier drive than dealing with all that bullshit in AR

It would add 3 hours, but that's not the problem, the problem is that the gravitational pull of NOLA would keep me from ever making it to Memphis to begin with. :D

Edited by TXSooner518
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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

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47 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

Maybe we can one day get an infrastructure bill that actually spends money on infrastructure.

What are you talking about ?!?  Theres a plan right now where a portion of 7% will go towards bridges.

“construction or improvement of bridges, highways, roads, ports, waterways, and airports—accounts for only $157 billion, or 7%, of the plan’s estimated cost”

Are you going to sit here and tell me daycare isn’t infrastructure?   

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Guest Lobo

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Wait, the 2 year olds are gonna rebuild the bridge?  They are small enough to wedge themselves down in there.  Give 'em an arc welder.  

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RPM

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Just now, Lobo said:

Wait, the 2 year olds are gonna rebuild the bridge?  They are small enough to wedge themselves down in there.  Give 'em an arc welder.  

Sir, high voltage is too dangerous for small children. Strictly oxyacetylene under age 5.

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'stache

'stache 21899

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37 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Don’t you mean when congress started channeling 40% of the Federal gas tax revenue away from highway maintenance to their non-road pet projects two generations ago? Same for some of the state legislatures.

Look at which states are the worst at screwing their road maintenance:

https://www.roadsbridges.com/report-finds-some-states-diverting-large-portions-gas-tax-roads-bridges

Yes, when "low taxes" became the mantra, limited funds had to be used elsewhere, which is a problem. However, I would not consider "transit, pedestrian, and bicycle projects" as improper diversion. Those programs are designed to lead to less use of vehicles on the roads and hence less wear and tear. My overall problem is with the cult of "low taxes" and then the same people bitching about deficiencies in roads and cops, etc. I'm happy to argue what we should tax and at what rate, but we are at a point where everything has to be a soundbite. One side only wants to lower taxes but does nothing to change spending. The other side wants more taxes but also rarely speaks about needed efficiencies to make better use of those funds. It's a cycle that drives me off the fucking wall.

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