Baltimore Bridge Disaster

[gmr548 16,694]

9 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

were they doing construction on the bridge deck?  looks like there were lots of flashing/blinking lights.

They were. The people missing are the road work crew. Two found, several still missing.

2 hours ago, immamac said:

I was wondering how this wasn’t hundreds dead. Holy shit. 

Because it happened at 2am and there was construction going on, which enabled closure to traffic very quickly when the ship put out a mayday.

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

Holy fuck at the people on reddit: 

Well, I'm going to hell.

[ztejas 44,226]

4 minutes ago, Hate said:

I’ve driven over this bridge over 50 times already this year and every single time I think about that bridge collapsing because it's a significant piece of infrastructure in New Orleans.

Cliffs notes

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

For those scared of bridges. Do not go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Long as shit, and when the wind is blowing it is not fun.

[AUS-97HORN 12,050]

I realize its monday morning quarterbacking, but why didnt the two main spans have "deflection" piers in front and behind each one?

 

I mean, thats pretty damn common in bridges that have lots of large marine traffic going under them.    big massive concrete piers planted in front of the main span holders are designed to stop (or severely slow down) an out-of-control ship... usually to the ships detriment.

[chainsaw 10,284]

1 minute ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I realize its monday morning quarterbacking, but why didnt the two main spans have "deflection" piers in front and behind each one?

 

I mean, thats pretty damn common in bridges that have lots of large marine traffic going under them.    big massive concrete piers planted in front of the main span holders are designed to stop (or severely slow down) an out-of-control ship... usually to the ships detriment.

[tokamak 6,687]

3 minutes ago, ABSR said:

The real immediate issue is that the debris may block passage in and out of the port of Baltimore.  So ships can't exit the port, ships can't get in, and cargo can't go in or out.  First issue is to clear debris so ship traffic can flow and the port can resume operations.

It appears that Baltimore is a huge port for roll-on/roll-off cargo. Not just cars, but construction and farm equipment also. It's pretty interesting on Google Maps, you can see a ton of excavators and stuff like that parked there at the port.

Containers should be able to go to other east coast ports without too much trouble (trucking will probably cause some headaches), but I wonder if the facilities and capacity exist elsewhere to offload all the cars and machinery that usually go to Baltimore.

[Gatorubet 30,711]

Lloyd’s of London shareholders be like

 

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

3 minutes ago, tokamak said:

It appears that Baltimore is a huge port for roll-on/roll-off cargo. Not just cars, but construction and farm equipment also. It's pretty interesting on Google Maps, you can see a ton of excavators and stuff like that parked there at the port.

Containers should be able to go to other east coast ports without too much trouble (trucking will probably cause some headaches), but I wonder if the facilities and capacity exist elsewhere to offload all the cars and machinery that usually go to Baltimore.

First that comes to mind is Charleston.

[markstanco 12,786]

7 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I realize its monday morning quarterbacking, but why didnt the two main spans have "deflection" piers in front and behind each one?

 

I mean, thats pretty damn common in bridges that have lots of large marine traffic going under them.    big massive concrete piers planted in front of the main span holders are designed to stop (or severely slow down) an out-of-control ship... usually to the ships detriment.

YOLO!

[G650 14,437]

3 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

First that comes to mind is Charleston.

Norfolk

[Dennis Taylor 19,344]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

I dunno.....word is they've already got a crack team lined up for the job.....

 

[Evil Bill Obrien 3,510]

12 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Well, I'm going to hell.

Me too, a good hearty chuckle at the Lamar Jackson collapse meme

[BabaYaga 15,623]

Singapore ship?

GD Asian drivers......

[Deej 77,812]

Just now, BabaYaga said:

Singapore ship?

GD Asian drivers......

That's really offensive.

Mexicans are worse drivers.

[Helobious 9,818]

25 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

Interesting thread. He's predicting multiple years

Also, modern bridge designs shouldn't do this, but those designs started in the 80s

 

Multiple years lol. He’s wrong.

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

6 minutes ago, G650 said:

Norfolk

Pretty congested. Closer? Yes, but also does not have the road network. Maybe Delaware?

[austingirl 2,194]

2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Not a fan?

 

 

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Oh, and as we discuss bridges, and phobias about them, particularly @Ghost of LL's fear, I will re-share one of my best memories ever.  

We were traveling through SETX, I was driving.  Being quite wet/marshy country, there are plenty of bridges we had to go over.  GOLL shared his loathing of bridges.  Well, our route one day took us over this bad boy:

I warned him, but did so with a cackle of glee.  Should be an ordinary crossing, right?  Nope.  They were doing construction, so it was shut down to one lane. And what happened RIGHT as we got to the top - I mean literally, maybe 2 car lengths from the fulcrum where it started descending the other way?  The shitty old pickup truck in front of us died.  Comes to a dead stop.  As do we.  A dead stop at the very top of the Rainbow Bridge.  You can feel it swaying underneath us.  GOLL was about to claw his way out of the car and run back down when the construction crew sees what's up, comes over, and pushes the broken down truck over the crest, so it can coast down the other side.  We let it do so, then we go and finally get off the bridge.

GOLL made me drive back by a different route, IIRC.

Was I laughing much more than a decent person should?  Yes.  Yes I was.  I am a terrible human.

I was gonna say, I had to learn how to drive on that bridge. You couldn't pass driver's ed in southeast TX without getting over the Rainbow Bridge.

[bluto 4,996]

4 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Multiple years lol. Ballgame.

Fify

[G650 14,437]

6 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yes, but also does not have the road network.

Say what now.

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

1 minute ago, G650 said:

Say what now.

It is not on I95. Lots of roads to go to I95, but not on a primary artery.

[Incredulity 11,875]

 

white knuckled over this bad boy in high winds a few times.   No bueno.

St.Petersburg, FL

Edited March 26 by Incredulity

[Hate 20,247]

20 minutes ago, Deej said:

That's really offensive.

Mexicans are worse drivers.

Bullshit. I’d rather drive in Mexico than Southern Louisiana. Maybe India is worse, but I’ve never been there.

[dieucla98 2,959]

4 minutes ago, Hate said:

Bullshit. I’d rather drive in Mexico than Southern Louisiana. Maybe India is worse, but I’ve never been there.

It's 1000% worse. Nothing in US infrastructure frightens me after spending more time than I care to admit in India. 

Edited March 26 by dieucla98

[The Dog 44,854]

39 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

They were. The people missing are the road work crew. Two found, several still missing.

Because it happened at 2am and there was construction going on, which enabled closure to traffic very quickly when the ship put out a mayday.

Well, I'm going to hell.

r/AFCNorthMemeWar has a few more:

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

NTSB confirming they are taking over and will coordinate investigations.

[gofuckyourself 9,082]

Can we stay on the damn subject?

Now...

Best bridge song?

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Under the Bridge

The 59th Street Bridge Song

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Ode to Billie Joe

Various James Brown tunes ("take me to the bridge!")

[VirginiaLonghorn 4,908]

This one can be exhilarating depending on the weather and 18 wheelers …
https://www.cbbt.com

[G650 14,437]

2 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

It is not on I95. Lots of roads to go to I95, but not on a primary artery.

I-64, I-664, US-58 are all direct to 95. We have much better connectivity than even Baltimore, which is why a shitload of equipment already comes here. Plus the new Port of Va facility in Portsmouth has the best intermodal link in the Mid Atlantic, and tons of space.

 

Charleston, where I used to live actually, is by far the worst. One way in and out, I-26

[CoTex 1,177]

So, there was some deckhand who is holding a vhf walkie talkie, on a powerless ship, in the dark, and his radio crackled to life "hey Pedro, let go the port anchor and 4 shots of chain, muy pronto."

Response "uh, come again boss? we're going 13 knots, I don't want to be anywhere near that thing when the anchor bites at 13 knots."

Bridge "LET GO THE FUCKING PORT ANCHOR NOW!"

 

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

Just now, G650 said:

I-64, I-664, US-58 are all direct to 95. We have much better connectivity than even Baltimore, which is why a shitload of equipment already comes here. Plus the new Port of Va facility in Portsmouth has the best intermodal link in the Mid Atlantic, and tons of space.

 

Charleston, where I used to live actually, is by far the worst. One way in and out, I-26

You add more to those routes? I spent a lot of time in Hampton/Norfolk area.  Baltimore is a pretty important port.

I worked Charleston for exports and never had an issue. Plus they expanded and have rail.

My point was there are options on the East Coast. But it will have an impact.

BTW- Surly Grammar police are going to nail you for using actually when not needed. Cover your ass, they are mean.

 

[RDCanecutter 26,879]

11 minutes ago, Hate said:

Bullshit. I’d rather drive in Mexico than Southern Louisiana. Maybe India is worse, but I’ve never been there.

Yeah, Mexico is fairly mellow for driving. Funny how multiple speed bumps knocking the bottoms out of cars for a few generations can slow a driving culture down.

[G650 14,437]

1 minute ago, InkaUtexas said:

BTW- Surly Grammar police are going to nail you for using actually when not needed. Cover your ass, they are mean.

Actually screw them lol.

 

This very ship actually came from here to Baltimore btw.

[Wally Pryor 5,410]

Coronado.   Cool to drive. Even cooler to get to the other side.

Some people don't want to get to the other side. Baby sister of the Golden Gate when it comes to jumpers. (St Pete bridge is also a popular destination for ending things.)

 

 

[Deej 77,812]

11 minutes ago, Hate said:

Bullshit. I’d rather drive in Mexico than Southern Louisiana. Maybe India is worse, but I’ve never been there.

I live in a neighborhood area that's full of Mexicans and Asians. The Asians are far and away better drivers. Plus they aren't driving cars that look like they are about to completely fall apart yet have new paper plates. 

[InkaUtexas 26,860]

1 minute ago, G650 said:

Actually screw them lol.

 

This very ship actually came from here to Baltimore btw.

I say we track them down and put them on a Singapore registered vessel.

[ConferenceRoom 6,214]

9 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Can we stay on the damn subject?

Now...

Best bridge song?

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Under the Bridge

The 59th Street Bridge Song

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Ode to Billie Joe

Various James Brown tunes ("take me to the bridge!")

 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,584]

9 minutes ago, CoTex said:

So, there was some deckhand who is holding a vhf walkie talkie, on a powerless ship, in the dark, and his radio crackled to life "hey Pedro, let go the port anchor and 4 shots of chain, muy pronto."

Response "uh, come again boss? we're going 13 knots, I don't want to be anywhere near that thing when the anchor bites at 13 knots."

Bridge "LET GO THE FUCKING PORT ANCHOR NOW!"

 

reminds me of my last taco bell visit. 

[BabaYaga 15,623]

17 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

 

white knuckled over this bad boy in high winds a few times.   No bueno.

St.Petersburg, FL

Yep.  Same

[gofuckyourself 9,082]

Just now, ConferenceRoom said:

 

Good point.

Where IS that confounded bridge?

[Sbbruin 22,142]

[ConferenceRoom 6,214]

2 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Good point.

Where IS that confounded bridge?

[CoTex 1,177]

5 minutes ago, G650 said:

Actually screw them lol.

 

This very ship actually came from here to Baltimore btw.

On the subject of ships, I need a ride on the Ker or Carkeek or whatever the hell it is.  Time to make it happen.

[G650 14,437]

2 minutes ago, CoTex said:

On the subject of ships, I need a ride on the Ker or Carkeek or whatever the hell it is.  Time to make it happen.

Carkeek. Indeed. She is staying on the bay this summer but I'm sure we will be in Florida over the winter again, let's see if something works

 

 

[Francisco 2.0 32,586]

1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

For those scared of bridges. Do not go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Long as shit, and when the wind is blowing it is not fun.

I've driven over it a dozen times or more in my life (last summer was the most recent).  I just kinda zone out and hope for the best.  Of course, most of the time I've  crossed it I'm headed to Harris Crab House (highly recommended).

Years ago, I had a portable GPS unit, so on a whim, I turned it on.  At the highest part of the bridge it showed me just over 200 feet above sea level.

 

 

[Guadaloopy 11,129]

1 hour ago, BillyGoatHill said:

This guy does a pretty good breakdown of what he thinks happened with actions taken (bottom for video)....

 

Playing pretty fast and loose with the term "expert" for that dude.  There's a fair amount of bullshit and poor terminology used in his "expert" analysis.  The ultimate conclusion, that this video is consistent with an onboard engineering casualty as the cause of the accident, is likely correct.  But he does a shit job of explaining it.

[C-Man 27,779]

3 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

10.9 mile bridge?

Yeah, guess I'm the moron here. I'll take the L on this one. The bridge itself is 57,546' and is 1201' in the longest span.

 

[High Plains Drifter 11,186]

 

 

Toll: Yes (prior to collapse)

 

 

[Hate 20,247]

42 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Can we stay on the damn subject?

Now...

Best bridge song?

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Under the Bridge

The 59th Street Bridge Song

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Ode to Billie Joe

Various James Brown tunes ("take me to the bridge!")

7 Bridges Road? Although, is that actually a road song?

[Evil Bill Obrien 3,510]

10 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

Toll: Yes (prior to collapse)

 

 

Think you would be entitled to a refund if you were charged the toll after collapse, no?

[Pescado_Rojo 19,584]

1 hour ago, austingirl said:

 

I was gonna say, I had to learn how to drive on that bridge. You couldn't pass driver's ed in southeast TX without getting over the Rainbow Bridge.

We did it first day. I don't remember which coach was our instructor, but first day he was like "okay, who wants to drive first?!" We're all raising our hand and he picks me. We all sit in the car and he's going over all the basics, put on your seatbelt, start the car...that kind of stuff. We pull up to the exit of the parking lot by the TJ cafeteria and I stop and wait for him to tell me where to go. He says "okay, drive to Bridge City" and I think I shit my pants.