Baltimore Bridge Disaster

[Wilcox Cummingtonite 2861]

15 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

If we're doing nightmare fuel roads...

 

 

 

US 550 “Million Dollar Highway” northbound from Silverton to Ouray has definitely made my butthole pucker up a few times. 
 

One of the most beautiful drives in the world though. I prefer southbound so I can enjoy it a little more.

[Brisketexan 104549]

14 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Too bad JosephStang isn't around anymore to let is in how the theory of everything could help this bridge build itself, at faster than lightspeed, without regard to mathematics.  

Do you even "holonomic toroid bridge," bro?

[Incredulity 11558]

11 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Do you even "holonomic toroid bridge," bro?

No, but my dad does. He can't even sit on the toilet some days.

[Ten Bears 2479]

The Regency Bridge is not for the faint of heart either.

 

I took an old girlfriend across it once back when you could see thru the planks down to the Colorado.  She made me stop about 20 yards in and literally crawled back off the bridge.

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

If you were a Norwegian dude, you'd be smug as shit too.  Maybe the best quality of life on earth, they're super outdoorsy in one of the most beautiful places on the planet and yes.....the women are absolutely stunning.

Our Norwegian exchange daughter is a knockout.  And her younger sister is significantly prettier than her.  She and my son are pals (as in, they're friends and goof off, zero romantic issues), and I don't get it.  Had I been around a girl who looked like that at his age, I'd have been a stammering, embarrassing fool.  He says "nah, she's like my sister, so it's all cool."  And one of his best friends from his time in Berlin is another Norwegian gal who is an 11.  They're MOSTLY friends.....we'll see where that goes.  But he ran with a whole crowd of Norwegians there, and they are truly ridiculously gorgeous people.  And yeah, no pics, because I'm not doxing our friends.  I'm presuming that on their many viking raids, they only stole the most gorgeous of English maidens and such.

Tragic bridge collapse with lives lost, billions in damages, regional commerce interrupted, and global tensions elevated...

...surly of course takes a deep dive into Norwegian tail with a preemptive rejection of pics and dash of Uncle Rico for good measure along with some hearty scary bridge oneupmanship. 

[Brisketexan 104549]

Just now, Jiggy-Z said:

Tragic bridge collapse with lives lost, billions in damages, regional commerce interrupted, and global tensions elevated...

...surly of course takes a deep dive into Norwegian tail with a preemptive rejection of pics and dash of Uncle Rico for good measure along with some hearty scary bridge oneupmanship. 

Don't forget the kickass 1971 van rocking out to "Slow Ride."  Don't EVER forget that.

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Don't forget the kickass 1971 van rocking out to "Slow Ride."  Don't EVER forget that.

I assumed it would be playing in the background. My bad.

[ABSR 5289]

46 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Geez

Sales huh?

I found his profile photo:

 

Coffee is for bridge builders!

[YGIFS 19449]

18 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

No, but my dad does. He can't even sit on the toilet some days.

So what, everybody French Kisses.  

What a fucking messy tragedy.  We have a trucking terminal just a couple miles from that western edge and it's gonna be a shitshow for months.  Never mind the loss of life.  The conspiracy theories have been borderline amusing to read.  But I don't think people realize the sheer volume and velocity of that ship and right where it hit the support structure of the bridge.  My father and his business colleagues used to lecture us on the importance of the imbalance of on-the-water shipping containers and bridge maintenance.  Because of their trucks reliance on them.  And I just didn't understand at the time, as a young man.  But as I got older, I absolutely saw the flawed issues inherent in both shipping and elevated bridges as I got into the transportation sector.  We are a fucking third world country in so many regards.  I'm glad our drivers that were almost on the bridge are okay, and peace be with the families that did lose someone.  What a fucking mess.  

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Our Norwegian exchange daughter was stationed at an airbase on the Molde side of that bridge

We stayed in Molde with some friends and drove that road to Kristiansund 3 times during our stay with them. Lots of scary bridges and underwater tunnels.

Pics of Norwegian women's. LOL.

 

[Deej 76539]

15 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

Tragic bridge collapse with lives lost, billions in damages, regional commerce interrupted, and global tensions elevated...

...surly of course takes a deep dive into Norwegian tail with a preemptive rejection of pics and dash of Uncle Rico for good measure along with some hearty scary bridge oneupmanship. 

We wouldn't have it any other way. 

Now back to Norwegian au pairs.

[Incredulity 11558]

16 minutes ago, Deej said:

Now back to Norwegian au pairs

 

Spanish, Swedish and German were also mentioned so those are acceptable too...for diplomacy sake.

[JesusSweatDuck 17780]

4 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

ain’t walking over that water.

Bet

[Helobious 9480]

33 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

We stayed in Molde with some friends and drove that road to Kristiansund 3 times during our stay with them. Lots of scary bridges and underwater tunnels.

Pics of Norwegian women's. LOL.

 

I thought Norwegians were supposed to be hot. You could land a helicopter on that chick’s forehead.

[YGIFS 19449]

Norwegian.  Would. 

I once had a girl.  

[Dahobbs 17434]

14 minutes ago, Helobious said:

I thought Norwegians were supposed to be hot. You could land a helicopter on that chick’s forehead.

[Ghost of LL 15475]

14 hours ago, landman said:

Lot of people in Lake Charles will not drive that bridge.  They are convinced it's going to come down at any time.

 

Ummmm,  . . . and they're right.

[Biff Tannen 45491]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

2 hours ago, Bevo said:

 

Our Norwegian exchange daughter is a knockout.  And her younger sister is significantly prettier than her.  She and my son are pals (as in, they're friends and goof off, zero romantic issues), and I don't get it.  Had I been around a girl who looked like that at his age, I'd have been a stammering, embarrassing fool.  He says "nah, she's like my sister, so it's all cool." 

Yeah, like his sister he wants to bang.

[Grande Mart 502]

8 hours ago, Keef said:

This and the Bay Bridge in SF always freaked me out when I lived in the West Coast.  You know those quakes are coming eventually, and with the Bay Bridge, you can be stuck there for an hour or more during a busy part of the day.

Yeah, I always think about the 1989 World Series Earthquake and the highway collapse when I'm stuck in traffic on the Marquam (I-5 over the Willamette) or the Fremont (I-405) Bridge in Portland. At least there is a nice view of downtown and Hood, St Helens, etc... If there is a big Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake during rush hour, that will suck. I guess it's lucky that the 1989 Earthquake happened during the World series between the Giants and the A's so there were a lot more people off the roads watching the game.  

Edited March 27 by Grande Mart
typos

[Incredulity 11558]

11 minutes ago, Grande Mart said:

Yeah, I always think about the 1989 World Series Earthquake and the highway collapse when I'm stuck in traffic on the Marquam (I-5 over the Willamette) or the Fremont (I-405) Bridge in Portland. At least there is a nice view of downtown and Hood, St Helens, etc... If there is a big Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake during rush hour, that will suck. I guess it's lucky that the 1989 Earhquake happened during the World series between the Gianta and the A's so there were a lot more people off the roads watching the game.  

Several years ago I was stuck on I-5 a few miles south of the I-5 bridge.  I believe several miles of that interstate is elevated and essentially bridge.  I couldn't believe how much that section of road shook from truck traffic headed southbound.

[C-Man 27035]

The bridge in Corpus has always freaked me out. I used to like going over it as a kid but somewhere along the way, not so much.

I once walked across the bridge over the Royal Gorge as a teenager and that's freaky as hell for somebody with a fear of heights like me. I could see through the slats all the way down, IIRC. I off-handedly said to my dad that it would really suck to be a bird who was afraid of heights (there were a bunch of birds flying around up there). Anyway, my dad took that kernel of wisdom and has written a series of children's books about a bird who is afraid of heights. (Still waiting for the family to get rich off those -- oh well ...)

[MontereyMX 847]

6 minutes ago, C-Man said:

The bridge in Corpus has always freaked me out. I used to like going over it as a kid but somewhere along the way, not so much.

I once walked across the bridge over the Royal Gorge as a teenager and that's freaky as hell for somebody with a fear of heights like me. I could see through the slats all the way down, IIRC. I off-handedly said to my dad that it would really suck to be a bird who was afraid of heights (there were a bunch of birds flying around up there). Anyway, my dad took that kernel of wisdom and has written a series of children's books about a bird who is afraid of heights. (Still waiting for the family to get rich off those -- oh well ...)

Kinda cool story about your dad.  

[skeeter 453]

Lay off the gummies while piloting a vessel ...

 

[DigglerontheHoof 21051]

2 hours ago, Wilcox Cummingtonite said:

US 550 “Million Dollar Highway” northbound from Silverton to Ouray has definitely made my butthole pucker up a few times. 
 

One of the most beautiful drives in the world though. I prefer southbound so I can enjoy it a little more.

That's an awesome road to ride on a motorcycle, that is when you can get on it without 900 motorhomes.  Hwy 92 in the Black Canyon along the Gunnison River is awesome, too. 

[Grande Mart 502]

6 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Several years ago I was stuck on I-5 a few miles south of the I-5 bridge.  I believe several miles of that interstate is elevated and essentially bridge.  I couldn't believe how much that section of road shook from truck traffic headed southbound.

Yeah, that bottleneck at the I-5 bridge going north to Vancouver along with the I-5 bridge over the Columbia itself is one of the worst spots on I-5. Hard to get Washington and Oregon to agree on how to fix it.

Here's a disaster simulation showing what would happen to the Burnside Bridge. Plans are moving forward to rebuild it so it will survive a big quake, but that process in itself will be a bitch.  All the other bridges over the willamette with the exception of the new pedestrian mass transit bridge are assumed to likely collapse, I believe, in the event of the Cascadia Subduction Quake, which there is a 40 % chance will happen in the next 50 years. Simulation shows how the Burnside bridge would also collapse onto I-5,  which you are right has some elevated sections itself.

 

[Trey3216 15325]

1 hour ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

Bet

cuz Takin' care a bidness is His name...

[Bevo 13523]

2 hours ago, Wilcox Cummingtonite said:

US 550 “Million Dollar Highway” northbound from Silverton to Ouray has definitely made my butthole pucker up a few times. 
 

One of the most beautiful drives in the world though. I prefer southbound so I can enjoy it a little more.

I've done that one many times. When I was a kid, some guy lost his pickup. He forgot to put on the parking break and got out of the car, near Engineeer Pass. His dog jumped out while the car was rolling down the hill. We gave him and the dog a ride back to Ouray.

 

I almost ran out of gas in my rental vehicle the last time I was on it. There was also a minor avalanche that I had to get around as I approached Ouray which was quite perilous as there really wasn't enough room to keep on the road. But because I was so low in gas, I didn't really have a choice. It was getting late too so I wasn't sure how many more vehicles would be passing through.

I thought Ophir Pass was worse.

Edited March 27 by Bevo

[Grande Mart 502]

15 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I've done that one many times. When I was a kid, some guy lost his pickup. He forgot to put on the parking break and got out of the car, near Engineeer Pass. His dog jumped out while the car was rolling down the hill. We gave him and the dog a ride back to Ouray.

 

I almost ran out of gas in my rental vehicle the last time I was on it. There was also a minor avalanche that I had to get around as I approached Ouray which was quite perilous as there really wasn't enough room to keep on the road. But because I was so low in gas, I didn't really have a choice. It was getting late too so I wasn't sure how many more vehicles would be passing through.

I thought Ophir Pass was worse.

Anybody drive Black Bear pass?

 

Edited March 27 by Grande Mart
Not implying I've done it. Just remember seeing it. I did take our brand new 4runner over Engineer Pass. Guy I met in the bar in Ouray afterwards was making fun of Texas in their brandnew 4runners ruining them driving the 4 wheel drive trails in the area.

[Herbie Hancock 7303]

I drove to the top of Pike’s Peak in 2013 and about had a goddamned stroke. Rode to the top as a passenger a couple years ago and pre-gamed with a fifth of Tito’s. That was much better trip

[deadshank 24651]

Who knew Surly posters were rife with gephyrophobia? 

[Incredulity 11558]

12 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Who knew Surly posters were rife with gephyrophobia? 

nothing a little penicillin won't fix right up

[gofuckyourself 8121]

21 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Who knew Surly posters were rife with gephyrophobia? 

Irrational fear of the big giraffe at Toys R' Us?

[chainsaw 9837]

 

[Bevo 13523]

27 minutes ago, Grande Mart said:

Anybody drive Black Bear pass?

 

Black Gap in Big Bend was terrible when I was last on it. Mesquite was hitting both sides of the truck, tearing up the paint. In at least a few spots, the trailer hitch was riding on rock and I had to get up speed to avoid bottoming out. At one point, a wheel or two were in the air - my son wanted to walk and the wife let him know that I had done this kind of stuff a lot.

Black Bear Pass, I think I did years ago. It is closed now from what I understand for mitigation work from rock slides.

[Grande Mart 502]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

Black Gap in Big Bend was terrible when I was last on it. Mesquite was hitting both sides of the truck, tearing up the paint. In at least a few spots, the trailer hitch was riding on rock and I had to get up speed to avoid bottoming out. At one point, a wheel or two were in the air - my son wanted to walk and the wife let him know that I had done this kind of stuff a lot.

Black Bear Pass, I think I did years ago. It is closed now from what I understand for mitigation work from rock slides.

I did put a big scratch on the drivers side door from a tree branch on engineer pass. It was still there when I sold it 15 years later at 260,000 miles.

[Bevo 13523]

2 minutes ago, Grande Mart said:

I did put a big scratch on the drivers side door from a tree branch on engineer pass. It was still there when I sold it 15 years later at 260,000 miles.

Yeah, my wife made me sell our beater - she kept asking why we were getting another truck if the old one was basically fine. In the new SUV, I don't have any desire to beat it up plus I think most modern SUVs are on car chassis' so they probably wouldn't hold up.

I think now, if I was going to do Black Bear, it would have to be in a small jeep rental rather than an SUV. A dual sport motorbike would be awesome, though.

[WBT 20415]

3 hours ago, Jiggy-Z said:

                 3

         4          

     5                x 

   2                   x 

 x                       1

         x

 

Edited March 27 by WBT
don't merge me bro

[WBT 20415]

16 hours ago, landman said:

Lot of people in Lake Charles will not drive that bridge.  They are convinced it's going to come down at any time.

It would be fun to go diving for some of those pistols

[Brisketexan 104549]

Just now, WBT said:

It would be fun to go diving for some of those pistols

There's a 99.9% chance you'll have that opportunity in the next few years.

[Gatorubet 30083]

1 hour ago, Grande Mart said:

Yeah, that bottleneck at the I-5 bridge going north to Vancouver along with the I-5 bridge over the Columbia itself is one of the worst spots on I-5. Hard to get Washington and Oregon to agree on how to fix it.

Here's a disaster simulation showing what would happen to the Burnside Bridge. Plans are moving forward to rebuild it so it will survive a big quake, but that process in itself will be a bitch.  All the other bridges over the willamette with the exception of the new pedestrian mass transit bridge are assumed to likely collapse, I believe, in the event of the Cascadia Subduction Quake, which there is a 40 % chance will happen in the next 50 years. Simulation shows how the Burnside bridge would also collapse onto I-5,  which you are right has some elevated sections itself.

 

Now that the Mayor’s dead, the apocalypse will be much harder. 

[Blotto 23427]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

Who knew Surly posters were rife with gephyrophobia? 

 

[Hook1997 5278]

2 hours ago, C-Man said:

The bridge in Corpus has always freaked me out. I used to like going over it as a kid but somewhere along the way, not so much.

 

I think the new Corpus bridge that has gone thru three different companies being in charge and a shutdown in construction because of a design flaw will freak me out more than the old one..   

[deadshank 24651]

6 minutes ago, Hook1997 said:

I think the new Corpus bridge that has gone thru three different companies being in charge and a shutdown in construction because of a design flaw will freak me out more than the old one..   

aggy gone aggy

[BabaYaga 15208]

4 hours ago, Wilcox Cummingtonite said:

US 550 “Million Dollar Highway” northbound from Silverton to Ouray has definitely made my butthole pucker up a few times. 
 

One of the most beautiful drives in the world though. I prefer southbound so I can enjoy it a little more.

Nope.   Nope, nope, nope!!!!

[Don Johnson 4745]

 

[BabaYaga 15208]

1 hour ago, Bevo said:

Mesquite was hitting both sides of the truck, tearing up the paint.

We call those W.Texas racing stripes

[Thetexashammer 1062]

I did this bridge in the Dolomiti. Val di Rabbi. There are lots of bridges around Trentino on the trails.

[Foosters 17726]

This one always makes me feel like I'm about to go tumbling into the river

[Ten Bears 2479]

17 minutes ago, Don Johnson said:

 

Negged

[fattyflattie 4636]

17 hours ago, landman said:

Lot of people in Lake Charles will not drive that bridge.  They are convinced it's going to come down at any time.

 

I used to work for a company that wouldn’t allow us to use it when traveling on business, which was a lot.  Really good at taking the loop.