Last bits of it demolished. Quite spectacular
Yeah,see that on the news this evening.Very impressive !
Here’s the Luddite coming out in me, but why not build bridges out of steel like they used to, as in the Forth rail bridge, the Tyne Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. etc. We all know they cost more to build in the first place but they bloody well last. It’s probably long finished by now because we don’t hear about things like this here, but the Forth Bridge has just been coated with something that won’t need painting again for years. We had and still are having problems with concrete buildings being dodgy, concrete cancer where the steel rusts and pops the concrete. British Steel manufacturers could make a come back. Win all round really. Did I hear right about the Forth Road Bridge having to be replaced because the originals knackered, or is that just ■■■■■■■■?
peterm:
Here’s the Luddite coming out in me, but why not build bridges out of steel like they used to, as in the Forth rail bridge, the Tyne Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. etc. We all know they cost more to build in the first place but they bloody well last. It’s probably long finished by now because we don’t hear about things like this here, but the Forth Bridge has just been coated with something that won’t need painting again for years. We had and still are having problems with concrete buildings being dodgy, concrete cancer where the steel rusts and pops the concrete. British Steel manufacturers could make a come back. Win all round really. Did I hear right about the Forth Road Bridge having to be replaced because the originals knackered, or is that just ■■■■■■■■?
the forth road has been replaced peter, i drove over it twice on tuesday and very impressive it is too
peterm:
Here’s the Luddite coming out in me, but why not build bridges out of steel like they used to, as in the Forth rail bridge, the Tyne Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. etc. We all know they cost more to build in the first place but they bloody well last. It’s probably long finished by now because we don’t hear about things like this here, but the Forth Bridge has just been coated with something that won’t need painting again for years. We had and still are having problems with concrete buildings being dodgy, concrete cancer where the steel rusts and pops the concrete. British Steel manufacturers could make a come back. Win all round really. Did I hear right about the Forth Road Bridge having to be replaced because the originals knackered, or is that just ■■■■■■■■?
I believe the Forth Bridge was vastly over engineered due to the Tay Bridge Collapse; the original Forth Bridge project was going to be a similar design to the Tay Bridge.
The Forth Road Bridge the problem was the cables corroding, which are not in concrete, and the massive increase in traffic, far more than it was ever designed to take, a proper maintenance and inspection regime prevented a disaster and as steel plate also corrodes the same could be said for the Forth Bridge, a few years ago a road bridge in the US collapsed because a steel plate failed, and there were known issues of corrosion on the Genoa bridge, but plans for a replacement had been postponed and infrastructure maintenance in Italy and no doubt the rest of the Europe had been cut due to austerity measures after the financial collapse, it was a system failure as much as a structural failure.
What’s scary is the number of times I’ve driven across it 
The new bridge over the Forth is built with Chinese steel even though Motherwell Bridge is just down the road. WE some of you anyway will see how long it lasts.
I often have misgivings about the state of bridges over motorways. Specifically the bridge supports. Too many of them are crumbling,exposing the steel rebar which in many cases are rotting as well. Have a glance at the supports on your next motorway trip, and look for rust.
And these are just the ones we can see. God knows what the state of the bridges actually carrying the motorway are in.
My own opinion (and it is just an opinion) is the concrete had too much water in it. This makes it easier to pour, but weakens the mix. But whatever the cause, sooner or later I think we’re going to see a collapse. Probably when 2 x 40+ tonnes pass each other. Then there will be lots of hand wringing, lessons being learned, labour denouncing savage Tory cuts, a feeding frenzy by the media and compensation lawyers etc. In short, the usual circus.
Lonewolf Yorks:
What’s scary is the number of times I’ve driven across it
Those elevated slip roads used to worry me more, especially when you looked at how thin the supports are.
WhiteTruckMan:
I often have misgivings about the state of bridges over motorways. Specifically the bridge supports. Too many of them are crumbling,exposing the steel rebar which in many cases are rotting as well. Have a glance at the supports on your next motorway trip, and look for rust.And these are just the ones we can see. God knows what the state of the bridges actually carrying the motorway are in.
My own opinion (and it is just an opinion) is the concrete had too much water in it. This makes it easier to pour, but weakens the mix. But whatever the cause, sooner or later I think we’re going to see a collapse. Probably when 2 x 40+ tonnes pass each other. Then there will be lots of hand wringing, lessons being learned, labour denouncing savage Tory cuts, a feeding frenzy by the media and compensation lawyers etc. In short, the usual circus.
I wrote to the Highways Agency asking why they didn’t put higher railings on the M62 Scammonden bridge, given the number of incidents of potential and actual ‘jumpers’.
I got a reply which stated “It isn’t strong enough to bear the weight of higher fences”.
Buckstones:
WhiteTruckMan:
I often have misgivings about the state of bridges over motorways. Specifically the bridge supports. Too many of them are crumbling,exposing the steel rebar which in many cases are rotting as well. Have a glance at the supports on your next motorway trip, and look for rust.And these are just the ones we can see. God knows what the state of the bridges actually carrying the motorway are in.
My own opinion (and it is just an opinion) is the concrete had too much water in it. This makes it easier to pour, but weakens the mix. But whatever the cause, sooner or later I think we’re going to see a collapse. Probably when 2 x 40+ tonnes pass each other. Then there will be lots of hand wringing, lessons being learned, labour denouncing savage Tory cuts, a feeding frenzy by the media and compensation lawyers etc. In short, the usual circus.
I wrote to the Highways Agency asking why they didn’t put higher railings on the M62 Scammonden bridge, given the number of incidents of potential and actual ‘jumpers’.
I got a reply which stated “It isn’t strong enough to bear the weight of higher fences”.
Most likely mean wind loading and not actual structural strength.
muckles:
Lonewolf Yorks:
What’s scary is the number of times I’ve driven across itThose elevated slip roads used to worry me more, especially when you looked at how thin the supports are.
There are numerous similar types of designs which seem to just cater for a downward compressive load on the posts and don’t worry about anything else.In seeming ignorance of the need for triangulation and tying it all together using cross bracing. 
Carryfast:
muckles:
Lonewolf Yorks:
What’s scary is the number of times I’ve driven across itThose elevated slip roads used to worry me more, especially when you looked at how thin the supports are.
There are numerous similar types of designs which seem to just cater for a downward compressive load on the posts and don’t worry about anything else.In seeming ignorance of the need for triangulation and tying it all together using cross bracing.
Them bridge designers, all those years studying and all they needed was to watch a You Tube video. 
muckles:
Them bridge designers, all those years studying and all they needed was to watch a You Tube video.
Possibly in this case just remember their basic education.
As for the equally simple questions and choices between reinforced v pre stressed concrete,steel v stainless steel re bar,stayed v suspension v cantilever,steel v concrete,bridge design don’t even go there.
Unsurprisingly the bridge has a Wiki entry of it`s own now.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Morandi
Any bridge, of whatever design, should have regular inspection and maintenance. The problems with this bridge were recognised by the designer early on, and he recommended an upgraded regime for this.
The inquiry is moving with all the speed associated with Italian bureaucracy…
I well remember driving the elevated sections of autopista south of Bologna when they were doing work on them: driving on one carriageway it was often a different level to the other carriageway, so the underside was in view. Crumbling concrete and exposed rusty steel re-bar was the norm. As a colleague pointed out, “What youre driving on hasnt been patched up yet”.
The old “Nah, it`ll never happen” took on a different sound in August 2018.
Anyone remember this one?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hintze_Ribeiro_disaster
And there are other dangers to bridges. Trees and other flotsam that get lodged against the piers can in strong currents push so hard against the structure that the bridge collapses. Normally the waters push against the piers, but if also pushing against the rubbish wedged there the “weight” of the water becomes too much.
Franglais:
Unsurprisingly the bridge has a Wiki entry of it`s own now.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Morandi
Any bridge, of whatever design, should have regular inspection and maintenance. The problems with this bridge were recognised by the designer early on, and he recommended an upgraded regime for this.
The inquiry is moving with all the speed associated with Italian bureaucracy…I well remember driving the elevated sections of autopista south of Bologna when they were doing work on them: driving on one carriageway it was often a different level to the other carriageway, so the underside was in view. Crumbling concrete and exposed rusty steel re-bar was the norm. As a colleague pointed out, “What you
re driving on hasnt been patched up yet”.
The old “Nah, it`ll never happen” took on a different sound in August 2018.Anyone remember this one?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hintze_Ribeiro_disasterAnd there are other dangers to bridges. Trees and other flotsam that get lodged against the piers can in strong currents push so hard against the structure that the bridge collapses. Normally the waters push against the piers, but if also pushing against the rubbish wedged there the “weight” of the water becomes too much.
A strict maintenance regime won’t compensate for the flaws in the stayed bridge design which applies a rocking tensile loading to the towers unlike suspension design.Nor the flaws in the pre stressed concrete design v reinforced.Nor the use of steel re bar when stainless steel is needed.
Let alone in this case the worst of all worlds situation of the choice of pre stressed concrete and stayed bridge design.When ideally it needed to be a suspension design using reinforced concrete and stainless steel re bar for its towers.If not steel cantilever like the NY Queensboro would probably also work fine there.
WhiteTruckMan:
Too many of them are crumbling,exposing the steel rebar which in many cases are rotting as well. Have a glance at the supports on your next motorway trip, and look for rust.
That’s the Stobart effect … due to the number of times they have been hit
Carryfast is a first class expert in bridge and viaduct design? Well fancy that. Bet NO ONE expected that… 
switchlogic:
Carryfast is a first class expert in bridge and viaduct design? Well fancy that. Bet NO ONE expected that…
Not exactly.I’ll leave that accolade to the designers of the Queensboro,Brooklyn or Verrazano bridges.What a surprise all are still standing unlike Morandi’s abortion. 
IE just being able to ‘see’ and ‘understand’ the ideas of the first class experts and why they chose to use the designs they did doesn’t make me a bleedin expert. 
I’ve driven over the Verrazano bridge - seriously impressive.
Look across towards Manhattan and see the Statue of Liberty - looks about the size of a chess piece.