Bridge in US city of Baltimore collapses after ship hits it, sending vehicles into water
Bridge in US city of Baltimore collapses after ship hits it, sending vehicles into water
A portion of a major bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a large boat collided with it, sending multiple vehicles into the water.
Ok, so here's my newest phobia. Happily driving along a bridge I've crossed over a thousand times before, only tonight I'm suddenly in the dark waters below!
It's not supposed to do that, I think.
Yeah, that’s not very typical, I’d like to make that point.
It unfortunately happens more often than one might hope. Off the top of my head the in the last half century the US has seen the Sunshine Skyway, one interstate freeway, and one passenger railway bridge over the Mississippi river collapse after a collision with ship or barge. Over in your neck of the woods I know the Tazman bridge in Hobart, Tasmania also collapsed after a freighter collided with it.
It will be interesting to see if the bridge had gotten modern dolphins to protect it, and if so why they failed here. In maps it shows up as just having some very small ones, so they may just been insufficient for size of ship.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (clip is the end 8f of the episode with a nice sketch ending, 2-3min) warned us almost 10 years ago about pretty much this exact thing.
"Last Week Tonight said it" is gonna be the new "the Simpsons did it"
Proper maintenance and inspections of our infrastructure is cool and all, but I dont think that's gonna protect bridges from getting knocked over by big boats
I mean, perhaps it wouldn't have been completely destroyed.