Historic Indiana Bridge Comes Down

[BobPalma]

For all us destructive types, here's a recent, 90-second Indiana Dept of Transportation video of a bridge coming down in NW Indiana. That is a caustic location for structures such as this, so it's testimony to its original design that it lasted almost 80 years in that environment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTWi5Eleag

This is located fairly close to where my son-in-law grew up in Hammond; his Dad (our grandson's other grandfather) sent it to me as he is in the construction business and follows such things in "The Region," as NW Indiana is known. BP

[SN-60]

The guy with the torch has BIG you know whats!!!!!!

[62champ]

In Texas, we always like to do things a little more, "memorable"...

[BobPalma]

The guy with the torch has BIG you know whats!!!!!!

You can say that again; that would certainly be my opinion! BP

[8E45E]

A 43 mile an hour wind took the bridge I posted a video of here: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ghlight=gertie

Every freshman structual engineer since that time then and now gets to see this video and write a report as to why it fell!!

Craig

[EDIT]Uh-oh..the link to the video in the previous post has gone AWOL. Here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xox9BVSu7Ok

Craig

[Chris_Dresbach]

That kind of structure is a firefighters nightmare. The trusses used there are called "bowstring" trusses because of their D shape that looks like a bow. That style of truss used to be frequently used in buildings, especially garages and car dealerships for visual appeal but they are dangerous because when they become weak all the downward force pushes the weight bearing walls outward, which encourages a wall collapse. I think they are outlawed today. Still a neat looking structure. I wonder what they plan to do with the saved section? Just don't drive your 35 ton earth mover across it...