Cline Avenue Bridge

And another, built at exactly the same time, using the same design, is closed for the same reasons! The Plymouth Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, MN, has been closed for the last year. The city says it will repair the bridge, but it could cost anywhere between $7-10 million. Ouch!!

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/20110106PlymouthPedestrianBridge.asp

Hey Ed, here is another one to use as an example. In Kokomo they are building a new "Bypass" of Kokomo for US 31. Keep in mind the current 31 is a bypass of one of the original routes through downtown Kokomo. The new road is being built piecemeal and set to be completed in it's entirety in 2013. One problem has crept up however. Seems the recently opened UCEB bridge for County Road 50 North aka Carter Street/Waterworks Road was not built sturdy enough to endure heavy loads over a prolonged period according to state inspectors and will have to be rebuilt. The designer's insurance is expected to pay for the one million dollar cost of replacing the bridge according to a report in today's Kokomo Tribune. http://kokomotribune.com/local/x1019710637/U-S-31-Kokomo-Corridor-on-target-for-2013-opening

This bridge has been open for only about one year! James

Isn't it the way with any product that first you learn to do the job well, than you race to see just how many corners you can cut and still have the utility you need?

You can build a good concrete bridge, but UCEB's are the product of a generation of corner cutting. The aggravating part is that they are all sold with the idea that they will last for a century with no maintenance! And that 'lack' of maintenance is used to justify demolition of many lovely old bridges.

Here it is--another modern bridge, not even thirty years old and sentenced to the dumpster--they just can't build 'em with King Bridge or Wrought Iron Bridge Company quality anymore, can they?

I felt it necessary to preserve the story of Cline Ave. I took a trip up there in September of 2010 to take a few photos. I hope these images will help the curiousities of the next generation see where we came from. As the last photo shows, there are consequences for even those with good intentions, but in the end they returned my camera.