Roger Deschner

Now doomed, though there is a proposal to relocate it to Blackhawk Street. One more step on the city's plan to demolish all historic bascule bridges on the North Branch of the Chicago River.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-biz-bridge-goose-islan...

This isn't in the U.S., but it's major bridge news. A busy motorway bridge in Genoa, Italy collapsed today during a thunderstorm, killing "dozens". This story is still developing, so follow the media for details. An eyewitness report said that lightning hit one of the towers, and then it fell.

Story, including video of the bridge collapsing: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45183624

Follow this story as it develops. We may learn more about the reports of repairs being underway at the time (Echoes of I-35W), and the original design of the bridge.

I just added that log bridge, with photos. I also linked it to this bridge as being "Downstream".

I just visited here. Not quite sure how to catagorize this structure. It appears to be part dam and part low-water crossing. The water level in the Mississippi River downstream of this structure is definitely lower than the water level of Lake Itasca, so it is certainly holding the water of Lake Itasca back. You can see that in the photos I just added. We can laugh as intrepid tourists hop barefoot from stone to stone, but this structure is actually fairly significant for controlling the water level of the lake and its flow into the river and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.

You've got to love the "street view" which is from the river. Apparently Google put its street view camera in a canoe, and went quite a distance downstream.

There is indeed a troll under this bridge, one of the more famous bridge trolls anywhere. This troll is a notable Seattle landmark. You can see it in one of the street views.

104 year old bridge is listed for sale - but only for a couple of weeks. This looks like another City of Chicago gambit to circumvent Section 106 as fast as possible, just like with the nearby Division Street Bridge, right now! Demolition of this historic structure is likely very soon.

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/06/18/chicago-aven8e-bridg...

Why couldn't the City just maintain it, instead?

Construction has started to rebuild this bridge. According to a City of Chicago press release, "The replacement structure will maintain the existing bridge’s historic architectural style while providing modern lighting and drainage and meet modern ADA standards." We'll see. https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room...

The bridge will remain open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic during construction by doing it one half at a time.

So, now that this incident is down to lawsuits and NTSB investigations, what next? There is clearly a need for a bridge at this location. FIU students are being killed crossing busy US 41.

I assume they will not simply try again to build this failed design. That would be a travesty, and a dishonor to the 6 who lost their lives here.

I do like Nathan Holth's idea of moving and rehabilitating the remains of the historic Drew Bridge. It might actually fit into this space with its big center pier, which could be located between the road and the canal. Or there may be another historic bridge available for reuse, such as Indiana's 9-span Bridge. Such an historic bridge could be an interesting classroom for FIU engineering students.

Or simply build a more conventional steel through truss bridge. The requirements of the site dictate a through truss, those being clearance requirements above the road, along with a desire to minimize how many stairs pedestrians would have to climb. This part of the original design was correct - it was to have been a through truss to meet these basic requirements. However, successful concrete truss bridges are rare, perhaps for a reason.

If no available historic bridge can be found, build a new steel through truss, but build it deliberately to be a classroom, with ready connectors and power outlets for stress monitors and other instrumentation, so the engineering students could learn how to use these tools on a real bridge. Make the deck to be inside the truss webs, so that the bottom chord is easily visible. (Example: rehabbed Chatham Street Bridge in Blue Island IL.) If they would like to make it a bit fancier than a simple Warren truss, it could be a Baltimore, Pennsylvania, or Lattice truss with their interesting geometry. Those are designs intended to carry heavy trains, which could minimize sway from people walking across. A conventional steel truss bridge would be easy and safe to build using "accelerated bridge construction" techniques. Such a replacement bridge could be both a memorial to the 6 fatalities, and a classroom for the future bridge builders at FIU.

A bridge is clearly needed here. The lawsuits and NTSB investigations are "water under the bridge". It's time to start thinking about the new bridge.

Nice review in today's New York Times of a graphic novel/comic book entitled “The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York.” which is about to be published. I look forward to buying a copy.

Here's the book review in NYT: "Building the Brooklyn Bridge, in Graphic Detail" https://nyti.ms/2H1pCLp

This historic bridge, a Miami-Dade landmark, could become redundant after the completion of the FIU-Sweetwater University City Bridge, on the other side of 109th Avenue from this bridge. However the collapse of that new bridge during construction will prolong the need for this bridge, likely for quite a while.

I am at a bit of a loss to categorize this bridge type from the artist's rendering of the completed bridge. (Regardless of its collapse.) I think it may be primarily a truss bridge, with the cable stays there only for reinforcement in case of a Category 5 hurricane, which it had been designed to withstand. If so, what kind of truss is it? I guessed "Warren with all verticals" but I could be wrong on that. It's kind of half of a Pratt. Each panel is different.

Nice letter to the editor in today's Chicago Tribune from a local resident who's sorry to see it go. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-libert...

Photos of the bridge in the print edition of the paper.

Possibly doomed, as being a chokepoint on a badly overburdened stretch of I-80. The website below outlines preliminary plans to widen the road, which almost certainly will involve replacing this bridge. Also, it has suffered a bit from 50 years of pounding by an endless stream of big trucks.

http://i-80will.com/overview.html

Department of the Interior announces contract to repair bridge. This will replace the Strauss bascule span with a similar-looking fixed steel span. It hasn't been opened for a boat since 1961.

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/under-budget-ahead-schedul...

I asked a docent at the Archway Monument about the history of the bridge, like perhaps where it was originally. The answer was surprisingly vague. "It was found in a scrap yard in one of those 'I' states back east, I don't know if it was Indiana or Iowa. [Could also be Illinois or Idaho...] Perhaps Iowa - don't they have a lot of bridges in Madison County? It was brought here in 2005."

I'm glad they saved it from scrapping, but this is unsatisfying. We know this nice old bridge was built somewhere by Canton Bridge Company in 1914, but we don't know where. Considering it was found in a scrap yard in some 'I' state, we may never know where. At least it is now preserved. I really wish they'd stop incorrectly calling it a suspension bridge.