I 4p bridge closed in memphis indefinitely

[travlin man and wife]

Cracked found support beams.I 55 bridge is open with a20 mile backup. Both direction's  are closed.

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm the type who HATES creeping along in traffic and would think, "F#*k this mess," and head north or south to some other crossing. A hundred mile detour would be more enjoyable.

Years ago I was westbound on I-40 just past Nashville when traffic came to a stop because two semis about 15 miles ahead decided they wanted to occupy the same space at the same time. One of them had been carrying gigantic rolls of paper and they were scattered all over the highway with the truck on its side across two lanes. It felt like weeks before we could get around that situation, though it was maybe an hour.

 

[travlin man and wife]

Mr noodles that  what il will take the next bridge is about 75 miles north a and south of Memphis.  The north bridge will cross over  in northwest tn.

 

[bullfrog]

Actually the north bridge worked better for us a few years ago when there was a problem on I 55.

 

[Scott3569]

It is a darn good thing someone saw the crack now, the infrastructure in this country has been needing some major repair for a long time.. Certainly some has been done. But these bridges need to be updated in a major way.

 

[crofter]

Oh goody more work for welders, hanging out in the breeze way up there. So how do they really know that the thing will not collaose while they are fixing it?
-crofter

 

[highdesertranger]

"So how do they really know that the thing will not collaose while they are fixing it?"

The first they will do is shore it up. Actually we don't even know what they are going to do at this point. Maybe they will build a whole new one.

Highdesertranger

 

[crofter]

A popular two lane bridge near me failed inspection so they closed one lane, a very scenic spot & people used the closed lane for parking. Put quite a bit of weight on that closed lane, but has not collapsed so far.
-crofter

 

[Scott3569]

WOW brave, no way in the world would I Stop on a bridge that failed inspection, I wouldn't even want to drive on it.. it could go 60 seconds from now, or a month from now.. 

I believe in taking chances but, I have a risk tolerance also

 

[eDJ_]

Here is an image of the crack.

[img=380x253]https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/news...944a4e2bdb65b22b59f440c86f.fit-760w.jpg[/img]

Main Support Beam.

I was listening to an agriculture news report (AgDay) just the other day when they were reporting on a
30% shortage of Truck Driers.  The solution Trucking companies were asking for was to move the weight the trucks could be loaded up another 8000 lbs to make up for the shortage and move the same tonnage. This was for the southern California area. (not Nation wide)

But we hear about how our infrastructure is crumbling all the time.  Well ?


I live down river from Point Pleasant, WV.  I remember so well when back in the late 60's the "Silver Bridge" caved into the Ohio River.  A crack like this wasn't caught in time.  And during the rush hour when the bridge was packed bumper to bumper....it let go.

[Img=425x275]https://www.thecivilengineer.org/media/k2/items/cache/55bd777287987cb3888bd81f33e8a7ad_XL.jpg[/Img]


The bridge in the background still standing is a Rail Road Bridge.  What you see above the water is all that remained of the "Silver Bridge".   Because of this disaster,  Bridge inspection in the USA today is much more frequent and thorough.  (so when they say, "our infrastructure is crumbling"  please don't dismiss it as "fake news")

 

[gsfish]

That's NOT a crack, it's a break!

Big C-Clamp and "TACK!!".

River traffic is closed as well as road. Big mess is looming.

Guy

 

[MrNoodly]

River traffic is closed as well as road. Big mess is looming.

 I suppose we're going to have a container ship stuck across the Mississippi next.

 

[MrNoodly]

 "Silver Bridge" caved into the Ohio River.  A crack like this wasn't caught in time.  And during the rush hour when the bridge was packed bumper to bumper....it let go.

 
Remember the 2007 collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis?

 

[bullfrog]

I don't think this one was found as soon as it should have been!

 

[eDJ_]

WSAZ  Huntington, WV's  TV Station has had the engineer spokesperson for the condition of the Bridges throughout the State on today in interviews.  He is speaking to the status of the Bridges and explaining the ongoing inspection of them to assure their safety.   The PBS stations in the state often air this half hour "Silver Bridge Disaster" story. (which serves to keep people ever vigilant)

Mr Noodly,  yes but not real well.  The Silver Bridge was all but in my own back yard.   What I remember was them talking about the I 35 bridge failing in a similar way.  It had a flaw where parts connected.  But in that case the connecting parts were of a different design.  Where they are both similar, these connection points carry a lot of load and stress.  The Silver Bridge was fine for years, just as the one in Portsmouth, Ohio. (and that bridge never failed)  But inspection of Bridges in those years was taken more for granted and neglected.  What happened in Point Pleasant, WV was a shock to the entire nation and brought an instant reform.

I remember in school years a common book report being given on a book titled "The Bridge at San Luis Rey" by Thornton Wilder.  So often the teacher would remark about how we take these big Bridges crossing the Ohio River for granted and then asking, "what if"?

This is the Youtube Video that explains the Bridge from it's beginning.  Portsmouth, Ohio had a bridge like it and it was  removed later and replaced. 

The Silver Bridge Disaster

 

[sreesekelley]

I say some gorilla glue, little duct tape and flex seal should be good to go ...

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

If ya got duct tape you don't need that other stuff.

 

[highdesertranger]

you only need two items in your tool box,

If it moves and it's not supposed to = duct tape
If it doesn't move and it's supposed to = WD-40

Of course bailing wire can be substituted for duct tape.

Highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

JB Weld works on crankshafts. Why not bridges? Remember, fixes like these are 90% prep work.