Pretty interesting video about the damage sustained by the Mathews Bridge, how close it came to collapsing, and the effort required to get it repaired.


http://vimeo.com/97370834

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

I've always hated that bridge, when we lived in the appartments right there on summer oaks I had to take that bridge all the time.

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Wasn't expecting it to be interesting, but it was.  Though I could have fixed it with 200 rolls of duct tape and some super glue. 

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This kind of stuff fascinates me.  A lot of people don't realize what goes into not only engineering something like this, but also how much physical work goes into it.  It's another thing that is commonly taken for granted.

 

Just imagine... this bridge was designed and built long before the majority of posters on this message board were even just a gleam in their daddy's eye.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Wasn't expecting it to be interesting, but it was.  Though I could have fixed it with 200 rolls of duct tape and some super glue. 

No JB Weld?

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Sure would be interesting to know the engineering details of how they did it.

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Pretty interesting video about the damage sustained by the Mathews Bridge, how close it came to collapsing, and the effort required to get it repaired.

Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...


What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...


The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...


Enough Said...


NH3...

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"AZANE"

Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...


What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...


The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...


Enough Said...


NH3...

 

Well, um...uh...errr....ummm...

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Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...


What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...


The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...


Enough Said...


NH3...

 

Well I'm glad that you gave your superior engineering thoughts about this.

 

Perhaps you can enlighten us a bit as to how it was not "collapasable".

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...

What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...

The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...

Enough Said...

NH3...

Okay.


I'm assuming English is a second language here.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...

What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...

The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...

Enough Said...

NH3...

Actually. . Way way too much said in this lil post.

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Okay.

I'm assuming English is a second language here.

By design that was...


NH3...

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"AZANE"

Well I'm glad that you gave your superior engineering thoughts about this.


Perhaps you can enlighten us a bit as to how it was not "collapasable".

You Glad, Me Glad...


NH3...

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"AZANE"

Talk about unsung heroes......


We all take so much for granted in our way of life.


If everyone took as much pride in their jobs as these folks, amazing things could be done

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No JB Weld?

 

 

That would be overkill, though I'm sure it could be fit into budget, probably need a couple of pieces of cardboard also, and a can of spray paint.  

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Honestly...I Not Believe that the bridge was in danger of collapsing. Vehicles crossed this bridge surpassed the impact... Yes there was an Awesome team that reconstructed the damage within 28+ days...


What I do believe is that the bridge was severely damaged. Collapasable Not...


The reasonings for the Collective Reconstructioning was to maximize the revenue of the Fla./Ga. game...


Enough Said...


NH3...

 

Internet wizards abound.  Make no mistake, any major structural damage to a cantilever bridge lends itself to impending collapse.  Simple fact, my friend.  But feel free to operate in your own reality.      

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I do think the bridge could have easily collapsed had the damage occurred a little different.  I trust the engineers on this one.

 

Can you imagine going over the side of that bridge on a rope 150' above the water?  Or how about being one of the drivers on the bridge when it was struck and feeling the bridge swaying from the impact not knowing if it was about to collapse?

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Having traveled over the bridge thousands of times, I can't imagine what it would have been like to be on it when the impact occurred.  The kind of impact that would have been required to shear that support member the way it did must have really shaken the bridge. 

 

The one engineer who was talking about how the difference between staying upright and collapse was a matter of a couple of feet is pretty scary.  Never would have expected the Mathews Bridge to be even remotely vulnerable to something like that.

 

Considering the twisting that occurred as a result of the damage, it's a pretty amazing little bit of engineering that had to be done to get everything back into alignment, and then repair the damage. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Very interesting video, even though I rarely travel the Matthews Bridge I give them the utmost respect and thanks for repairing the bridge quickly and safely. Im curious about a few things.

 

I heard one of the engineers state if the damage occurred a few feet the other way, it would have led to a collapse. My question is even though we are in Florida and are not prone to earthquakes, was the MB retrofitted for seismic activity (or other words resistant to force)? 

 

What kind of fine this the vessel get hit with for damaging the bridge?

 

And are the shipping lanes/times strictly enforced with regards to high and low tides?

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Whether someone has a liberal, or conservative viewpoint, a authoritative figure should not lock a thread for the sole purpose to get the last word in all the while prohibiting someone else from being able to respond.

Having traveled over the bridge thousands of times, I can't imagine what it would have been like to be on it when the impact occurred.  The kind of impact that would have been required to shear that support member the way it did must have really shaken the bridge. 

 

The one engineer who was talking about how the difference between staying upright and collapse was a matter of a couple of feet is pretty scary.  Never would have expected the Mathews Bridge to be even remotely vulnerable to something like that.

 

Considering the twisting that occurred as a result of the damage, it's a pretty amazing little bit of engineering that had to be done to get everything back into alignment, and then repair the damage. 

 

A person in the video mentioned the Skyway Bridge, and I remember that one, as I lived in the area.  The old Skyway was the same type of bridge, and it folded like a cheap lawn chair when it was hit.  Until the new bridge was opened in '87, traffic had been routed bi-directionally  over the remaining span. I remember riding over that bridge looking at the collapsed span.  You'd see bridge, then nothing.  It was creepy. 

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