Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
(OP)
The bridge was in service for 40 years, and the news reported that it had been inspected about a year ago.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20079534/?GT1=10252
My questions are:
I assume an inspector would have to be a PE and would have to have stamped the inspection. What is his/her exposure a year later? Is he/she going to jail? I don't know much about how the civil structural world works in this regard.
Second, are there possible defects in such a structure that could have been unobservable/unmeasureable/uninspectable such that an inspector would be not have any liability in such a failure?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20079534/?GT1=10252
My questions are:
I assume an inspector would have to be a PE and would have to have stamped the inspection. What is his/her exposure a year later? Is he/she going to jail? I don't know much about how the civil structural world works in this regard.
Second, are there possible defects in such a structure that could have been unobservable/unmeasureable/uninspectable such that an inspector would be not have any liability in such a failure?
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970
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RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Yes, things can be missed during an inspection or unseen with the customary tools. I would imagine that evry person doing the inspections is not a 30 year PE with 1000000 perfect inspections under their belt.
Finally, politics will enter this tragic incident and run it, hech it was probabilly Bush's fault anyway.
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
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Aercoustics.com
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
As to liability here, I expect it will amount to "who has the money".
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Basically "it sucks to be them" because regardless of whether they had anything to do with it, they're hooped.
-SLH
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
My bet, removing the roadbed weakened it, but why not close the bridge while work was being done. Don't say that the bridge was essential and could not be closed. It's closed now isn't it!!
What I do wonder with you PE's in the good old US ofA, who takes care of bridges that cross state lines, and thus fall under no State licensure body??
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Not so. The engineer is always liable for their own actions regarding their designs and ethical behavior. The state is simply licensing engineers to verify that they have met the set minimum requirements to help the public know who has proper qualifications.
The two state DOT's coordinate the inspections of those bridges - it is done. Simply shared responsibilities.
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Yeah, that and a minor detail that said PE was given a particular traffic loading to design to, and there's about double the anticipated traffic on that bridge now. It was designed as a four-lane bridge, not eight.
And the other minor detail that said PE is probably dead by now.
Hg
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RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
As to the inspection, see JStephen's post above.
RE: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
For a bridge crossing between two states the engineer would have to be licensed by the state that owns the bridge. In some cases interstate bridges are owned by a bi-state agency, in which case the engineer would have to be licensed in one of the two states unless the agency's policy is to follow the design standards of one particular state. Been there, done that.
"why not close the bridge while work was being done"
Have you ever worked on a transportation project in an urban area? The most important thing from the political standpoint: Keep the public happy. I've been there too.