Wow. Check out the Google satellite view. There are trees growing on the rooftops. It looks like any of those structures could come down on their own at any time.

Brad Waybright

It's all okay as long as it's okay.

That car show on Amazon did a bit in/around Detroit (including the Packard plant) on the first episode of this season. Funny...but also depressing to see the plight of what was once a rich and vibrant city.

Not a disaster only because of the good luck that no one was passing under when it fell.

Half privately owned. Half owned by the city.

Not a "road" so probably not inspected as a bridge by anybody.

Black hole of neglect.

Have there been "Freeze-thaw" cycles in Detroit in recent days?

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

Well, Detroit's weather isn't much different from that in Toronto, and that means it would have been bitterly cold over this past weekend and into Monday, followed by a warm-up to above freezing together with a fair bit of rain and/or wet snow on Wednesday, the day of the collapse.

Wet snow is heavy. I had to shovel a bunch of it on Wednesday morning.

The last time I drove through the Detroit area I was surprised at all the decaying/collapsing buildings that were not boarded-up or fenced in any way. And they were next to sidewalks on busy streets.

That thing soooOO splattered when it hit. It turned into confetti.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

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Looks like it just got tired of being neglected.

May it rust in peace.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

Quote (Waross)

Have there been "Freeze-thaw" cycles in Detroit in recent days?

Yes.

No offense to whomever posted about Toronto, but that's almost 250 miles away. The weather is often quite different.

The mid-Michigan winter has been very mild this year until the last 3 weeks or so, when we've had a few alternating cycles of bitter cold/freezing rain followed by 2 or 3 days of temps in the high 30s/low 40s with clear skies and winter sun.

jgKRI - Is "weather" meaning the same conditions at the same time or similar weather patterns occur? What you describe has been about the same for winter here even at 100's of miles of distance away. Looking at Detroit's weather for the past week it's even followed a similar pattern to this area.

Too bad, that limestone Packard medallion keystone would be a cool piece to have.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

I'm guessing that two rats were running across the bridge and at some point their foot steps got into sync and that was it.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

Well I'll be....Rat Resonance is really a thing:

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The interesting bit to me was that the structure was deemed unsound to support pedestrian traffic a number of years ago yet was allowed to remain over a major street. OTOH the bridge was supposed to have been restored during the initial part of the plant reno, yet wasn't. Locally we seem to have a bit of a problem in recent years with developers buying historic buildings with promises of restoration, then neglecting them until the city has no choice but to condemn, allow a teardown, and new development.

Quote (EdStainless)

Too bad, that limestone Packard medallion keystone would be a cool piece to have.

It was probably stolen 40 years ago.

Brad Waybright

It's all okay as long as it's okay.

CWB1
That seems to be a particular problem a lot of places are facing. Developers want ideal land, historic building in need off minor repairs sits on ideal land. developer promises restoration, but lets it be neglected or it 'mysteriously' burns down in the middle of the night. In Brisbane, Australia it has happened numerous times where a historic building has been the target of 'Arsonists' in reality it's probably some developers dodgy mate and the council doesn't do anything. There's no repercussion for allowing heritage listed building to be neglected and eventually destroyed by a 'mysterious' fire.

Looking at the Google satellite views, the roof has already collapsed on the buildings in a number of areas. I'd say the buildings are long past needing minor repairs. The current developer bought part of the property in 2013 so he wasn't solely responsible for allowing it to deteriorate so badly.

There were picture on the OP link from both sides showing the bridge with the Packard keystones missing, so yes they were already gone.