Mackenzie Click-Mickelson
Chugging along the path of life
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2015
- Messages
- 28,911
You're barking up the wrong tree. I'm talking about understanding why the general public feels the way they do and a bridge built in the 1970s can seem old to them.It’s not old.
And every bridge in the US over 20 feet long is federally mandated to be inspected every 2 years. There’s an entire industry of engineers whose job it is to do those inspections. (Mine included.)
A direct hit by a cargo ship of that size is a huge design load. Yes accidents can happen, but you have to analyze risk. Can you mitigate risk by locating piers far enough out of the channel to make collisions a statistical anomaly? Can you add a fender system? (In this case with this size ship, I’m not sure it would have helped.)
Don't take this as a personal thing which you are doing. I made it clear that experts have made it clear this collapse was not related to what the structure was. But that's all conversation to help others.
My husband is a mechanical engineer I'm well aware of safety standards (though more experience in knowledge on power plants for me less on his newer job as an airline fueling arena). But for those who are not engineers it's a different frame of mind.
ETA: According to info I can find MA has 7,880 bridges, my state lists 24,907.