Quote:
Originally Posted by yesman065
Amid the collapsed concrete, eyes were immediately drawn to one thing: a yellow school bus.
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Demonstrated is a difference between what yesman065 saw and what I saw. That yellow school bus: time to worry about it was long ago when this failure was predictable. Whereas contents of that bus were immediate concern to those on the bridge, instead, the rest of us should be worrying about all school busses.
A bridge fails in America every week. That human created failure typically traceable to top managment - politicians who are responsible for bridge maintenance. NYC's Williamsburg bridge was discovered on the verge of collapse into the East River. Why? During Mayor Lindsay's term back in the 1960s, to make budgets balance, then all future maintenance of that bridge was terminated for something like 25 years. Bean counters want glory - new bridges. They cannot be bothered to maintain what already exists. After all, they are only doing what we want. And many of us care so little as to only read Daily News and not even watch the local gossip TV news.
Many are more worried that news is depressing rather than learn the news to protect that and future yellow school busses.
So are important questions about this bridge. First, as I understand it, an identical bridge sits adjacent. Is it also failing? When was an emergency inspection conducted - and by whom?
Second, this bridge was jammed with bumper to bumper traffic - mostly cars. That means a static load - not a 'heavier' dynamic load - composed of even lighter vehicles. Therefore stresses were not greatest when it collapsed. Furthermore, surface construction was ongoing implying that one lane was closed. Another 20+% reduction in weight.
Rather strange that a collapse would occur under lighter loads. Is the adjacent bridge also under threat of collapse?
Third, Federal inspectors reported serious structural problems in 2005. But MN state inspectors later said that bridge was OK. This discrepancy will be interesting when resolved. For example, PA replaced highway engineers with bean counters - the Chief Engineer now called Chief Manager. Honest facts is what the NHTSB does. They only investigate - no attachment to political special interests. This bridge must be investigated as a crime scene. A responsible reaction is the same that saw Challenger as murder; not an accident. Death due to cost controls - the stifling of product people - should be regarded as murder; not an accident.
Again, these are random thoughts based only in tidbits. For example, if one lane was closed, then was an unbalanced load applied to one side of that bridge causing unusual stresses - a fourth question? Question I don't hear being asked and only based in trivial information heard.
Critical information about that and all other yellow school busses will arrive many days, weeks, or months later. Questions that should cause ears to peek up when answers are being stated in paragraphs lost deep in news reports. Answers that many reporters may completely ignore because they more want to worry about that one yellow school bus and injured people rather than something far more important - *why*.
Week or months later, will we still be interested or will we be more interested in the latest fire or pictures of crashed cars? Do we entertain our emotions or demand resulting facts - the whys?