Stillwater Lift Bridge video – WOW!

See >>> THIS <<< thread on the St Croix River Forum.

-J.

Yup I think I would rather swim!!!

Quote:

---

See >>> THIS <<< thread on the St Croix River Forum.

-J.

---

whoops….my bad on the dupe post….

I think I’ll take the long way around

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

See >>> THIS <<< thread on the St Croix River Forum.

-J.

---

whoops….my bad on the dupe post….

---

The youtube link is a great addition to the topic!

-J.

foxnine news did a story last yearhttp://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/investigators:-vital-connection not sure if the state is still selling these permits but they are risking peoples lives every day this bridge stays open.

I quit driving over that bridge years ago. 1 drive under it in your boat and you”ll know why!
No bets on IF, only on WHEN

http://www.walleyeadventures.com

We all ask where the funds are going to come from. Heres a couple ideas because we have the same problem here in Iowa.

Here in Cedar Rapids they put up for a vote a local sales tax option. A 1 cent local tax raise and its now at 7 cents per dollar. I at the time thought it would be a good idea. After a couple years they massed millions of dollars and work began. Everywhere you look in the city here thier building new bridges-five or six just in the last 2 years, road maintainence all over plus other projects. Beings these old bridges are being torn down and rebuilt and repaired here and the roads aren’t pounding at the suspension of vehicles to dangerous levels whats so wrong with a local sales tax of one cent more per dollar. Its a cent more but its only a cent more to be safe and besides sometime soon theres got to be something done, the money has got to come from somewhere besides the federal government.

Why couldn’t they fund the project through bond sales and pay it back with a 1 dollar toll every time you go over it, 20,000 cars a day, 140,000 a week, 560,000 a month and each of those trips is a dollar, I can afford $40 a month to cross over and back. These things have to be funded or people are going to die because more then likely they won’t shut them down because of finger pointing of they didn’t want this or you didn’t want that. I see what a local sales tax option is doing here and too me its only 1 cent for peoples safety plus hundreds of people are working because of it, any other ideas?

The money is there. Been there since 2002. The bridge is being blocked by the Siera Club International using rules set up by the National Parks Administration. Its a screwed up deal that is going to get some people killed – sooner rather than later.

-J.

WOW, could go on and on with this.
First off, who the hell is this guy that thinks he’s a bridge inspector?
Secondly, if MnDOT Bridge Inspectors think the bridge will fail, they will close it, PERIOD.
They will not let another 35W bridge incident happen again.
Here’s some responces from MnDOT on the show.
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/liftbridge/

Quote:

---

First off, who the hell is this guy that thinks he’s a bridge inspector?

---

He seemed to know what he was talking about to me

I sure like the looks of this, lets get ‘er done ………

The MnDot rating on the 35W bridge was a 55. The MnDot rating on the Stillwater birdge is a 35. Nuff said….

The entire response will come back to bite MnDot. Its all CYA crap and I don’t personally buy any of it.

-J.

I kind of get a kick out of this…..

Quote:

---

The bridge received a failing grade from the Department of Transportation. We do not give “grades” to our bridges; we conduct condition assessments per the National Bridge Inspection standards. The lift bridge currently is classified as structurally deficient, but that is due to the deficiencies with waterway adequacy, not structural condition. The condition of the deck is currently rated 8 (good), superstructure is 6 (satisfactory) and substructure is 5 (fair).

---

Would this not be some kind of grading? Rated, grading, whatever, isn’t it the same?
Don’t get me wrong, I know nothing about bridges except I like it when they keep my butt out of the water. And pulling concrete apart with my hands or foot just wouldn’t seem right either

They need to do a study of an assessment relative to the assessment of the study, then the appropriate grades of the study could be added to the assessment. WOW I could work for MNDOT

Bret, this one is even better….

Quote:

---

The host pointed out Styrofoam that was left in following construction and Said it collects water and will cause corrosion.
Styrofoam does not collect water. The host did not identify any corrosion caused because of the Styrofoam.

---

Hold any styrofoam under water for a few days and I guarantee it will collect water!

-J.

Pure speculation from a guy who deals with construction and structural integrity.

Most buildings/bridges are built with a capacity signifcantly greater than any loads they are ever expected to be under. For that reason, some concrete degredation, metal fatigue and material failure can be expected.

I am not a structural engineer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Last night

After reading on…

Quote:

---

The host noted a pier with concrete that is coming apart, or spalling. He chips it away with a hammer, his hand and his boot. The outer concrete around the column is an additional “cover” that protects the reinforcing steel. It is intended to gradually erode, given the climate in Minnesota. Concrete deterioration (above and below the waterline) on several piers has been documented by Mn/DOT Bridge Inspectors and is being monitored. Concrete deterioration generally does not extend deeper than the reinforcing steel.

---

Quote:

---

Most buildings/bridges are built with a capacity signifcantly greater than any loads they are ever expected to be under.

---

Wonder how much a semi truck weighed in 1920?

-J.

Quote:

---

…but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Last night

---

Wife kicked you out again?

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

…but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Last night

---

Wife kicked you out again?

---

Still, not again

that bridge scares me, not as much as the now replaced over/under bridge at Yankton, that one gave me the willies.

Quote:

---

that bridge scares me, not as much as the now replaced over/under bridge at Yankton, that one gave me the willies.

---

Love that bridge

I’m no engineer, but I have fished under and around the pilings and when (not if) it collapses into the Croix we will have new structure to fish in the Stillwater area. And I hope no one is on it when it happens. But seriously one only has to view the underside by boat once and you will stop using it regardless of what any “expert” says. It scares the he11 out of me.

Your right Jon, as a kid I used to walk a local creek and more then once I picked up styrofoam that was wet and dripping, infact you could litterly wring the water out of it because I did it. The styrofoam is able to dry under the dridge but so was the stuff I found laying on the ground. The engineers are probably right about some of the structure and its integrity is sound, I hope so. This question comes to mind and it happens all the time in steel, what about hidden stress cracks. I’m only talking about this because I know it happens and things do fatigue and fall because of hidden stress cracks that someone overlooked. I know a whole bunch of bridges here in Iowa are ready too fall, these are not major bridges but smaller rural bridges but still it only goes to show that thier age has come. I’m not crying wolf but can they guarantee me that theres no dangerous stress cracks, no chunks of concrete decking that are also stress cracked and are going to fall out and shift loads enough so maybe these unseen stress cracks are pushed too thier limits and some major frameing breaks.

I know concrete rebar does deteriorate under the concrete especially when salts involved, theres very strick codes on how thier coated and shaped, when they are bent, too keep the salt deterioration to a minimum all the way from highways to culvert rebar. I know they know thier bridges a whole lot better then me and maybe this bridge is totally safe but I have to ask have they been wrong befor on thier assements. I do believe them about the concrete because I’m sure they were designed for ice damage and many years of it. But I do know a little about steel because I used to be a welder. Steel does hold certain loads that it was designed for but for what year and stress cracks of the unseen nature do happen and often enough, thats why they magna flux steel to show cracks hidden to the naked eye. I don’t know much about the Sierra Club and what they do and heard of them but peoples safety does come first. The bridge is probably ok, I just hope it is with some of the major rusting at its tangent points.