Topic: Genoa motorway bridge collapses in Italy sadly saying many dead.

[Alan_X]

I was on a bridge inspection team in Virginia for a while. I would imagine the UK is somewhat similar. Every bridge on a small state road over 20' long had to be inspected every two years. Every bridge on a the busier roads and motorway type bridges is every 12 months. I used to go on this gantry thing that would be put out over the side of the bridge then would come up under the bridge so you could inspect the girders etc.

Apparently the bridge in Italy had bad inspection reports every year and nothing serious was ever done, just ineffectual repairs.

My worst experience was a long span steel girder bridge for an I77 over the New River in Virginia. It was a long high span, about 250m or so. It was made of steel. When you were in the gantry you could see the steel bend (which was normal) when several heavy trucks came over at once. What was not normal was these things can diaphragms, or steel X bracing designed to stabilize the main beams, started clattering like fuck when the heavy stuff came over. The long beams also had started to develop longitudinal cracks in them. They tried to remedy the cracks by drilling a circle at the end of the crack hoping it would stop the crack. It didnt and the cracks kept going. Seeing a crack open then close in a massive 6' tall steel beam is a real freaking eye opener.

Thankfully got out of the business but googled it years later and thankfully the bridge was replaced.

You know about 'Galloping Gertie' I assume:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/j-zczJXSxnw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/j-zczJXSxnw</a>

The Tacoma Bridge collapse wasn't because of bad inspection. It was an early suspension bridge built before they fully appreciated the effect of wind on the bridge's natural frequency. The collapse led to improvements in bridge aerodynamics. Sadly it seems likely that Genoa was a result of poor initial design compounded by negligence and cutbacks on inspection and repair.

A classic example of 'it's ok today so it will probably be ok tomorrow' thinking.

[AndyInVA]

You know about 'Galloping Gertie' I assume:

very much so. I'm sure its covered in every structural engineering degree course as it was mine.

[rob1966]

Morandi bridge disaster: Genoa fans watch home match in silence in tribute

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45319505

Genoa fans watched the first 43 minutes of their home match with Empoli in silence as a tribute to the 43 people killed when a motorway bridge collapsed in the Italian city earlier in August.

It was the club's first game since a 200-metre section of the Morandi bridge suddenly fell on 14 August.

Fans had asked for "a deafening silence of 43 minutes, one for each child, worker, student, father or mother who are no longer with us today".

Genoa won Sunday's Serie A match 2-1.

There were occasional muted cheers when Genoa attacked, but even when they scored twice in the first 20 minutes there was almost no celebration in the stands.

In the 43rd minute, applause broke out as the names of the victims were displayed on a screen, and the crowd then cheered as usual for the rest of the game.

Genoa and city rivals Sampdoria had both postponed their first matches of the season on 19 August following the disaster.

Banners carrying messages of solidarity were held by supporters around Italy's top flight over the weekend, including at Udinese, where Sampdoria began their league campaign with a 1-0 defeat on Sunday.