more problems with canadian bridges

huangyhg

more problems with canadian bridges
falling gardiner chunk misses car

january 28, 2007
tamara cherry
staff reporter
a piece of the gardiner expressway about the size of a basketball broke off last night, narrowly missing a car stopped on york st. below.
no one was injured when the concrete fell from beneath the overpass, shattering on the median where the westbound gardiner meets northbound york st. around 11:40 p.m., acting staff sgt. craig lewers said.
from the toronto star
meanwhile, the city of fort worth, texas, is planning three new bridges...and the architect is from canada.
doesn't matter where the architect is from as they produce creative sketches and flamboyant ideas.  engineers are responsible for making structures stand up.  and apparently that is not the case in canada at least in these localized incidents.
regards,
qshake
eng-tips forums:real solutions for real problems really quick.
qshake... not necessarily bad engineering... maintenance is required in particular where large amounts of de-icing chemicals are used and infrastructure maintenance has been 'put on a back burner' for too long.  we have the same opinion about architects, though...
dik
duly noted, dik.  maintenance is a very critical item and is often ignored in favor of the out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality.
though for most clients or bridge owners an engineer is usually responsible for the overall program but not the actual work.
regards,
qshake
eng-tips forums:real solutions for real problems really quick.
i've not done a bridge, have done a couple of small repairs to them.  with parkades, i have a standard maintenance manual that i give to the owner.  i also have a pre-design package stipulating loads, exits, layout, etc. for a sign-off...
dik
quote (jstephen):
meanwhile, the city of fort worth, texas, is planning three new bridges...and the architect is from canada.
do you have any details on those projects?
hg
jstephen:  the architect might be from canada; the structural engineer, too, might be from canada, but it is most likely that the contractor will be from the states (texas, perhaps) as well as the concrete and steel.  so, unless there are negligence issues, it is the workmanship and proper construction that would be the cause of concern for me!
hopefully, you all recognize that my comment on the bridges is in jest.
and, yes, they really are working on some new bridges, in the planning stages now.  see this site for some conceptual views:
is the water shown reflecting the conceptual bridges usually so nice and blue? i've only been in & out of dfw, but recollect water looking less-than-thirst-quenching.
i think that's artistic license.
the architect for this project also has some info on his website, but it's fairly vague.