[Maru]

Originally Posted by Ninastar

Do yall know how many times I have been on this bridge?? Hundreds of times. It has ALWAYS terrified me

I hate bridges so much and this is just terrifying

I grew up practically staring at Houston's Ship Channel bridge, so I understand. Of course I crossed it many times probably, and used to listen to the workers and ships sailing by. My house was built higher up, so I could literally watch the boats... and every once in a while a ginormous moon coming out of the horizon. It had its pros. We were very close, maybe a few (several) blocks from the Channel...

Anyway, they had a crash in 2000 and they're still trying to rebuild it and then "fix" the rebuild...

If you love crossing bridges, you'll love this about it:

Controversy
The bridge clearance is 135 feet (41 m), which some officials have deemed too low for ships to navigate.[1] By the time the V-struts supporting the mainspan were put in place, the Port of Houston claimed the struts were an even more dangerous hazard to ships that must veer from the middle of the waterway. By some accounts, port officials protested, but TxDoT did not listen to their pleas. The bridge cost TxDoT $19 million in its current configuration; a higher clearance would have cost more, and the agency went on to investigate that ships did not need 120 feet (37 m). This decision proved to be a mistake. Several ships have collided with the bridge over 27 years, but despite this, the bridge only suffered minor damage and was still intact. That all changed in December 2000, when a cargo crane struck the bridge, knocking a hole in the concrete deck and damaging a steel beam. The damage took six weeks to repair, forcing several lanes to be closed in the process.[2] The worst accident, though, happened in May 2001, when a freighter's cargo boom caused severe damage to a girder and put another gaping hole in the span. Several lanes of the bridge were closed for two months while repairs were completed.

TLDR: We really suck at infrastructure and planning.

Originally Posted by Ammi

…I’m so glad that your loved ones are all fine, Maru….I imagine that so many in all parts of the US are watching their screens and holding their breath a bit, while the search in the waters continues for those still not found…and so many services gathering to help in any way they can…

Yes, I'm feeling most for the families of those involved. It's too sudden a way to lose someone and to think nothing of what they must've went through.


An aside, because of where it is located, I'm sure that it will get rebuilt relatively quickly. Baltimore doesn't care so much about the QoL of its citizens so its less because of that, but that there's an understated massive national interest in that area between govt contractors, the NSA, proximity to DC, the military, etc... they're already talking about getting Congress involved, so no doubt it'll get funded and fixed. Congress moves at a snails pace at getting even basic things done, if at all, so the fact they would move this quickly should tell us something...