Infrastructure: Memphis I40 bridge over Mississippi river closed indefinitely after stress fracture discovered

[DogPatch]

Similar thing happened in 1993 in Alabama. A barge hit a railroad bridge outside Mobile causing an Amtrak train to derail. 47 died in that accident.

Amtrak Sunset Limited disaster 23 years later: 1993 Bayou Canot train wreck remembered

Twenty-Three years, visitors -- including a first responder and the brother of an engineer who died -- returned to the scene of a deadly rail disaster.

www.al.com

That was the one where Mario Centobi saved a few lives before he made that bad turn.

 

[Elefantman]

That was the one where Mario Centobi saved a few lives before he made that bad turn.

Wow, just read about him. What a strange story.

Former Firefighter Turned Cop Killer Executed by Injection in Alabama

Mario Centobie, a former firefighter, won accolades in 1993 from Mobile County sheriff's officials when as a diver he helped rescue victims of an Amtrak disaster.

www.firehouse.com

 

[DogPatch]

Wow, just read about him. What a strange story.

Former Firefighter Turned Cop Killer Executed by Injection in Alabama

Mario Centobie, a former firefighter, won accolades in 1993 from Mobile County sheriff's officials when as a diver he helped rescue victims of an Amtrak disaster.

www.firehouse.com

Yep. I remember the nights he shot Capt. Lancaster of TPD and then Brian Turner in Moody.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Yes and no. The fractured member was a tension member. The amount of tension in the member would have varied with the amount of traffic. With 0 traffic, that member is still supposed to be in tension. Once it fractured, it's really not doing anything and is just along for the ride at the whims of gravity.

So just to be clear - you're saying duct tape won't fix it, right?

 

[dayhiker]

So just to be clear - you're saying duct tape won't fix it, right?

Correct, but I have not, as yet, commented on flex tape.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Wow, just read about him. What a strange story.

Former Firefighter Turned Cop Killer Executed by Injection in Alabama

Mario Centobie, a former firefighter, won accolades in 1993 from Mobile County sheriff's officials when as a diver he helped rescue victims of an Amtrak disaster.

www.firehouse.com

I'd never heard that one before. Obviously I recall the train wreck. Amazingly enough, I just discovered a couple of days ago that the now deceased R C Sproul (a rather well-known Christian theologian) was on that train, which I also didn't know.

Speaking of people who went bad....there's a guy who used to attend church with my ex who is on death row in Alabama for a 1997 murder of a 41-year old man and his 11-year old son in order to use their truck to commit an old fashioned bank robbery - as in where you walk in with guns and do a stick up.

 

[AlistarWills]

This is probably more engineering detail that you may want to know. But it does a good job explaining the complexity of the repair and return to service of this bridge.

So it’s possible the bridge had already developed the crack in 2016????

 

[selmaborntidefan]

So it’s possible the bridge had already developed the crack in 2016????

I went over that bridge in 2016 when I went to Austin Peay for my commencement.

And as I've said...this is a (not literal) "nightmare" I've had since 1979. I nearly hyperventilate when I drive over long bridges. I find a point to focus on and keep my car straight (usually I focus on the plate of the car in front of me) and don't look in any direction.

I'm not making any of this up. THIS is my "phobia."

 

[NationalTitles18]

I went over that bridge in 2016 when I went to Austin Peay for my commencement.

And as I've said...this is a (not literal) "nightmare" I've had since 1979. I nearly hyperventilate when I drive over long bridges. I find a point to focus on and keep my car straight (usually I focus on the plate of the car in front of me) and don't look in any direction.

I'm not making any of this up. THIS is my "phobia."

My mom shares your phobia. "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" (1980) did not help.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

My mom shares your phobia. "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" (1980) did not help.

Wanna know the really scary part?

When I drive through Memphis (admittedly rarer now than when I was married), I always took the I-40 DeSoto bridge because I was terrified of the rickety I-55 bridge that always seems to be under construction and is so damned narrow on the lanes might fall in. Yeah, it's a gambler's fallacy.

 

[Go Bama]

I went over that bridge in 2016 when I went to Austin Peay for my commencement.

And as I've said...this is a (not literal) "nightmare" I've had since 1979. I nearly hyperventilate when I drive over long bridges. I find a point to focus on and keep my car straight (usually I focus on the plate of the car in front of me) and don't look in any direction.

I'm not making any of this up. THIS is my "phobia."

I would think the bridge on I-40 over the Tennessee River would be more bothersome than the Hernando de Soto. It's a long bridge but much higher and the road is arched. The TN River bridge is not as long overall. Is that the difference?

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I would think the bridge on I-40 over the Tennessee River would be more bothersome than the Hernando de Soto. It's a long bridge but much higher and the road is arched. The TN River bridge is not as long overall. Is that the difference?

The DeSoto didn't bother me, the I-55 parallel over the Missisippi did.

To where are you referring specifically over the Tenn River btw?

 

[Go Bama]

The DeSoto didn't bother me, the I-55 parallel over the Missisippi did.

To where are you referring specifically over the Tenn River btw?

135 miles east of the Mississippi River where you cross the Tennessee and go from West Tennessee into Middle Tennessee. I'm assuming this is the route you would take from Memphis to Austin Peay.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The DeSoto didn't bother me, the I-55 parallel over the Missisippi did.

To where are you referring specifically over the Tenn River btw?

I think it crosses at the southern end of the Land Between the Lakes...

 

[AlistarWills]

I went over that bridge in 2016 when I went to Austin Peay for my commencement.

And as I've said...this is a (not literal) "nightmare" I've had since 1979. I nearly hyperventilate when I drive over long bridges. I find a point to focus on and keep my car straight (usually I focus on the plate of the car in front of me) and don't look in any direction.

I'm not making any of this up. THIS is my "phobia."

Friend I’m with you. I absolutely do not like bridges with the overhead structure. I have a touch of claustrophobia and that freaks me out. I also do not like bridges with narrow shoulders. Put the two together, as those with the overhead support generally are narrow, and I get to a pucker factor of 10 real fast.

 

[AlistarWills]

I went over that bridge in 2016 when I went to Austin Peay for my commencement.

And as I've said...this is a (not literal) "nightmare" I've had since 1979. I nearly hyperventilate when I drive over long bridges. I find a point to focus on and keep my car straight (usually I focus on the plate of the car in front of me) and don't look in any direction.

I'm not making any of this up. THIS is my "phobia."

I guess you are going to cross Ponchartrain anytime soon then.

 

[crimsonaudio]

It's interesting, I don't think I've ever heard of someone with gephyrophobia (had to look it up) before. Probably not rare, I guess it's just never come up in conversation. I like bridges, it's never occurred to me people would be frightened by them.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Some of y'all might find this helpful...

 

[Padreruf]

Some of y'all might find this helpful...

Since moving to Charleston 3+ years ago I have discovered that it is a collection of "islands" or "marsh" separated by rivers. You have to go over a bridge to go anywhere...some are really old and others are newer...all are scenic. The queen of the bridges, Ravenel, was discovered to have some stress fractures a couple of years ago. Never completely shut down, but lanes closed as they repaired the cables.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Some updates:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1403801857487773698

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1407009865457750024

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1407091694995132420

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1407411699410509825