List of bridge disasters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Bridge disasters include (in chronological order):

Contents

[edit] Catastrophic collapses

Bridge Town Country Date Construction type, use of bridge Reason Number death/injuries Damage Remarks
Stirling Bridge Stirling Scotland 01297-09 September 1297 Beam and trestle over the River Forth Overload by attackers during the Battle of Stirling Bridge Unknown, attacking forces defeated Bridge rendered unusable Collapse may have been assisted by defending forces.
Rialto Bridge Venice Venetian Republic 01444 1444 Wooden structure with central drawbridge. Overload by spectators during the wedding of the Duke of Ferrara. Unknown Bridge total damage
Yarmouth Bridge Great Yarmouth United Kingdom 01845-05-02 2 May 1845 Suspension bridge People had crowded onto the bridge to see a circus clown go down the river in a barrel pulled by geese. The weight of people shifted as the barrel passed underneath, the suspension chains on the south side snapped and the bridge deck tipped over. 79 people drowned, mainly children. Suspension chains snapped due to overload.
Dee bridge Chester England 01847-05-24 24 May 1847 Cast iron beam bridge over the River Dee Overload by passenger train 5 killed Bridge rendered unusable Collapse due to faulty design.
Angers Bridge Angers France 01850-04-16 16 April 1850 Suspension bridge over Maine River Resonance of soldiers led to collapse 226/? Bridge total damage Marching columns should break step when crossing bridges.
Wooton Bridge Collapse Wooton England 01860-06-11 11 June 1860 Cast iron rail bridge Beams cracked and failed 2 killed Bridge total damage
Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster Ashtabula, Ohio United States 01876-12-29 29 December 1876 Wrought iron truss bridge Possible fatigue failure of cast iron elements 92/64 Bridge total damage
Tay Rail Bridge Dundee United Kingdom 01879-12-28 28 December 1879 Continuous girder bridge, wrought iron framework on cast iron columns, railway bridge Faulty design, construction and maintenance, collapsed because of structural deterioration and wind load exceeding estimate 75 {60 known dead} Bridge unusable, piers partly reused, train damaged Locomotive was saved from the Tay and was still in use 19 years later known as "The Diver". The disaster was immortalized in a poem by "Scotland's worst poet", William McGonagall.
Point Ellice Bridge Victoria, British Columbia Canada 01896-05-26 26 May 1896 overloaded tram car collapses central span 47/53/50--60 died (reports vary)
Railroad Bridge Eden, Colorado United States 01904-08-07 7 August 1904 Wooden railway bridge Collapsed because of a sudden washout 111/? Bridge completely destroyed  
Quebec Bridge Quebec Canada 01907-08-29 29 August 1907 Cantilever bridge, steel framework, railway bridge Collapsed during construction: design error, bridge unable to support own weight 74/11 Bridge completely destroyed  
Quebec Bridge Quebec Canada 01916-09-11 11 September 1916 Cantilever bridge, steel framework, railway bridge Collapsed during construction: contractor's error lifting segment into place 11/? Central segment crashed during mounting  
Appomatox River Drawbridge Hopewell, Virginia United States 01935-12-22 22 December 1935 Bus drove across the drawbridge when it was open. 14 killed
Upper Steel Arch Bridge (also known as Honeymoon Bridge and Falls View Bridge) Niagara Falls, NY – Niagara Falls, ON United States – Canada 01938-01-27 27 January 1938 Steel arch road bridge Ice jam in gorge pushed bridge off foundations 0/0 Bridge completely destroyed Replaced in 1941 by the Rainbow Bridge
Sandö Bridge Kramfors, Ångermanland Sweden 01939-08-31 31 August 1939 Concrete arch bridge Collapsed during construction 18 killed Complete loss of the main span Did not receive much media attention as the Second World War began the next day. The bridge was finished in 1943 as the longest concrete arch bridge in the world until 1964.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Tacoma, WA United States 01940-11-07 7 November 1940 Road bridge, cable suspension with plate girder deck Aerodynamically poor form resulted in resonance 0/0 Bridge partially destroyed, one car lost, and one dog killed Became known as "Galloping Gertie", in the first 4 months after opening up until its collapse under a previously unseen resonant mode. Since that time all new bridges have been modeled in wind tunnels.
Theodor Heuss Bridge Ludwigshafen Germany 01940-12-12 12 December 1940 Bridge of concrete, Motorway bridge Collapsed during construction  ?/? Bridge totally destroyed Resulted in delay in completion of the motorway crossing of the Rhine until 1953
Chesapeake City Bridge Chesapeake City, MD United States 01942-07-28 28 July 1942 Road bridge, vertical lift drawbridge Tanker ship Franz Klasen rammed the drawbridge supports, causing collapse  ?/? Central span completely destroyed Bridge replaced by high-level tied-arch bridge in 1949
Ludendorff Bridge (often called The bridge at Remagen) Remagen Germany 01945-03-17 17 March 1945 Truss railroad and pedestrian bridge Collapse due to previous battle damage incurred March 7, 1945 28 U.S. soldiers Total destruction Capture of intact bridge offered significant short term tactical advantage to Allied forces. Collapse was not strategically significant due to placement of parallel floating bridges during the previous week
Duplessis bridge collapse Quebec Canada 01951-01-31 31 January 1951 Steel bridge Structural failure 4 dead Total destruction Reconstructed
Footbridge at Harrow & Wealdstone station Wealdstone United Kingdom 01952-10-08 8 October 1952 Pedestrian footbridge Struck by train(s) during accident 112 dead 340 injured Total destruction It is not recorded how many casualties were due to the bridge collapse
Tangiwai railway bridge Tangiwai New Zealand 01953-12-24 24 December 1953 Railway bridge Damaged by lahar minutes before passenger train passed over it. 151/134 Bridge destroyed
Rail bridge near St Johns station Lewisham, South London United Kingdom 01957-12-04 4 December 1957 Railway bridge Two trains collided and smashed into supports, collapsing part of bridge onto the wreckage 90/173 Bridge destroyed Unknown how many deaths/injuries specifically due to bridge collapse, since its effect was to worsen the train wreck
King Street bridge Melbourne Australia 01962-07-10 10 July 1962 one span collapsed under the weight of a 47 ton semitrailer due to brittle fracture on a very cold winter day. no deaths.
General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge Maracaibo Venezuela 01964-04-06 6 April 1964 Road bridge Ship collision 7 2 section collapsed Currently in Operation
Silver Bridge Point Pleasant, WV and Kanauga, OH United States 01967-12-15 15 December 1967 Road bridge, chain link suspension Material fault and Corrosion 46/9 Bridge and 37 vehicles destroyed Inspired the book Mothman Prophecies and the film of the same name
West Gate Bridge Melbourne Australia 01970-10-15 15 October 1970 Road Bridge Collapse during construction 35 112 metre span between piers 10 and 11 collapsed Section sprung back and collapse during attempts to remove a buckle cause by a difference in camber of 4.5 inches
South Bridge Koblenz Koblenz Germany 01971-11-10 10 November 1971 Road bridge Bridge bent into Rhine 13/? Bridge completely destroyed  
Sydney Lanier Bridge Brunswick Georgia United States 7 November 1972 Vertical Lift Bridge over the S. Brunswick River Struck by the freighter African Neptune 10 deaths/Multiple injuries Several spans knocked out Repaired during 1972-73 then completely replaced with a new cable-stayed bridge in 2003
Tasman Bridge Hobart Australia 01975-01-05 5 January 1975 Bridge of concrete, Motorway bridge Ore freighter Lake Illawarra collided with pylons. Section of bridge collapsed onto freighter. Four cars fell into the river. 7 ship crewman and 5 motorists killed 2 pylons and three sections of bridge collapsed, ore freighter sank, 4 cars fell into river City of Hobart was split in two. Residents living in the east were forced to make a 50km trip to the CBD via the next bridge up north. Bridge was reconstructed and reopened on October 8, 1977
Reichsbruecke Vienna Austria 01976-08-01 1 August 1976 Road bridge with Tram Column fractured 1/0 Bridge, one bus and a lorry destroyed, ships damaged Concrete of the column had never been examined, was internally totally destroyed; "higher force"
Granville Railway Bridge Sydney Australia 01977-01-18 18 January 1977 Vehicle overpass Passenger train passing underneath highway overpass derailed and collided with pylons. Section of bridge collapsed onto train cars. 83 killed; 210 injured. Bridge destroyed. Trains were delayed.
Almöbron (Tjörnbron) Stenungsund Sweden 01980-01-18 18 January 1980 Concrete arch bridge Ship collision during bad visibility (mist) 8/? Bridge and several cars destroyed  
Sunshine Skyway Bridge near St. Petersburg, FL United States 01980-05-09 9 May 1980 Steel Cantilever Bridge Ship collision 35/1 1200 ft. of southbound span, several cars and a bus destroyed Turned into state-run fishing pier/replaced with cable-stayed bridge
14th Street Bridge Between Arlington, VA and Washington, DC United States 01982-01-13 13 January 1982 Interstate 395 Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into bridge after taking off in the middle of a severe snowstorm 78 (on plane), 4 (on bridge) Bridge rebuilt
Alexander Suvorov disaster (Ulyanovsk railway bridge) Ulyanovsk USSR 01983-06-05 5 June 1983 Railway bridge Ship collision 177/? aboard The span cut the deck house and the cinema hall, whilst the lowest deck was undamaged. The ship damaged the railway bridge and some freight cars from the train fell onto the ship No collapse
Mianus River Bridge Greenwich, Connecticut United States 01983-06-28 28 June 1983 Interstate 95 (Connecticut Turnpike) over the Mianus River Metal Corrosion and Fatigue/Deferred Maintenance 3/5 100-foot (30 m) section of the northbound lanes fell into the Mianus River Collapse due to failure of the pin and hanger assembly supporting the span.
Schoharie Creek Thruway Bridge Fort Hunter, New York United States 01987-04-05 5 April 1987 I-90 New York Thruway over the Schoharie Creek Flooding, soil erosion beneath footings, and poor maintenance and inspection. Also, worthy of additional investigation is the release of water from a hydro plant upstream. See esp. the Senate investigation by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan which confirms that the Thruway Authority was not informed of a major release of water from Gilboa Dam. 10/? Total collapse Less than a week later, a section of the Mill Point Bridge 3 miles upstream collapsed. [1][2]
Aschaffenburg Main River Freeway Bridge Aschaffenburg Germany 01988 1988 Bridge of Motorway 3 over River Main Error in construction 1/0 Bridge total damage Partial collapse at Repetitive sliding
Tennessee Hatchie River Bridge 45 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee United States 01989-04-01 1 April 1989 Northbound lanes of U.S. 51 over the Hatchie River Shifting river channel, deterioration of foundation timber piles 8 dead Total collapse NTSB faulted Tennessee for not fixing the bridge before the collapse
Cypress Street Viaduct Oakland, California United States 01989-10-17 17 October 1989 I-880 (Nimitz Freeway) Destroyed in Loma Prieta Earthquake 42 dead Structure destroyed, remains demolished and removed. Now a parkway. Replacement route for I-880 built elsewhere.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge connects San Francisco and Oakland, California United States 01989-10-17 17 October 1989 I-80 50-foot (15 m) section of the upper deck collapsed in Loma Prieta Earthquake 1 dead Reopening on November 18 of that year. Currently being replaced with a new self-supporting suspension bridge and approach spans.
Claiborne Avenue Bridge 9th Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana United States 01993-05-28 28 May 1993 Bridge connecting the "upper" and "lower" 9th Wards Barge collision 1/2   Empty Barge collided with a support pier for the bridge, causing a 145-foot section to collapse
CSXT Big Bayou Canot rail bridge Near Mobile, Alabama United States 01993-09-22 22 September 1993 Railroad bridge span crossing Big Bayou Canot of Mobile River Barge towboat, struck pier in fog; span shifted so next train derailed; impact of derailment destroyed span 47/103 Amtrak train Sunset Limited carrying 220 passengers plunged into water Bridge span had been made movable in case a swing bridge was wanted, and never properly fastened
Seongsu Bridge Seoul South Korea 01994-10-21 21 October 1994 Cantilever Bridge crossing Han River structural failure-Bad welding 32/17 48 m slab between the fifth and the sixth piers collapsed Structural failure was caused by improper welding of the steel trusses of the suspension structure beneath the concrete slab roadway.
Eschede train disaster Eschede Germany 01998-06-03 3 June 1998 Road bridge Train disaster 101/105   Destruction by train crashing on pillar, killed and injured people were train passengers
Hoan Bridge Milwaukee, Wisconsin United States 02000-12-13 13 December 2000 Concrete and steel bridge. Northbound right lane began to buckle during the morning rush hour and sagged a few feet below normal. Damage was said to have been caused by extremely cold weather and heavy amounts of traffic. 0 dead, 0 injured
Queen Isabella Causeway Port Isabel, Texas and South Padre Island, Texas United States 02001-09-15 15 September 2001 Concrete bridge for vehicle traffic over Laguna Madre 4 loaded barges veered 175 feet West of the navigation channel and struck one of the bridge supports, causing a partial collapse of 3 sections measuring approximately 80 feet each. 8 dead/ 13 survivors Partial collapse The collapse had a significant economic impact on the region since the Causeway is the only road connecting South Padre Island to Port Isabel. The bridge also carried electricity lines and fresh water to the island. State officials brought in ferries to temporarily carry cars across the Laguna Madre. Repair cost for the bridge was estimated $5 million.
I-40 bridge disaster Webbers Falls, Oklahoma United States 02002-05-26 26 May 2002 Concrete bridge for vehicle traffic over Arkansas River Barge struck one pier of the bridge causing a partial collapse 14 dead Partial collapse Bridge was later repaired
Interstate 95 Howard Avenue Overpass Bridgeport, Connecticut United States 02003-03-26 26 March 2003 Girder and Floorbeam Car struck a truck carrying 8,000 gallons (30,240 liters) of heating oil, igniting a fire that melted the bridge superstructure, causing collapse of the southbound lanes 0/1 Partial collapse Northbound lanes shored up with falsework and reopened 3 days later; temporary bridge installed to carry southbound lanes. New permanent bridge completed in November 2003.
Kinzua Bridge Kinzua Bridge State Park, Pennsylvania United States 02003-07-21 21 July 2003 Historic steel rail viaduct Hit by tornado with 100 mph winds 0 dead Partial collapse awaiting partial restoration
Loncomilla Bridge near San Javier Chile 02004-11-18 18 November 2004 Concrete bridge for vehicle traffic over Maule River The structure was not built on rock, but rather on fluvial ground. 0/8 Partial collapse Bridge was later repaired
Almuñécar, Province of Granada, Spain, Motorway bridge (search correct name of bridge) Almuñécar Spain 02005-11-07 7 November 2005 Motorway bridge Construction, accident, reason unknown 6/3   A 60 metre long part fell 50 metre deep
Caracas-La Guaira highway, Viaduct #1 Tacagua Venezuela 02005-03-19 19 March 2005 Highway viaduct over a gorge Landslides 0/0 Total collapse Demolished, it was rebuilt and reopened on June 21, 2007
Highway 19 overpass at Laval, Quebec (De la Concorde Overpass collapse) Laval, Quebec Canada 02006-09-30 30 September 2006 Highway overpass Structural failure; investigation complete, report to be released October, 2007 5/6 20 Meter Section Gave Way Demolished; was rebuilt, reopened on June 13, 2007.[3]
Highway 325 Bridge over the Xijiang River Foshan, Guangdong People's Republic of China 02007-06-15 15 June 2007 Motorway bridge Struck by vessel 8/Unknown Section collapsed Unknown
Minneapolis I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River Minneapolis, Minnesota United States 02007-08-01 1 August 2007 arch/truss bridge Currently under investigation by the NTSB and various city contractors, though current data has said that gusset plates showed signs of bending as early as 2003.[1]

See also the independent investigation of Bill Kallman P.E. on MySpace.

 13 confirmed dead, at least 60 injured Total bridge failure Collapsed at 6:05PM beneath bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic confined to 4 of 8 lanes due to resurfacing in progress. To be replaced by St. Anthony Falls (35W) Bridge no later than December 2008.
Tuo River bridge Fenghuang, Hunan People's Republic of China 02007-08-13 13 August 2007 unknown Currently under investigation, believed to be linked to the fact that local contractors often opt for shoddy materials to cut costs and use migrant laborers with little or no safety training 34 dead, 22 injured Total collapse Collapsed during construction as workers were removing scaffolding from its facade
Harp Road bridge[4] Oakville, Washington United States 02007-08-15 15 August 2007 Main thoroughfare into Oakville over Garrard Creek, Grays Harbor County Collapsed under weight of a truck hauling an excavator 0 / 0 Majority to total collapse; temporary or permanent bridge is needed. Approx. wt. of load was 180,000 lb; bridge is rated at 35,000 lb. Residents must take a 23 mi. detour.
Section of the Northern Bypass Karachi Pakistan 02007-09-01 1 September 2007 Overpass bridge Investigation underway 10 dead, several injured Collapse may have be caused by faulty design and lack of pillars.
Can Tho Bridge Can Tho Vietnam 02007-09-26 26 September 2007 Investigation underway 36-60 deaths, hundreds injured Section bucked while construction is underway

[edit] Disasters in date order

[edit] Accidents during construction

[edit] Bridge disasters in fiction

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080323/ap_on_re_us/bridge_collapse_plates
  2. ^ "Hyd flyover collapse: 30 feared killed". 

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Bridge-related articles
Types of bridges
Lists of Bridges
Languages