Bridge collapses in Italy, newest crumbling infrastructure

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

ROME (AP) — A huge bridge section has collapsed in Tuscany, the latest case of Italy’s infrastructure crumbling after years of neglect.

Police and fire crews roped off the access road to the bridge over the Magra River in Albiano Magra in the province of Massa Carrara, according to Carabinieri footage of the scene Wednesday.

Given Italy’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown, there were only two trucks on the provincial road at the time. Italian news reports said one of the drivers was hospitalized.

The Anas road agency had sent inspectors to the bridge last year after a crack developed following heavy rains. The section was cleared for further use, Italian agency ANSA said.



Smoke and dirt rise after a bridge collapsed on a river bed, in Aulla, between the regions of Tuscany and Liguria, northern Italy, Wednesday, April 8, 2020. According to media reports only two vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed early on Wednesday, the two drivers injured, but no casualties were reported. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/f969bdea4f95d189584d63d4dd6c6bfe

[bucolic_frolic]

1. The Royal Flush of collapses

Nice that they used it down to the last nub. That's getting your money's worth.

[TheBlackAdder]

2. Wow! It looks like the whole effing thing.

[genxlib]

7. From a structural engineering perspective

That isn't all that surprising.

If your structure is designed to be "continuous", the loads are shared by the mid-span segments and the support segments. The net result of that sharing is that losing one piece can transfer loads elsewhere and overwhelm them as well.

[Igel]

9. And yet it still looks impressive.

Sort of not what I thought of with "bridge failed". Even if having one segment's failure destabilize the next's is what you expect.

[hatrack]

3. Infrastructure Week goes global!!

[cstanleytech]

4. Who knew that Italy had Republicans screwing up their infrastructure as well!!!

[SharonAnn]

5. They'd had plenty of fascists in charge. Berlusconi was one.

[Coventina]

6. Coming soon, to a neighborhood near you!

[IcyPeas]

8. another view

Link to tweet