Section of I-95 collapses after fire burns under overpass... 15

[LittleInch]

Maybe so, but when a specific bridge has this on the off ramp ( about 100m from the underpass)then it suddenly ramps up the probability of a crash by a facto of 10 or 100 or maybe 1000 compared to any other bridge.

No one is going to do 25mph coming off a freeway when they can't see the road in front of them bending left.

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[Sym P. le]

The structure was new in 2016. Perhaps an overshoot runout is practical in these situations.

Google Maps

 

[LittleInch]

The structure might be 2016, but the underpass was there in 1992.

They missed an opportunity there but maybe that's what happens with widening schemes as opposed to new ones

The underpass nearly doubled in length and is now about 50-60m long.

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[Retiredat46]

Is there any chance the probably damaged southbound side could be cribbed up to support traffic while the northbound lane is repaired? That would really ease the traffic on whatever detour they set up. It might help more if some of the northbound traffic could be crossed over to the southbound side to temporarily share the cribbed up bridge, and then have southbound traffic crossed over to share the new northbound bridge while the southbound side is repaired. It would be inconvenient, but probably not as bad as any surface street detour.

 

[LittleInch]

They should be able to install a whole bunch of supports on the remaining carriageway and close the off ramp??

Or is that what "cribbed up" means?

But the concrete may have been severely damaged as well.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[jerseyshore]

I was thinking something similar R46. But would the shoring even work if the steel itself is compromised?

Are there any tests or what's the method used to evaluate steel that has been heated/ fire damaged badly?

 

[resqcapt19]

@LittleInch,
The fire department incident commander requested that the state police shut down both directions of the I-75 two minutes after they arrived on scene. No idea how long it took before the road was actually shut down.

 

[LittleInch]

Good call by the FD.

Missed the timeline earlier.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[FacEngrPE]

Once steel cools it regains it's annealed state properties. After cribbing there is still the deformed deck to deal with.

Several questions have centered on the definition of a tunnel and which types of structures are
subject to the NTIS. This memo provides further guidance on different structure types that are or
are not subject to the NTIS and can be used to guide efforts to inventory all highway tunnels by
December 11, 2015 as required by the regulation.

It's a bit long winded, but supports the idea that a bridge can become tunnel like for the purposes of the inspection program.

 

[bones206]

There are a lot of talented bridge engineers out there. I’m interested to see what they come up with given the circumstances and political pressure to get these lanes reopened.

 

[Retiredat46]

By "cribbed up" I meant whatever temporary support is needed to make it safe to use.

Moot point, I guess. According to inquirer.com news update posted shortly after 5pm, the southbound bridge will need to be demolished.

 

[JohnRBaker]

At least one body has been found under the collapsed overpass:

I-95 collapse rescue teams find human remains in wreckage of tanker fire disaster in Philadelphia

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/i-95-collapse-human-remains-found-tanker-fire-philadelphia/

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Milliontown]

As mentioned earlier in the thread, this has happened in the Bay Area famously. Here's a good short documentary of the fire and subsequent incredibly rapid reconstruction [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TKjwblp1XI[/url]

In the Oakland case, the fault was on the driver. The driver and company lost their DOT Hazmat endorsements. I suspect the same will happen here. Both occurred on curves where the driver (probably) was not driving appropriately for the conditions. I tend to agree with Lomarandil that designing for fires may not be the best solution. Truckers should be able to drive along a curve without crashing, especially when there is signage stating the speed and roll over potential.

Edit: coincidentally this Frontline Documentary has just aired America’s Dangerous Trucks

 

[Retiredat46]

From the Pennsylvania DOT update

https://www.penndot.pa.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/AlertDetails.aspx

:
"In consultation with federal engineers from the Federal Highway Administration, PennDOT has hired a contractor – Philadelphia-based contractor Buckley & Company – to backfill the gap in the roadway so that it can be paved over and reopened safely and as quickly as possible. Once complete, cars and trucks can return to this portion of I-95 as crews work to rebuild a permanent bridge while keeping six lanes of traffic flowing at all times."

That's welcome news for everyone who uses that route.

A live feed is being set up so everyone can watch the work 24/7. That's going to be interesting.

 

[JohnRBaker]

That's a rather creative, albeit temporary, solution to restoring the flow of traffic.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Retiredat46]

Governor Shapiro is hellbent on getting the highway reopened, and keeping six lanes open as the work progresses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuUXNAtwWS4

That's a big challenge, but his enthusiasm is evident.

 

[IEGeezer]

I-95 collapse: Surveillance video captures tanker crash, fire in Northeast Philadelphia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCrjOWuZuog

 

[buoyboy1]

If backfilling seems like they could install a couple of very large culverts to save material and allow access for construction vehicles.

 

[thebard3]

A tanker burned under an I-70 EB bridge in Columbus Ohio a few years back. It was reinforced concrete and did not collapse but heavily damaged requiring closure and replacement. I think it was finished in just a few weeks. When you look at the section it stands out a little and seems somewhat hastily built, which it was.

Brad Waybright

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

 

[SnTMan]

Second video posted by Sym P.le

"Highway to Hell" playing. LOL

Regards

Mike

The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand