Sedalia Dave Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 4 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Which is why I have no problem with the feds saying, basically, "Here's the money up front, we'll fight the insurance companies later....get cracking and get that port open." Torches are already burning that steel. Steel cutting shape charges would be more effective, safer, and a lot quicker. People only have to be on the bridgework to set the charges. Multiple charges can be placed then everyone pulls back while they are detonated. Eliminates the risk of the shifting steel injuring someone. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Creek,5759 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Everyone is talking about opening the channel. I agree it needs to be open. The people that are trapped in their vehicles. Need to be extracted. Seems like everyone has forgotten. About the people who lost the lives. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 3 minutes ago, Bailey Creek,5759 said: Everyone is talking about opening the channel. I agree it needs to be open. The people that are trapped in their vehicles. Need to be extracted. Seems like everyone has forgotten. About the people who lost the lives. No one has forgotten about the victims, but there is no sense in having more fatalities to recovering the remains. Although they haven't come out and said it directly, I have to imagine that the submerged victims are inside of vehicles that are now intertwined with the bridge wreckage. At this point, getting them out would be impossible without cutting up the bridge putting the divers at unreasonable risk. I wonder why there are not underwater drones to do cutting/demolition, maybe there are. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 6 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said: No one has forgotten about the victims, but there is no sense in having more fatalities to recovering the remains. Although they haven't come out and said it directly, I have to imagine that the submerged victims are inside of vehicles that are now intertwined with the bridge wreckage. At this point, getting them out would be impossible without cutting up the bridge putting the divers at unreasonable risk. I wonder why there are not underwater drones to do cutting/demolition, maybe there are. Well said. About drones...I suspect that currents and visibility would be issues underwater. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 (edited) The trouble with bridges in river cities is if you lose a bridge it mucks up a lot of things. When I lived in Oregon and worked south of Portland I crossed 2 bridges to get home. I often wondered what would happen if they ever got a 7 or higher earthquake. I think only 1 bridge there was earthquake resistant. The rest were claimed to be retrofitted. They were not. Edited March 31 by Pat Riot Duh-ness 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 1 minute ago, Pat Riot said: The trouble with bridges in river cities is if you lose a bridge it mucks up a lot of things. When I lived in Oregon and worked south of Portland I crossed 2 bridges to get home. I often wondered what would happen if the ever got a 7 or higher earthquake. I think only 1 bridge there was earthquake fitted. The rest were claimed to be retrofitted. They were not. When the Skyway disaster happened it stopped traffic across the mouth of Tampa Bay for some time. We were lucky as there were two separate bridges, that although looked alike, one was opened in 1954 and the that got knocked down in 1974. After the southbound (western) side was destroyed, they checked the northbound side for damage, being none, they eventually reopened it to two way traffic. Until it was reopened, it was about a 70 mile one way trip to go from Pinellas County to Manatee County or about a 10 mile trip when the bridge was there. The two way traffic stayed that way until the new Skyway was opened in 1987. The new design included barriers called dolphins to protect the main and secondary supports for the bridge. Gotta tell ya, it was really disturbing to drive the Skyway during the transition. You're driving up a bridge that looked exactly like the one on the other side, except...the other side isn't there anymore...just a big Evel Knievel ramp on either side of a big void....a constant reminder. The flat/non-ramp portion of the bridge still there as a fishing pier so the mental picture of the old bridge still exists in my mind. They closed off the 1954 section of the old bridge and removed individual sections of it so it cannot be traversed. The 1974 section is still open. Every time I go across it, I remember that day, the rain, my old co-workers and the house I was helping wire. I also think about the Greyhound bus, Wesley MacEntire and that car that missed going off by about 2'. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Has the ship been moved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 5 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: Has the ship been moved? Not yet, has 400 Tons of bridge that needs to be cut into 4 pieces to be lifted by the crane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.D. Daily Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 To widen the channel the replacement bridge should be suspension type. Also like oil tankers to eliminate dangerous navigation issues with loss of maneuvering power with large single screw vessels ship assist tugs should be required to navigate confined or congested waterways. Since the Exon Valdez incident tankers are required to have tugs when navigating harbors & bays. When this requirement was instituted the marine transportation companies that provide ship assist services replaced their conventional tugs with tugs with azimuth drives, Z-drive or Voith Schneider drive. If conventional propulsion it takes twice as many tugs which doubles the crew cost. Voith Schneider drives change the thrust direction 0-360 degrees in seconds. A Voith Schneider drive is cyclorotor which changes thrust direction instantly. A Z-drive is like an outdrive except the lower drive extends through the hull & rotates 360 degrees to provided thrust in any direction. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Something tells me those tug engines are never gonna be electric. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Don't forget the endless environmental impact and permit process required to use explosives that will harm barnacles and sea snails. IMO, they will clear the shipping lane in short order. The bridge replacement will take years, probably a decade or more. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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