Negligence in New York: The I-90 Schoharie Creek Bridge Collapse
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2021
- How & Why of the I-90 Schoharie Creek Bridge Collapse near Amsterdam, NY - April 5, 1987. A preventable tragedy due to negligence & ignorance that led to sweeping changes across the U.S. and for the Thruway system of New York.
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Hey, I'm Sam! Child of the 80s turned Parent, Traveler, & Bumbling/Stumbling Nostalgic, Sentimental Creator. Half the time I know about 50% what I'm doing!
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Hope everyone's week is good so far! Toss a Coin to your Researcher? www.patreon.com/BrickImmortar
Here's my thoughts on the Miami Surfside Collapse: ua-cam.com/users/postUgwF1Rx-sdzpQRuV2rx4AaABCQ
Here's the Minnesota Bridge Collapse from 2007: ua-cam.com/video/xEPswDYbcnk/v-deo.html
I'm loving the new info I am learning. I've never been afraid of bridges but I'm glad I can learn about these failures. BLESS all touched by the incompetent people involved.
Don't forget the 1983 collapse of the Mianus River Bridge.
I’m still baffled as to why the consultants had any blame here- Because they didn’t call the right guy? State government clearly had the report, and they didn’t act on it when they had it. The consultants did their job - twice recommended the same urgent repairs and TWICE it was ignored by New York.
Early swamp creatures?
@11:09 "The NY State Thruway Authority deleted the call for [the replacement of the missing ripwrap] from the final contract. Same story, different incident. Just try blaming a State entity for anything. You might be amazed at how many times you can find where a State Agency failed to do its job but then tries to blame the contractor. It happens a lot...
@@hesseldijkstra5327 Of course.
Obviously, the consultants should have known that the state would receive and file the report without going to all the trouble of reading it, and therefore it's their fault that the state didn't read the report. The state receives so many reports that it can't be expected to actually read them all.
@@TEverettReynolds exactly because they have unlimited funds to fight you and turn it into your fault.
All infrastructure requires maintenance, whether it’s made of steel, concrete, or loose stones like riprap.
Those poor people, I cannot imagine how scared they must have been in their final moments as they got snatched away. I respect dedication of the recovery teams to bring some closure to the families, I detest the lack of conscientious of the people who failed to prevent this accident.
It must have been terrifying. I hope they passed quickly cause the alternative is too awful to think about.
@@bladeofbattousai Just driving home or to work and then that happens, terrifying.
You should look up the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in Florida. Much scary.
@@ccserfas4629 What??
@@ccserfas4629 Thanks Chris. I’ll retreat back into a ‘comfortably numb’ blissful ignorance. Maybe I can’t stand the truth; I would psychically implode. My university training would dissipate like a vapor leaving me in a blank stare. Brother of smother, continue guarding the gates of wisdom and awareness. Sentry of snide chide, of sly slap, of condescending chastening: consider less vinegar, more love without boxing glove. Let’s embrace in this place. Wherever you are, you & I are brothers. That is the way I see it. Let us walk out into broad field in coming spring weather, letting butterflies land on us, but avoiding rattling snake! Cheers to you, sincerely, my friend. 💛🙏🏼
I remember this incident well. I was living in Western New York and had a good friend who had crossed the bridge about 40 minutes before it collapsed, coming home from a visit with his parents. New York State went into panic mode and inspected every bridge in the state over the next couple of months. There were a huge number of bridges closed throughout the state and it took years to finish all of the replacements. I moved out of New York in 1992 and many bridges were still closed. It is a horrible tragedy that people had to die for the state inspectors to finally do their job after so many years of neglect. R.I.P. to all who perished that day, while your deaths were senseless they were not in vain.
Sadly, changes usually comes with blood.
Going to ask nicely for everyone to please delete the politically motivated comments. This is NOT the place for political mud slinging, so please GROW UP AND ACT RESPECTFULLY!
@@rogermac358 everything they said were facts and you're not going to get anyone to silence their free speech on true facts lol.
@@RobinTheBot "I may not agree with what you have to say, but will defend to the death your right to say it." That being said, there is a time and place for everything and I did not want a conversation about an event in which people tragically died to devolve into politically intolerant individuals mud wrestling! My own political views are a big factor in my departure from New York, but this is not the place for that conversation.
@@rogermac358
".......I did not want......." ??????????? Well, how about that? ......
There's no greater feeling than finishing a Fascinating Horror video, feeling bored, and immediately seeing one of your videos in my recommended.
same
Same
Didnt come here from one, but I sure watch my fair share of those 😂
I saw your first sentence and I thought you were going to say there’s no greater feeling than finishing a project and it doesn’t collapse. 🤦♀️
Socio?
Man, the poor guy whose body wasn't discovered for over 2 freaking years. I'm amazed I've never heard of this bridge collapse before now.
What about the guy missing for TWENTY years! His family must have wondered ALL that time ...
It's grim but we pull bodies out of that river every year after the thaw
Most of us that get in a vehicle probably don't realize how many times we pass over these bridges and overpasses everyday never to think something this tragic could happen. It's scary to think how vulnerable we actually are.
I just missed this I was traveling back from UB to Kingston NY. I drove over it about 20 min before the collapse.. on the back I had to return to UB via route 20... I still think about it every time I travel over the new bridge...stay safe..
I was born in Kingston just a couple months after this event
And now Cuomo's son Andrew's bridge is falling apart. Defective bolts - KNOWN defective before they were installed! Differences are - THIS bridge is in one of the longest and in the heaviest traveled part of the NYS Thruway!
That's fvcking nuts.
Like that is actually nuts.
Another stop for gas...and that could have been it.
Jesus.
I went over it less than an hour before that
😮 that’s terrifying.. I’m sure hearing about it made your heart sink.
Repeat after me: Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water.
Or, at least, build a dam around your support columns! One which won't be washed away. Hence the 'boulders' claimed on the engineering report
Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water. Always drive piles into bedrock if you want what you are building to withstand the multiple structure-destroying effects of water.
100% correct!! I worked for Underpinning and Foundation (Skanska) here in NYC for a few years, and we always drove to bedrock and anchored in
Many rivers flow over gravel well above the bedrock. They are especially vulnerable to scour.
The reading of the names was quite solemn and sad. Very respectful way to memorialize them.
Your comment is kind.
This was only a few miles away from my home in Fonda, NY. All the traffic from the Thruway was funneled through my little village on our river bridge. The heavy traffic caused the deck of our bridge to separate from the support pillars and the Fonda-Fultonville Bridge was shut down. They even had County Sheriffs stationed on either side to make sure no one even walked across it. It had to be torn down and replaced. The Schoharie creek is still a killer. About 10 years ago there was another flood that tore away the roadway on Route 5S that parallels the Thruway, a man's truck was washed into the river and he was killed. I don't trust anything along that waterway when it rains a lot.
Patricia Young Travelling from Western N,Y The First Thing I spotted right in Schoharie were the Signs . Evacuation Signs showing the route to safety . I used to enjoy eating at the Alley Cat Diner but a flood took that place . I do remember the Detour thru Ballston Spa after the Collapse .
Very true, the Creek is notorious. I work in Cobleskill, and every time there are heavy rains, there are concerns about the creek jumping the banks.
WOW. Crazy shit.
Was that 5s one the bridge next to schoharie crossings?
@@stonedsasquatch It was.
35 years ago. Wow. I played basketball against Kristie Peck. Her and her mother were on way to a shower somewhere in Western New York that morning. Their car is the blue fury turned upside down and smashed. I don't know if they drove out for there on the bridge when it collapsed but they didn't see it until water subsided. So tragic, she was only 22 years old.
This spread footing bridge foundation clearly relies on meticulous inspection and upkeep. If state inspections become lax, there will be trouble. I hope modern bridges use piles driven deep into the bedrock.
It boggles my mind that one of the victims was found in the Hudson River.
it must have been a crazy flood that day. I learned this is why no plants disperse seeds through rivers, it all ends up in the ocean lol
I really have to wonder WTF was up with the repeated removal of the note about fixing the riprap... Feels like there must have been some sort of "I know better" stubborn idiot in the upper levels that kept feeling personally insulted by the reports. Can't imagine why else multiple reports of "dump some more rock around the base" was ignored.
Well, when you let an undegreed 'technician" make critical and life threatening engineering decisions, this is the result.
@@KB4QAA I don't know, it seems the top guys with the big degrees and big egos mess up more often
Cost
@@NoName5589 Those top guys seem to usually have degrees in Business or Administration or what have you, not engineering. So I think they thought it was a pile of big dumb rock and nothing more, so they ignored the request in order to save money.
Costs. Short-term savings over long-term problems. If asked "will it collapse tomorrow with out the riprap, especially if it was missing for years before", the answer is no. No means they can remove it from the project. Save some money today and make it the next administration's budget problem. It's not malicious, it's a failure of leadership and budgets from an entity (NYSTA) that is not held responsible for their actions, only held accountable to their budget.
I begin to understand, why some people are comparing the infrastructure maintenance of the USA to third world countries. Unfortunately, we here in Germany are facing the similar problems. Politicians and authorities are rather dreaming of flying cabs and high-speed trains, but bridges, highways an public roads are crumbling.
So too depending on one's political enemy for essential fuel is not smart either.
@@RCAvhstape We are facing similar problems.
There's no winning votes with maintenance so they don't care
@@nocensorship8092 Sad, but true.
High-speed trains (and just trains in general)are great, being much safer (and potentially quicker) than cars. But that doesn't excuse ignoring maintenance on existing infrastructure. If they don't want to spend so much to maintain it, tear it down snd build something cheaper to maintain.
I was there. There were students from SUNY Cobleskill that perished in that disaster. All due to the corruption of the New York state thruway authority!
Thank the Cuomos
@@lp115lp And Obama! I am certain he is to blame also. lol
I was in high school in upstate NY when this happened, and this was all over the local news. A news crew just happened to be shooting a report on the high water levels and flooding upstream of this bridge when it collapsed. They heard the first collapse and ran over in time to capture more of it as it happened.
IIRC, three of the cars weren't on the span when it collapsed, but drove into the void as they were unable to stop in time. The slope of the highway there is such that, until you're on top of it, you wouldn't notice the bridge is missing. The near and far sides create the illusion of a continuous road.
After the collapse they used the two bridges to the north, which at the time were Route 5S and an abandoned railroad bridge, to carry the re-routed Thruway until a new bridge could be constructed. You can still see some of the scars on the land from the temporary bypass diversion leading from the highway to the bridges on the east side, if you look at Google satellite view.
It looks like, since then, 5S has moved to use the old railroad bridge (which is much more robust given what it was designed for) and the old 5S bridge carries the Erie Canal bike path now.
I tried finding the route they used for the detour. It seems difficult now.
@@Normal1855 Hello Bob. This may not be of much use, but if you look for it just a little west of Dollar General Distribution Centre, it's there. The pike re-routing I can't find ether. Sorry, I have have coordinates to send. The collapsed bridge is easy to see.
I was going over The Tappan Zee Bridge in New York about a year before they built the new one at around 4am on the Northbound side in the left hand lane.
While going over the bridge I saw part of the roadway was missing in the far right lane. I immediately stopped my Car and drove backwards and put my car 30 feet from the missing roadway and put my hazard lights on. I called 911 telling them to stop the cars from going over the Northbound side of the Bridge because there is a section of roadway missing. I grabbed a flashlight and stood behind my car waving it to stop drivers from going over that section of the bridge. At 4am there was no traffic and I successfully stopped two cars who blocked the other two lanes. The State Troopers Showed up and I showed them the missing section.
Wasn't that bridge already way past its designed life span? Or something like that
Yes, I seem to remember that it was carrying way more than designed for, and that the piers were not of a sound design-using wood piles that was beginning to rot. IIRC, they were trying to save on steel due to the Korean war taking place...not sure how true that could be.
In April of '87 I was working as a whitewater guide on the Cattaraugus Creek in Western New York. I remember the rains 🌧 and the high water that spring. I was on the river that Sunday. I came home and saw the news. I couldn't believe something like that could happen in New York State. On the New York State Thruway.
I used to live on where the Mohawk and Hudson river meet, it’s crazy to me that the one women’s body made it all the way into the Hudson. She had to go over a giant waterfall (cohoes falls) and through multiple man-made dams and water control systems
Was thinking about that, it’s crazy! Let’s just hope that they learned and such a tragic accident never happens again
That is one hell of a ride!
@@NotAJosh Nope, Cuomo repeating his Daddies mistakes with his "Mario Cuomo Bridge". Defective bolts and no wind deflectors so the empty trucks can be blown over before the bridge deck collapses.
Nooo seriously!!! I live in Clifton park and we frequently visit the falls and the locks like that’s just insane to me 😢😩
@@JenBabyJen I’m in Albany &; I think it’s so freaking wild I’ve never learned of this until now. I was born in 1990 &; never heard from anyone about this tragedy even though it happened pretty much in my own backyard not too long ago..wild..
The funny part, well not really funny, of this is that I passed over this bridge the day before it collapsed. My family and I were on a around NY camping trip.
And when it flooded again in '06ish I was stuck on the thruway between this bridge and the Amsterdam exit for 2 days and 2 nights while the thruway (90) was underwater due to the Mohawk and the creek flooding. I'm glad I had camping gear and food in my SUV. I also was with a family who were going camping them selves. We had fun making a fire on the road and the state police asked if we wanted to be moved and we told him we were fine. We had food and shelter. The family and I fed 14 people mostly truck drivers who were stuck with us. The police brought more wood and extra food. We had fun and played games, football and watched a movie or two on a sheet that we had and a power point projector. I will do that again but will have to bring more beer!
Wait so you camped out on the side of the thruway? Thats insane to imagine. So you mustve been on the west side of this bridge correct? Living off of exit 29 about 20 minutes from this bridge i remember that flood very well. Everything was underwater for days
Sounds like a good time
Thank God for those Troopers! They really come through when you need them. . When long haul truckers were still driving over Rt 209 through PA they used to pass through Orange county NY and over 'Lollipop Mtn'. When that iced-up the trucks would jackknife and the troopers brought hot food and coffee to the drivers!
What a great way to transform a royal pain into a great memory. My brother went to school at Niagara when we lived in Connecticut. His story about the police out in a blizzard getting everyone brought into a diner, including him, is a lot like yours. I want to thank you for helping the truckers, everything we get is delivered by a trucker at some point.
My husband Bob, worked for the NYS Thruway when this happened. On the Friday before , he had been promoted and this was his 1st assignment as a supervisor. One you never forget. I remember being in the Lake George area for a Rural Letters carrier meeting when Bob heard about this accident. Devastating for sure - So sad.
I lived in Utica when this happened; it was our Army Reserve drill weekend. My SGT was from Amsterdam, NY and I can remember his wife calling to let him know what happened. RIP to the victims.
Too bad you're not from Albany. I hear the Steamed Hams there are just amazing.
Wow I drilled at Utica in 2007 to 2012. Before that I was in Active Duty. I lived 2 hours away from the armory south.
I used to picnic under the replacement bridge with my family. Nice beachy area, shade from the bridge, and water for us kids to splash around in. I didn’t know about the original collapse till years later.
Interesting to see something on UA-cam about something that happened in your area (I live about 30-40 mins away from this bridge)
Do you trust the new bridge ?
@@mikelarry2602 Yea I have driven across it many times
Gives you warm and fuzzy feeling right? Our glorous leaders in Albany don't give 2 fukks about upstate people
Having a hard time believing that the purpose and maintenance of riprap in bridge construction was not understood by civil engineers in the 1980s. Poor communication, corner-cutting, institutionalized incompetence- that I can believe.
I live near here but I didn’t know about this. Before my time. Interesting to learn local history.
Lets not forget the one important item missing from this entire story........This POS bridge was on a TOLL ROAD!! The owners of this "TOLL ROAD" are the ones at fault here. Contracting to the cheapest companies and refusing to pay up and build the bridge the right way. Not putting the base to bedrock and letting it sit on the river bed,...cheap, cheap, cheap.
Toll road yes, but when and was it always?
Wonder if the motorists who were extorted via highway robbery aka “Tolls” are able to seek some type of remedy
@@Syclone0044 I did the math. You would spend many more hours, a lot of extra gas, and way more money, to avoid the tolls. In the long run, long trips, it's way cheaper to travel on the thruway.
@@Normal1855 You could've skipped the math and used logic instead lol; of course it's worth it to use the toll road, otherwise few people would and it wouldn't be worth having it.
The typical reaction is, It was someone's responsibility to recognize the problem but it was passed down the line until ignored. Any deficiency should Demand immediate notice to determine the importance. Even a minor safety discrepancy is a Major issue until someone who can take the blame signs off on it. How many disaster would be averted if someone was held Criminally liable? Whistleblower laws need to be applied to infrastructure flaws. The inspectors who report the flaws that are overlooked by administrators should not be the scapegoats.
Especially considering how many Roman bridges not only stand to this day. As working bridges.
You've got such a calming voice and your information is fantastic. I'm glad I found this channel
I don't know about you guys but I can't see why you'd choose to make a shallow footed and high maintenance bridge ever. Sure there were pipes in the ground, why not have the designer move the feet and add a third foot in the middle to allow said foot movement? I can't see it being cost effective to build bridges you have to keep dumping rocks at the base of
It's cost effective because it's someone else's budget.
Just plain Willfull neglect by NY state thruway " authority"! engineering firm notified them of the problem. The guy that kept omitting the rip rap repair over and over should have done jail time. Trust the experts! Fudge!
I'm learning a heck of a lot about bridge engineering from these collapse videos, probably knowledge that I will never use but fascinating nonetheless! Thanks Sam. 👍
I really appreciate the way you cover these topics with both facts and compassion for the people lost in these tragedies 🙏🏽💗
I remember working at the former Amsterdam Memorial Hospital at the time when visitors came in telling us what had happened. Absolutely horrific. God rest the souls of those poor victims. So sad.
And none of the negligent officials did much if any prison time.
I had heard of this but your version is superior to other stories about this. Your organization and presentation gave me more information without excessive length or loss of my interest.
Excellent video. I like how you make sure that lay people such as myself can understand the technical issues at hand, but at the same time don't dumb things down.
Gotta do a video on the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse
Much like the condo collapse in FLA. , the cement cracking and exposing the rebar is a serious issue. It's essentially the early warning of a failure approaching.
cement cracking and exposing the rebar - happening here where I live in Middletown NY!
Really no structure over two stories should have been allowed in that area.
I drove under a Thruway bridge in Mohawk/Herkimer for years. They were always patching the exposed rebar. It's been going on for years. Still a large % of bridges and dams in NY that need, even past due for repair/replacement. About 10 yrs ago a bridge on I 88 between Oneonta and Binghamton was washed out in a storm. Tractor Trailer and driver swept away down what I think is the Sesquahanna river. I don't think they ever recovered the driver.
I enjoy the way you break everything down. It helps me understand exactly what happened, why it happened and so forth. Great voice for narration too! I just think your channel is a real gem. Keep up the good work and I do thank you for the upload!
My husband's family is from Schoharie and his aunt still lives there. We went on a day drive to sight see and she told us about this bridge. I got to go to the Schoharie creek. This is a beautiful place. Not at all what I was expecting to see in New York. I love it there.
What a sad and horrific tale for those that died. Even sadder knowing the loss of life could have possibly been prevented by so many different people who could have stepped in saying there was a problem with the bridge.
I'm loving your content! Thank you for these!
Thanks so much for saying that Ann, glad you're enjoying it!
Yesterday I was sad that I had watched all of your collapse series, now I'm happy for a little longer, thanks!
Thank you Sam!! Your videos are always so well done and informing. Stay strong!!
The amount of effort and detail in your videos is admirable. Wish I found this channel Sooner!
I am writing this as a testament to what I witnessed in the presence of my employer H.A Hart const. Co, during a maint check of construction equipmnent we were under the bridge observing the pilings dancing on the bedrock in the presence of a state engineer when trucks went over the bride at 65 mph the pilings would lift enough to put your fingers under the pilings .. the engineer knew this was dangerous ,but we don't know if it was related to higher ups obviously if it was nothing was done...
Why the contractors and subs were blamed for not bringing their findings to the project manager’s attention, is beyond me. Wouldn’t the proect manager be expected to read to reports submitted?
Getting snuffed out in a Topaz… that is extra sad.
That is some serious insult added to injury.
I can't decide, listening to the absolute communication failure between entities, if this was caused by traditional negligence or gross incompetence.
Negligence because it was reported at least two times and recommended to be fixed.
Negligence is a form of incompetence.
Add saving a big chunk of money!
GREED!
Yes.
this is about 4 miles from my house. my father video taped the second part of the bridge falling down and the clean up.
Thank you for your work on these videos. I recently found your channel and have subscribed! I am really interested in this topic and as someone who works with civil engineers on our projects it has really inspired me to better understand what they propose in our projects (i am a landscape architect myself). Even on much smaller projects i see over sights, alot of my work is in designing and permitting amenity centers and commercial sites and i sometimes can catch stormwater designs that dont work or have issues with it. Health, safety welfare is what i look for in reviewing plans! Keep up the good work man, you have a fan in me!
I was 8 months old when it happened and I still hear people talk about it to this day. I never heard the story until this video. Amazing. Thank you.
Thanks for another of your detailed informative production.👍🏿 Outstanding reporting.🥰
I went over that bridge headed home to Syracuse NY the day before it fell. I also went over the Green Island bridge the morning before it fell in at noon back in the late 70's. To this day I hate going over bridges
I’m really glad you’re doing more of these infrastructure disaster videos.
The structure has reached its 3 decade shelf life, when it is of those, it should be maintained from time to time, or reinforcements needs to be placed for the infrastructure to be stable and safe in its near future completion/project.
Dont care if I'm at work, when I see a new collapsed video I click
I was 17 at the time and never knew or heard of this tragedy 😔😢😪😞💔😕. MAY, THEY ALL REST IN PEACE 😇✝️🙏.
Thanks - this is one of those things I partially recalled from childhood - I was always afraid the Grand Island Bridges would fall
I remember this one well, as above and beyond the horror of what happened to those poor people it almost doubled the trip time to and from College on breaks that year. Ended up having to loop through Pennsylvania. There was some insane rainfall that year. I remember there were some really tragic drownings.
I remember hearing stories of people on a nearby thruway overpass screaming and waving at other cars to warn them of the impending danger of the collapsed bridge. A tractor trailer jackknifed and blocked the westbound lanes to prevent more people from driving to the collapsed bridge into the Schoharie.
A video from you and fascinating horror in one day. Im set.
Let me tell you about a cautionary tale when it comes to driving bridge pilings into sturdy bedrock. When I was watching this video at 4:58 I noticed that the pile caps on the Schorarie Creek Bridge were driven into the creek bottom and no pilings driven into bedrock. What happened in the construction of the Schorarie Creek Bridge happened on the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida when it was under construction.
When the original 1954 Sunshine Skyway northbound span was built the pilings for the main piers were of steel and driven into bedrock. During construction of the 1971 Sunshine Skyway southbound span in 1969 the alarm was sounded when cracks were found in one of the main channel piers, Pier 1-S. The cause of the cracking was that the pilings - made of concrete and not steel - were driven into the soft bay bottom rather than into bedrock. The pier had to be repaired with steel pilings driven into bedrock, which is why Pier 1-S looks different than the three other main channel piers on the old Sunshine Skyway. The repair costed Florida taxpayers $3 million.
Pier 2-S on the old Sunshine Skyway’s southbound span - the anchor pier that was knocked down when the Summit Venture rammed into it on 9 May 1980 - also had concrete pilings driven into the bay bottom. But there were no cracks or any other deformities noted during construction. I say this because in theory, had Pier 2-S had steel pilings driven into bedrock that anchor pier may not have been sheared off at its base upon impact. (The Summit Venture came to rest upon Pier 2-S of the northbound Sunshine Skyway span, that pier was sturdier thanks to steel pilings driven into bedrock).
Now what do both the Schorarie Creek Bridge in New York State and the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida have in common? Corners got cut somewhere during construction, mainly to save money somewhere. Were soil boring studies done on Schorarie Creek to locate bedrock in which to drive the pilings down into? Compare to the southbound span of the old Sunshine Skyway where NO soil boring studies were done - instead, plans from the 1954 Sunshine Skyway span were used.
Which leads us to the gold standard when it comes to bridge construction, especially over bodies of water such as Schorarie Creek or Tampa Bay: Do your soil boring studies to see how far deep is it to bedrock. Drive your bridge pilings from the pile cap down into bedrock to provide a firm footing for your bridge. Use steel pilings rather than concrete pilings.
I really appreciate the detail in your videos. Excellent research and presentation. Thanks!
I am studying bookkeeping but find your reports fascinating.
Great vid Brick Immortar, RIP to those poor souls lost during the collapse.
I lived in upstate NY for a while, and both this video and the Ethan Allen video took place in areas I was familiar with. Shows what a great state NY is
Love, love, love,these videos very detailed!
Very interesting video. Very well presented.
I'm loving this content!
These videos are so helpful!
I'm glad they were able to prevent at least one other disaster... but they can do better!
Love your videos!
I remember hearing about this on Modern Marvel's Engineering Disasters many years ago. It's awesome that you gave it attention.
I remember this very well. My friend’s husband was an engineer and involved in analyzing what happened.
Great video. You do such a great job. Very interesting and informative. ❤
I had never heard of this before but I’m not surprised. Schoharie is in a low plain and is prone to flooding. When hurricane Sandy came through 10+ years ago the water was over the top of many of the one story houses. It took years to rebuild the community.
It's scary to recall the fact I used to travel to little falls NY quite frequently in the 80s....particularly around that time. We used to go over that bridge all the time and on a Sunday we would be heading back to CT. My dad used to like to leave fairly early so that would have put us in the vicinity of the bridge. Spooky. I remember after the collapse they had to erect a temporary bridge, I hated going over it as a kid.
First of all, love this channel!! Please keep up the great work as it is much appreciated.
Secondly, I think the clip at the beginning of the fallen truss bridge heading toward the concrete bridge is here in Harrisburg. If so, it’s the Walnut St bridge (over the Susquehanna river) that fell during a winter storm and drifted over, and then under, the Market St bridge. You can actually see video footage on UA-cam of the bridge being obliterated as it is swallowed under the Market St bridge in mere seconds.
I remember this, I lived on the Creek at the time, I was 11 yrs old and lived less then 20 minutes from the bridge.
I live in the Capital Region of NY and I remember when this happened. I was in 8th grade at the time. My dad used to work for the NYS DOT and was on the team that helped redesign that bridge after the collapse.
How dreadful, the absolute NUMBER of people/companies/ agencies that had to "eff up" for this to happen. It's incredible that engineers might risk their reputations like this...the rest? Well, same reason, $$$.
Your video was awesome and very imformative. I will be that guy, the backround beat is fire! It def helped me stay into this video
Which one of gis beats is this brick??
😳😳 this one's close to home, no pun intended. the rivers around there can pack a punch when flooded, the roads get washed out and replaced pretty regularly, but obviously that doesn't justify what happened in the slightest. i didn't even know about this despite being local my whole life before now. huh.
I LIVED SOME 5 MILES TOWARD SCHENECTADY OFF RT 5 IN ROTTERDAM JUNCTION....WENT UP TO SEE IT THE NEXT DAY....
Pattersonville myself
New favourite channel
I lived in Amsterdam and we used to go swimming under the original bridge. We were under that bridge the previous summer and I remember that it had neon orange spray paint all over the piers marking the areas that needed to be repaired. I don't know how much is a lot when it comes to bridge repairs, but I would consider the amount of markings to be "a lot".
I never would have remembered that inconsequential (at the time) detail if the bridge hadn't collapsed less than a year later.
I remember this well , I was only a kid when it happened. We would travel that part of the thruway all the time . What a tragedy
We were on the NY Thruway, I-90 when this happened but about 10 miles east when this happened. Schoharie Creek is usually a pretty placid waterway until we have torrential rain and in this case washed the support piers out
You can still see where the interstate was directed through a field onto NY5S and then back onto 90
Horrific to think about, but thanks for bringing attention to things like this.
You should do one on the Schoharie limo crash from a few years ago. Absolute horror all due to greed of one family.
While my grandma was alive I use to drive the thruway every weekend from Schenectady to Canajoharie to visit her.
I passed over that bridge a lot back then.
The collapse didn't just shut down the thruway, they also closed Rt 5S on the south side of the Mohawk river which ran parallel to that part of the highway for over a year.
Do a video on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in 1980
Already another? Hell yeah
I haven't watched this yet but I am about to. I grew up in Upstate NY and the day before the collapse I had been in Albany at The Olympics Of The Visual Arts and we crossed over that bridge on the way there and home. When the news about the collapse came out the next day we all thought how lucky we were. Had it happened a day earlier a school bus full of high school kids may have gone off the bridge.
Update: I just watched it. Still gives me chills.
Got two suggestions for you, events memorable to my childhood. The L'ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport CT (lift-slab construction technique) and the Mianus River Bridge (I-95) collapse in Greenwich CT (non-redundant component corrosion failure.)
Excellent!