What Happened 49 Years Ago on December 15th?
Richard Cartwright PE, CHMM, (IHMM, AHMP, APICS Fellow)
EHS-HAZMAT COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS
December 15, 1967: Silver Bridge across Ohio River between Point Pleasant, West Virginia & Gallia County, Ohio collapsed during rush hour, 46 people died in icy water. Bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it was originally designed for & was poorly maintained. Instead of wire cables, 700-ft suspension bridge deck hung from a chain of linked eyebars. The dogbone-shaped eyebars had a hole, or "eye," in each end & were linked in pairs by massive pins. Investigation of wreckage pointed to failure of single eye-bar in a suspension chain, due to small defect only 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) deep. When an eyebar pin on one side of the bridge failed, its chain dropped below the roadway. Chain on the other side was then unable by itself to support the weight of the entire structure, resulting in complete bridge failure. This was first major collapse in USA since Tacoma Narrows Bridge (collapsed in 1940) prompted national concern, leading to National Bridge Inspection Standards in Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968. Note: “Mothman Prophecies” Book & Movie provide additional insight regarding this tragedy.
Aftermarket Application Engineer
8 年Earlier in July of that year, my family actually crossed that bridge on our vacation towing our travel trailer. My mom actually commented if we would make it across the bridge as it was so rickety. When the accident happened, my dad checked our atlas to confirm that it was the same bridge we had been on just 5 months previous!