bridges

18 Stories

Worker: Shift Change Saved Me From Bridge Collapse
He Should've
Been on the
Bridge, but
Changed Shift
THE RUNDOWN

He Should've Been on the Bridge, but Changed Shift

Moises Diaz mourns co-workers who died during collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge

(Newser) - The bodies of two Brawner Builders construction workers have been pulled from the waters of Maryland's Patapsco River following the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, and four more are presumed dead; the search for them has been suspended. Now, another of the company's...

Historian Claims to Have Solved a Mona Lisa Mystery

Bridge above subject's shoulder still stands in Tuscany, says Silvano Vinceti

(Newser) - Few eyes gazing upon Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa likely notice the tiny bridge painted just above the subject's left shoulder, on the right side of the painting. But that piece of architecture stood out to Italian historian Silvano Vinceti, who believes he's identified it as a...

Marine's Memorial Came With $3.2K Tab for His Family

Mark Schmitz says he was 'a little shocked' to be sent bill for road signs in tribute to fallen son, Jared

(Newser) - Last summer, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill to designate a bridge over Interstate 70 as the Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz Memorial Bridge, in honor of a 20-year-old Marine who was one of 13 service members killed by a suicide bomber the prior year in Afghanistan. KTVI reports...

Damage From Blast on Crimean Bridge May Have 'Profound Effect'

No responsibility yet claimed, but damage may cause big roadblock on Russian supplies for war

(Newser) - The only bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland appeared to have been badly damaged Saturday after an apparent truck explosion. The New York Times reports the blast on the 12-mile bridge over the Kerch Strait caused a fire and the collapse of part of the bridge into...

His Graffitied Proposal Was a Landmark. Then It Got Erased

Now, James Lowe's message on bridge in Sheffield, England, is back after public clamor

(Newser) - "For better or for worse, graffiti is normal in every city across the world." So begins the YouTube video entitled "The Graffiti That Changed a City," referring to a 20-year-old spray-painted marriage proposal on a pedestrian bridge in Sheffield, England, that "became a symbol of...

This Bridge Is Giving Us Serious Vertigo

World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge has opened to the public in Czech Republic

(Newser) - A pedestrian suspension bridge that's the longest such construction in the world has opened at a mountain resort in the Czech Republic. The 2,365-foot-long bridge is built at an altitude of more than 3,610 feet above sea level. It connects two ridges of mountains and hangs up...

Bridge From Famous Children's Book Is Up for Grabs

Poohsticks Bridge, featured in AA Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh' series, is headed for auction block

(Newser) - The adventures of the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh have captivated children—and their parents—for nearly 100 years. Fans now have a chance to own a central piece of Pooh's history, when a countryside bridge from southern England goes up for auction next week. The author of the...

Cops: Driver Knocked 2 People Off Bridge, Fled

Police in Wilkesboro, NC, are seeking driver in deadly hit-and-run

(Newser) - North Carolina police are seeking a driver in a hit-and-run that left two people dead over the weekend. Per the State , the bodies of a male and female were found Sunday around 2:30pm under Wilkesboro's Curtis Bridge, which passes over the Yadkin River. Local police said in a...

New Pedestrian Bridge Has Quite a Drop
New Pedestrian Bridge
Has Quite a Drop
photos

New Pedestrian Bridge Has Quite a Drop

Span in Portugal, suspended over canyon, may be world's longest

(Newser) - It's probably best if you gird yourself before you look down from the Arouca Bridge. The narrow footbridge suspended across a river canyon in northern Portugal claims to be the world’s longest pedestrian bridge and was officially inaugurated Sunday, per the AP . The Arouca Bridge offers a nearly...

Report Card on America's Infrastructure Is a 'Warning'

Overall score from American Society of Civil Engineers is a C-

(Newser) - America's infrastructure has scored near-failing grades for its deteriorating roads, public transit, and storm water systems due to years of inaction from the federal government, the American Society of Civil Engineers reports. Its overall grade: a mediocre C-, a slight improvement from its D+ grade in 2017, reports the...

Da Vinci's Groundbreaking Bridge Would Have Worked
Researchers
Test Bridge
Idea From
da Vinci
new study

Researchers Test Bridge Idea From da Vinci

His groundbreaking design in 1502 would have worked, say MIT researchers

(Newser) - When the Ottoman ruler put out a request for bridge designs back in 1502, one of those who responded was none other than Leonardo da Vinci. As it turns out, da Vinci didn't get the job, but his visionary design sketch survived. Now, MIT researchers have used that sketch...

Big Day Is Here: World's Longest Sea Bridge Set to Open

But only certain drivers will be allowed on Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge

(Newser) - Worries about its structural integrity haunted the world's longest sea bridge earlier this year, but the HZMB now appears to be set to open. CNN reports the $20 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will officially have its ribbon cut Tuesday, nine years after construction on the bridge started, at...

That Bridge You Drive Over May Be One of 56K Shoddy Ones

Report nails tens of thousands of 'structurally deficient' spans across US

(Newser) - Like a bridge over troubled water, or simply like a troubled bridge? According to a construction organization specializing in over-the-water platforms, it's the latter in the US, with almost 56,000 "structurally deficient" bridges scattered across the country, USA Today reports. And the American Road and Transportation Builders...

65K US Bridges 'Structurally Deficient'

And another 20K are 'fracture critical,' which is even worse

(Newser) - Think about this the next time you drive over a bridge: An AP analysis of 607,380 bridges in the most recent federal National Bridge Inventory showed that 65,605 were classified as "structurally deficient" and 20,808 as "fracture critical." A bridge is deemed fracture critical...

We Cross Bridges Needing Repair 260M Times a Day
We Cross Bridges Needing Repair 260M Times a Day
new report

We Cross Bridges Needing Repair 260M Times a Day

New report finds that 1 in 9 in US are 'structurally deficient'

(Newser) - If this story didn't already cause you to develop a mild case of gephyrophobia , then this one may do the trick: Some 11% of America's bridges are structurally deficient and in need of repair, according to a new report from Transportation for America . It's a stat made...

We're Headed for Another Bridge Disaster

Spans need fixing, but Congress dithers

(Newser) - Some not-so-fun facts to ponder on your next drive: More than 151,000 of the nation's bridges—that's about 25%—are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, writes blogger Dr. Denny at Scholars and Rogues . It's true that the number is decreasing, but only incrementally. "At this rate, America...

US Infrastructure Is a 'Bridge to Almost Nowhere'

Infrastructure spending is critical, but not on bridges to nowhere

(Newser) - Recently the House passed an $18 billion infrastructure bill, and Barack Obama has indicated that he'll ask for billions more in spending to create jobs while improving the nation's roads and bridges. But as New York Times columnist David Leonhardt writes, insufficient investment is only part of the problem. At...

Suspect's Bridge Leap Kills K-9
Suspect's Bridge Leap Kills K-9

Suspect's Bridge Leap Kills K-9

Police dog perishes after SoCal pursuit

(Newser) - A California man being pursued by police survived a dive off the San Diego-Coronado bridge, but the police dog he seized as he went over the rail died, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The dog, a German shepherd named Stryker, was part of the Oceanside police department, and a California...

18 Stories