Introduction
The collapse of the I-75 Bridge in Cincinnati is just but some of the engineering disasters that have led to loss of properties and in advanced cases, the loss of lives. Such disasters are generally man-made in the sense that they occur or are caused by structures that have been manufactured by humans. In most cases, man-made infrastructures fail or collapse as a result of misappropriation of engineering materials or as a result of the reaction of between certain environmental conditions and the engineering materials. Engineering disasters such as the 1-75 Bridge collapse can be traced from as early as 1297 during the British and Scottish War of Independence, when a bridge that was used by British Soldiers collapse leading to loss of many lives. Another most recent failure of an engineering infrastructure is the Collapse of the I-35 in Mississippi that led to death of approximately 13 people and the destruction of several automotives/vehicles. Incidences of engineering failures caused as result of the reaction between infrastructure and the surrounding environment have been witnesses in certain parts of the United States i.e. incidences of Hurricanes that lead t destruction of property as well as the loss of many lives. This paper will explore a recent engineering failure, the collapse of the I-35 Bridge in Cincinnati. Specifically, it will provide an explanation in relation to the causes of this failure as well as the actions that might have been taken by the local governments to mitigate the disaster or prevent its future occurrence.
The Collapse of the Interstate 75 (I-75)
The section of the Interstate 75 that collapsed was a Hopple Street Overpass into the Interstate 75. The collapse caused the death of one construction worker and a fatal injury to one person, specifically a truck driver. It also paralyzed traffic throughout the region for several hours and witness indicated that one truck was extremely crushed by the failure. The incident occurred on a Monday night at 10.30 p.m approximately half an hour before a planned demolition commenced. This disaster attracted the attention of various experts, local governments and other concerned stakeholders, each providing his/her own personal perspectives. This is mainly as a result of the fact that this section is a route to approximately 200, 000 vehicle that use it on a daily basis. It is also considered a commercial route on a national perspectives and approximately 400 billion worth of goods crosses this section yearly. This has been approximated to be four percent of the total national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What could be the possible causes of this Failure?
Considering the perspectives of experts and local authorities that were interviewed after the incident, the possible causes of the I-75 Bridge failure might have been as a result of three main issues: Materials failure, human factors and failures as a result of operation or maintenance failure.
Maintenance Failure/Failure due to Operation
Before the collapse of the bridge, there was a contract given to the Kokosing Construction Company to implement the Hopple Street, an inter-change project that was valued at $2 billion; this included an overhaul of the I-75, which basically involved removal of the eastern portion. This has been considered a possible failure of the bridge; in the perspective of an expert Engineer Linwood Howell, an engineer for Austin a company based in Texas, the removal of the eastern by-pass could be a possible cause of the collapse. The removal of the eastern by-pass basically over-weakened the main section that supports the I-75 section leading to the failure. In his view, Kosking Construction Company should have begun by removing the middle section of the bridge, rather than the eastern section. From a personal perspective, I think that the perspective of Engineer Linwood I valid; this is mainly as a result of the fact that removal of the eastern section of the I-75 Bridge meant several metal rails that support the entire bridge had to be removed. Therefore, remaining section had to support an extra weight, leading to an ultimate failure.
In the perspective of an architectural Professor in the University of Cincinnati, Tom Bible, it appears that Kosking Construction Company was making an attempt to save time by removing the eastern section of I-75 Bridge. This basically meant that several metal rails and metal beams supporting the bridge on the eastern side had to be removed, causing pressure on the metal beams of the western section: Increased pressure on the western metal beams led to the ultimate collapse of the bridge.
Human Factors
Human factors are apparently the major causes of the failure of the I-75 Bridge. Witness report indicates that a construction worker, Brandon Carl was working on the eastern section of the Bridge, using an excavator to remove metal beams so that the demolition could start. The collapse of the bridge crushed Carl to death. Experts have claimed that the removal of the eastern beams using an excavator might have facilitated the failure of the bridge. A aforementioned the removal of the metal beams on the eastern side, basically meant that the metal beams on the western side had to support an increased load, hence leading to their ultimate failure.
Personally, I believe that human factors i.e. failure of Kosking Construction Company to assess the possible consequences of removing the eastern metal beams might have resulted to the ultimate failure of the bridge. Various experts i.e. Expert Engineer Linwood of Austin Company have indicated that the most appropriate strategy that would have been applied to demolish the bridge, should have began by removing the middle section of the bridge, hence creating a balance of weight on the Eastern and the Western side.
Material Failure
Despite that the reports produced have not indicated a possibility of material failure as the main cause of the incident; I believe that this could also be one of the reasons. To begin with, the bridge was originally constructed in 1961 and there is not report indicating that the original materials that were used have been replaced. Taking this factor into consideration, I believe that the materials that were used to support the Western section of the bridge, might have failed as result of aging. This means that they could not support the extra weight placed on them upon the destruction of the eastern section.
Conclusion
The failure of the I-75 Bridge in Cincinnati is an engineering disaster considered a man-made disaster. From the discussion, it appears that the possible major causes of the failure were; materials failure, operational failure/Maintenance and human factors. However, it is important to acknowledge the fact that human factor is the major contributor of the disaster i.e. the failure of the Kosking Construction Company to consider the fact that removal of the eastern section rather than the middle section could have resulted into an ultimate failure of the bridge.
Work Cited
"I-75 Reopens One Day after Deadly Overpass Collapse in Cincinnati." WXYZ. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.wxyz.com/news/1-dead-1-hurt-after-overpass-collapses-onto-i-75-in-cincinnati>.
"Ky. Man Killed in Cincinnati Overpass Collapse." WKYT RSS. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Deadly-bridge-collapse-shuts-down-I-75-in-Cincinnati-289105771.html>.
Pilcher, James, and Jason Enquirer. "Experts Weigh in on I-75 Bridge Collapse." USA Today. Gannett, 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/21/experts-weigh-in-on-i-75-bridge-collapse/22088675/>.
Vallero, Daniel A., and Trevor M. Letcher. "Engineering risks and failures: Lessons learned from environmental disasters." Leadership and Management in Engineering 12.4 (2012): 199-209.
