"Three independent engineers who examined the photos, records and bridge blueprints at the Herald's request concurred the cracks were a red flag signaling potentially critical structural problems. ...
They said the cracks should have prompted work on the bridge to stop for an in-depth review that likely would have resulted in the truss connection being re-engineered and significantly reinforced. ... A fourth bridge engineer, Ralph Verrastro of Naples, said the cracks did not appear significant to him."
20/200 hindsight? Great PR.
citizen
May 9, 18 7:07 pm
(anticipating the inevitable here)
TIN FOIL HATS! GET YER TIN FOIL HAT RIGHT HERE!
Schoon
May 10, 18 9:41 am
That quote is so true Volunteer. Engineers are already talking about this in forensics classes at my school, and their takeaway is that the worst quality an engineer can have is overconfidence. So many develop it over time and it usually takes tragedies such as this to shock everybody back into caution.
Good article from the Miami Herald on the FIU bridge collapse here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/new...
The last sentence well worth remembering:
"The cracks are telling them that the connection is failing, but they’re not seeing it," Howell said. "When it’s your design, you rationalize your way around it. "Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article210449384.html#storylink=cpy
"Three independent engineers who examined the photos, records and bridge blueprints at the Herald's request concurred the cracks were a red flag signaling potentially critical structural problems.
...
They said the cracks should have prompted work on the bridge to stop for an in-depth review that likely would have resulted in the truss connection being re-engineered and significantly reinforced.
...
A fourth bridge engineer, Ralph Verrastro of Naples, said the cracks did not appear significant to him."
20/200 hindsight? Great PR.
(anticipating the inevitable here)
TIN FOIL HATS! GET YER TIN FOIL HAT RIGHT HERE!
That quote is so true Volunteer. Engineers are already talking about this in forensics classes at my school, and their takeaway is that the worst quality an engineer can have is overconfidence. So many develop it over time and it usually takes tragedies such as this to shock everybody back into caution.