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BNSF swing span bridge at Fort Madison hit by barge

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BNSF swing span bridge at Fort Madison hit by barge
Posted by diningcar on Saturday, May 11, 2024 8:51 AM

Does anyone have an update? My news came from Google.

If the bridge is substantially damaged the southern transcon will be shut down. 

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, May 11, 2024 8:58 AM

Does not appear serious (except to the barge involved, which later sank).

I hesitate to use Fox as a source, but they have video and many details in one place:

https://www.foxnews.com/us/large-barge-crashes-historic-fort-madision-bridge-iowa-later-sinks.amp

Bridge was said to have been "reopened" around 4:15, which I assume means to rail traffic.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, May 11, 2024 10:19 AM

Usually these floating whatevers win such as Baltimore and Sunset limited.  However, this time the bridge won and sunk the barge.

Seriously though, It is time to change some maritime laws.  These limitations of liability for collisions need changing.  Now for the high seas expect that a new UN treaty with ratification by a number of countries is needed.  But heere in the US can it be changed absent international approval?  Have no idea! 

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, May 11, 2024 12:54 PM

blue streak 1
Usually these floating whatevers win such as Baltimore and Sunset limited.  However, this time the bridge won and sunk the barge.

Seriously though, It is time to change some maritime laws.  These limitations of liability for collisions need changing.  Now for the high seas expect that a new UN treaty with ratification by a number of countries is needed.  But heere in the US can it be changed absent international approval?  Have no idea! 

Water vessels usually DO NOT win the allisions with bridges.  Bridge strikes - both on land and over water are unfortunately common occurences - at least on the territories I have had authority over, which is nominally the entire East Coast as I worked on multiple CSX divisions over the years.  With every reported strike Bridge & Building personnel are notified to inspect the facility before train traffic is resumed.

Allisions with significant bridge damage are the exception, not the rule.  

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Posted by mudchicken on Saturday, May 11, 2024 1:42 PM

Positive Barge Control!

 

methinks BNSF was lucky that they had a steel bridge inspector or structures supervisor so close to the bridge when this happened...

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, May 11, 2024 4:51 PM

Not sure of the tonnage of the barge - per the attached site they load about 1,550 tons of grain per barge on the Upper Mississippi - so maybe 2,500 tons max.

https://www.soytransportation.org/KeyFindings/BargeStatisticsForGrainsAndSoybeans.pdf

The MV Dali is 95,128 tons empty and 116,851 tons full load 

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9697428

So the mass and resulting force that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge was likely at least 40 times greater (and likely more depending on the speeds at impact) than the mass and resulting force that hit the Fort Madison bridge.

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Posted by diningcar on Saturday, May 11, 2024 8:02 PM

I think the story indicated this barge broke away and, if so, was drifting without a push. 

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, May 11, 2024 8:42 PM

diningcar
I think the story indicated this barge broke away and, if so, was drifting without a push.

This was the Mississippi; current was probably in the 6mph range, and the barge would accelerate to whatever the current speed was comparatively quickly after breaking loose.  It's no particular surprise to me that it was damaged enough to sink.

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Posted by CMStPnP on Sunday, May 12, 2024 11:23 AM

I am a proponent for Suspension spans over the navigable waterways.    We are never going to reach a level of operation where the barges never seem to float away from the tugboat Captains or Ship Captains never seem to have a ship that fully functions all the time.   Understood in a lot of cases that means approach and descending grades.     The St. Louis bridges seemed to have tackled that already though.    Maybe get the Feds involved here with funding to speed this up across the country with both railroad and road bridges.     They will still need dolphins of course to protect suspension bridge supports but far less of them.    Also, less moving parts to maintain with suspension bridges.   With less obstructions in the riverflow, potentially the river would be a little less challenging to navigate?

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Posted by tree68 on Sunday, May 12, 2024 5:36 PM

CMStPnP
They will still need dolphins of course to protect suspension bridge supports but far less of them. 

Depends on how far they wish to span.  The piers for the two Blue Water Bridges at Port Huron / Sarnia are both on shore.  

 

LarryWhistling
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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, May 12, 2024 5:58 PM

I don't know why the FSK Bridge had such 'narrow' piers for the span, I suspect to be able to lengthen the grade for the automotive traffic path and thus decrease the effective grade to get to to the height necessary to clear ocean going vessels, especially as it was expected this would be the primary route for trucks whose cargos are not permitted to operate through the pair of harbor tunnels.  Additionally commerical vessel size has grown exponentially from the period in time when the FSK bridge was being designed.  Vessels the size of the Dali weren't even a dream, let alone the nightmare that actually struck and destroyed the bridge.

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Posted by MidlandMike on Sunday, May 12, 2024 9:32 PM

CMStPnP
I am a proponent for Suspension spans over the navigable waterways. 

The only suspension bridge in the US that I am aware of that was use for railroad (other than transit rail) was the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, that itself was replaced with a steel arch bridge in 1897.  Even on highways today, suspension bridges seem to have lost favor to cable-stayed bridges.

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Posted by Erik_Mag on Sunday, May 12, 2024 9:48 PM

The San Francisco Bay Bridge had railroad tracks on the lower level up until 1957. These were originally for the Key System, SP's East Bay service and the Sacramento Northern, but the latter two dropped out ca 1940. The MU's on these trains had nowhere near a freight trains weight per foot, so this would not be a good example of suspension bridges for normal RR service. In essence, suspension bridges are not rigid enough for railroad service.

I have my doubts about cable stayed bridges having the rigidity needed for railroad service, but keep in mind that I am not a civil engineer.

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, May 13, 2024 3:39 AM

The George Washington Bridge was famously designed for an extension of the IND into Northern New Jersey in the 1920s, and when the Martha Washington Bridge was finished in the early 1960s, space for the two tracks was preserved between the eastbound and westbound road lanes.  

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, May 13, 2024 10:12 AM

CMStPnP

I am a proponent for Suspension spans over the navigable waterways.

A rather expensive solution for this issue, especially if you include the Chicago River and Calumet River and similar rivers and canals in your classification for navigable waterways.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by wjstix on Monday, May 13, 2024 1:33 PM

Here's the Virtual Railfan "Grab Bag" episode that showed the barges - it appears several barges broke loose. Starts about 21:35 in....

BARGES BREAK LOOSE, VEHICLE SCRAPED BY ENGINE, CROSSING ARM DESTROYED BY TRUCK & ENGINE! (youtube.com)

Stix
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Posted by mudchicken on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 12:51 PM

mudchicken

Positive Barge Control!

 

methinks BNSF was lucky that they had a steel bridge inspector or structures supervisor so close to the bridge when this happened...

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch - the Pelican Island/ Galveston Island rail and road bridge just was destroyed by a barge strike....

(BNSF/UP)....fortunately, I think the railroads no longer service Pelican Island and just stay over on Galveston Island?

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 1:50 PM

Galveston combined RR and highway bridge hit by barge.  See picvtures in link.  Now no access to Galveston by car or rail.  It is not pretty.  RR portion of column suppors bad breakup.  Again is the barge company cite soome obscure law to avoid paying for total restoration?  It is time to change US law!!!

Barge hits a bridge in Galveston, Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill (msn.com)

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 3:00 PM

It is always open season on bridges - they will either be overloaded or impacted no matter what they are spaning.

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 3:06 PM

blue streak 1
Galveston combined RR and highway bridge hit by barge.  See pictures in link.  Now no access to Galveston by car or rail.

No real damage to either lane of the bridge.

From the story: "Flores [the Galveston bridge superintendent] said the rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used."  It appears to have done that job reasonably well under the circumstances.

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4:52 PM

Overmod
 
blue streak 1
Galveston combined RR and highway bridge hit by barge.  See pictures in link.  Now no access to Galveston by car or rail. 

No real damage to either lane of the bridge.

From the story: "Flores [the Galveston bridge superintendent] said the rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used."  It appears to have done that job reasonably well under the circumstances.

First time I have ever heard of a rail line on a bridge bein 'protection for the structure' and never having been used.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4:55 PM

A search on "ships crashing into bridges" brings up some 35 where the bridge has actually collapsed.  Most of the early results from the search were focused on Baltimore - so I didn't take the time to dig further.

It's a common tale, it's true.

LarryWhistling
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Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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