A little history first, since I didn't grow up here it will help me more than anyone:
Ramp collapse (via wikipedia)
On April 15, 1982, fourteen workers were killed and eighteen injured when falsework beneath a ramp failed during a concrete pour.[6] At 10:40 am, Unit 4, one of the bridge sections, collapsed, destroying the scaffold stairway and stranding workers on the remaining sections above. Workers on the Unit 4 were crushed to death when the section flipped and landed upside-down while descending due to tension in the cables.[5]
Surviving construction workers brought in a cherry picker to rescue the remaining workers stranded on the ramp, but five minutes after the initial collapse, Unit 5, the neighboring section, also collapsed. Twelve workers in total were killed instantly; a thirteenth died two weeks after the collapse, and the fourteenth worker died of injuries suffered during the collapse two years later. The accident remains Indiana's deadliest industrial or construction accident in its history.[5]
Investigators from the National Bureau of Standards for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) discovered several errors that caused the collapse of the bridge section. The most likely cause of the collapse was "the cracking of a concrete pad supporting a leg of the shoring towers." The failure of the concrete pad, built too thin, led to another finding; 1 inch (2.5 cm) bolts that were supposed to connect key stringers to cross-beams instead were replaced with frictional clips, but investigators did not find any documentation that supported this substitution. Investigators could not locate any engineering calculations supporting the pads as designed; worse, the pads were built substandard to the undocumented design.[5]
Lawsuits against companies involved in building the ramp were settled out of court, as no single party could be found to explain the discrepancies. The bridge finally opened in 1986. In 1987, the overpass on the section between Inland Steel and Riley Road was renamed the "Highway Workers Memorial Highway," in memory of the workers.
Bridge closure
On November 13, 2009, the Indiana Department of Transportation closed the bridge portion over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (equivalent to the portions of the road between exits 1 and 5A) to all traffic after consultants released details of an inspection on the bridge, citing safety concerns equivalent to the August 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.[8]
On December 28, 2009 INDOT announced that the bridge will remain permanently closed and ultimately demolished at a future date to be determined. There are no immediate plans to build a new bridge in its place, as INDOT claims the $90 million expense for a new bridge for 30,000 vehicles per day is not justifiable. Instead, INDOT is focusing on upgrading the roadways being used as a detour around the bridge to handle the added traffic.
The Post-Trib finally got access to the consulting engineering report that caused the state to close the Cline Ave. bridge. (via Blue County in Red State)
Then in late 2009 it was announced officially that the bridge would not be replaced. (see Times article)
There was a public meeting on the Cline Avenue Bridge yesterday, and I've asked Lakeshore PTV for a video clip to post here if they can make it available. And somehow after that meeting was over one local conservative blogger who writes as Buzzcut on Blue County Red State got upset with a conversation with Rep. Ed Soliday and some other local business leaders. Buzz has been documenting some private investigations into the engineering, albeit faulty, that went into the construction of the bridge.
Buzz wrote his reaction and frustrations here. One other participant in the conversation was local GOP activist Joe Hero. Let's just say that this isn't the first conspiracy that Joe found to his liking.
I just talked to Rep. Soliday personally and he related his perspective. He denied putting his finger in Buzz's chest and related he agreed with 95% of what Buzz said during his questions and comments to the panel. He gave me names of others who were also involved in the private conversation including the chairman of the NW Indiana Forum. He said that a legislative investigation would do little and merely turn into political folly with Democrats in the House using it to attack the Governor over a bridge built poorly 25 years ago. He also mentioned to both Mr Hero and the blogger that if they felt there was some criminal issue, they should go to the prosecutor.
"It is interesting that neither one of these two approached me to ask for information, they just demanded a public hearing related to a conspiracy on a situation that is frankly plain as the nose on your face. "
Now, my thoughts for the record:
- Obviously this bridge has a history of problems, it would appear that a lot of money has been wasted each time. I've also heard some talk that it was built for ships to pass underneath which doesn't ever happen and was just more wasted money.
- Lake County Republicans are so sick and tired of being jerked around by politicians, they are a little testy. I feel your pain, get rid of those in charge in your county now but this isn't your Governor's fault, he's just the first one to start calling out for honesty in government for your county.
- If another bridge is to be built, I personally would prefer it be privately operated as a toll bridge. Sounds too expensive for a freeway.
- I'm sure Buzzcut will continue his personal investigation into what engineers designed and what contractors built this mess. But for now the story of a faceoff with a legislator seems to be a bit overblown. I'm more concerned as to why Buzz isn't jumping all over the Times and Post for letting him do their journalism jobs?
