Friday, January 20, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA -- Problems with industrial glue led to heavy steel raining down from a bridge canopy over a busy interstate in downtown Atlanta last year, state officials said Friday.
About 170 feet of aluminum fencing and canopy supports for a pedestrian walkway on the 17th Street Bridge crumbled above the main Downtown Connector on Aug. 13. The failure happened late at night, and no wrecks or injuries were reported.
A review found that anchor bolts pulled out from the bridge over time, leading to the canopy collapse, CBS Atlanta reported (http://bit.ly/xB4L5o).
Results of the investigation, released Friday, also found that poor mixing, proportioning and incomplete filling of the glue by a contractor also contributed to the accident.
It was "simply a matter of time before the bridge fell," according to a report by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. of Northbrook, Ill., which worked with the state transportation department to investigate the cause.
"This was a disturbing incident, obviously," DOT Chief Engineer Gerald Ross said. "But it was an anomaly in so many respects. Georgia's roads and bridges are safe and it is important that our citizens know that."
More like this story
- Work on Atlanta bridge begins in wake of collapse ( September 14, 2012 )
- Seven workers released in bridge collapse ( December 21, 2008 )
- Portion of parking deck collapses in Atlanta ( June 29, 2009 )
- One dead, 18 injured in Atlanta bridge collapse ( December 20, 2008 )
- Must read: Minneapolis drivers honk approval for replacement bridge ( September 19, 2008 )
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID