Which U.S. bridges have failed? Here’s a list from January 1980 through this year

Timothy G. Galarnyk, CEO of Construction Risk Management, presented this list of U.S. bridge failures in June 2012 at the International Bridge Conference. (Galarnyk compiled this from media reports, but when checking with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, he was told FHWA does not maintain a listing of collapsed or failed bridges.)

For a state-by-state list of how the bridges in your state are doing and an analysis of the data, Bridge closed photocheck out the Better Roads Annual Bridge Inventory (click on the link for a downloadable PDF). Look for our new report in the November 2012 print edition or website (www.betterroads.com) of Better Roads, or check out the full report plus additional charts and details in our digital edition (www.BetterRoads.com/digital).

LISTING OF U.S. BRIDGE FAILURES

(For a downloadable PDF of this list, click here.)

Jan. 1, 1980 to Dec. 31, 2009

1980 – 09 May: Sunshine Skyway Bridge Struck by Ship – St. Petersburg, FL

1981 – 17 July: Hyatt Regency Skyway Bridge Collapse – Kansas City, MO

1982 – 13 January: 14th Street Bridge Collapse Struck by Airplane – Washington DC

1982 – 15 April:           Cline Avenue Bridge Collapse during Construction – East Chicago, IN

1983 – 28 June:            Mianus River Bridge Collapse Metal Fatigue – Greenwich, CT

1987 – 05 April:            Schoharie Creek Bridge Collapse River Bed Scour – Ft. Hunter, NY

1989 – 01 April:            Tennessee River Bridge Collapse Piling Failure – Memphis, TN

1989 – 17 October:            Cypress Viaduct Collapse in Earthquake – Oakland, CA

1989 – 17 October:            Oakland Bay Bridge Partial Collapse in Earthquake – San Francisco, CA

1989 – 28 October:            Pedestrian Bridge Collapse Overloaded – Heber Springs, AR

1990 – 24 April:           Lake Street Bridge Collapse During Construction – Minneapolis, MN

1990 – 25 November:           Lacey Murrow Bridge Sunk Due to Heavy Flooding – Seattle, WA

1993 – 28 May:          Claiborne Avenue Bridge Collapse Struck by Barge – New Orleans, LA

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1993 – 22 September:           CSXT Bridge Collapsed Struck by Barge – Mobile, LA

1995 – 10 March:           I-5 Bridge Collapse Substructure Failure – Coalinga, CA

2000 – 13 December:           Hoan Bridge Partial Collapse Brittle Steel Fatigue – Milwaukee, WI

2001 – 15 September:           Queen Isabella Causeway Collapse Struck by Barge – South Padre Island, TX

2002 – 26 May:          I-40 Bridge Collapse Struck by Barge – Webbers Falls, OK

2003 – 26 March:          I-95 Bridge Collapse Traffic Crash Caused Fire – Bridgeport, CT

2003 – 06 July:            Wimer Covered Bridge Collapsed When Pickup Truck Crossed it – Oregon

2003 – 21 July:            Kinzua Bridge Collapse in Tornado – Kinza State Park, PA

2004 – 03 February:      Igor Memorial Bridge Collapse During Removal – Hartford, CT

2004 – 16 February:           Maumee River Bridge Collapsed During Construction – Toledo, OH

2006 – 15 September:          Cableway used for New Hoover Dam Bridge Collapses – Hoover Dam – NV

2007 – 01 August:          I-35 W Bridge Collapse During Repairs – Minneapolis, MN

2007 – 15 August:          Harp Road Bridge Collapse Overloaded – Oakville, WA

2008 – 29 April:           MacArthur Bridge Collapse Due to Traffic Crash Fire – Oakland, CA

2008 – 12 June:            CRANDIC Bridge Collapse in Flood – Cedar Rapids, IA

2008 – 12 December:          Oak Island Bridge Collapsed During Construction – Brunswick, NC

2009 – 15 July:            9 Mile Bridge Collapse Due to Traffic Crash Fire – Hazel Park, MI

2009 – 27 October:           I-80 Bridge Partial Collapse Due to Tension Rod Failure – Oakland, CA

 

31 AVERAGE ONE BRIDGE EVERY EIGHT MONTHS  (7.7419 Months)          

Jan. 1, 2010 to July 7, 2012

2010 – 19 January:           Southampton Road Bridge Collapses During Construction – Harford County, MD

2010 – 25 January:           Walnut Street Bridge Collapsed Due to Age – Harrisburg, PA

2010 – 30 April:          Texas 322 Bridge Collapsed When Struck by Truck – Longview, TX

2010 – 01 May:        Stream Bridge Collapses After Heavy Rains – Madison County, TN

2010 – 07 June:          Popo River Bridge Collapses Due to River Scour – Lander, WY

2010 – 15 June:           Naugatuck River Bridge Collapse During Construction – Norfolk, CT

2010 – 18 June:          Elkhorn River Bridge Collapsed Due to Scour – Norfolk, NE

2010 – 21 July:           Salt Creek Pedestrian Bridge Collapses Due to Age – Lincoln, ME

2010 – 18 September:          Brook Park Bridge Collapse During Construction – Brook Park, OH

2010 – 20 October:          Elk Creek Bridge Collapse During Repairs – Brewster, MN

2010 – 19 November:        Seneca River Bridge Collapses During Removal – Chicago, IL

2011 – 11 April:         Conway Bridge Collapse Due to Overload – Conway, AR

2011 – 25 April:         USH 169 Bridge Collapse During Construction – Ft. Dodge, IA

2011 – 28 June:          Bolton Road Bridge Collapsed When Struck by Truck – Atlanta, GA

2011 – 16 July:           Railroad Bridge Approach Collapsed Due To Flood – Fridley, MN

2011 – 31 July:           Hwy 70 Overpass Collapses While Under Construction – Oronville, CA

2011 – 13 August:        17th Street Bridge Railing/Fence Collapsed onto roadway below – Atlanta, GA

2011 – 28 August:        Rockaway River Bridge Collapses Due to Flood – Morris County, NJ

2011 – 28 August:        Carrabassett River Bridge Collapsed – Flood, Scour – Carrabassett Valley, ME

2011 – 28 August:        Bracket Brook Bridge Collapsed Due to Flood – Carrabassett Valley, ME

2012 – 26 January:          Tennessee River Bridge Collapsed Struck by Barge – Eggner’s Ferry, KY

2012 – 19 February:         Sabo Pedestrian Bridge Cable Failure (Constructed 2007) – Minneapolis, MN

2012 – 22 June:         Devon Road Bridge Collapsed Due to Overload By Garbage Truck – Cinnaminson, NJ

2012 – 27 June:         USH 310 Bridge Collapsed Due to Scour – Nassau County, FL

2012 – 29 June:         Water Pipe Line Bridge (3 Lines) over River Collapsed Due to Age – Colts Neck, NJ

2012 – 05 July:          Railroad Bridge Collapsed onto Street Due to Heat Rails – Chicago, IL

2012 – 05 July:          Crane and Bridge Girder Collapsed During Girder Erection – Oshkosh, WI

27 AVERAGE ONE BRIDGE EVERY MONTH   (1.0322 months)

Timothy G. Galarnyk, CEO of Construction Risk Management, developed the list of the bridges named above.