NTSB warning about extra weight on bridges

Hello! I'm Kristin Volk on this Thursday, the 9 day of August 2007 with a UPI headline update.

The National Transportation Safety Board is warning states about the additional stress placed on bridges during construction projects. This comes after the deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis last week. The NTSB says it's looking into the weight of sand, gravel and construction vehicles on the Interstate 35W bridge when it fell. It's also investigating a possible design flaw with the span's gusset plates...those are the plates that tie steel beams together.

Rescuers in the Utah coal mine collapse are hoping to reach those six trapped miners by tomorrow. Two small holes are being drilled through a mountain to allow for communications and the delivery of food and water. It's still unknown if the miners survived the collapse early Monday morning. There's also debate as to whether an earthquake caused the incident or the event that registered on the Richter scale was the collapse itself.

The South Carolina Republican Party is moving its primary up to January 19. That's two weeks ahead of when it was originally planned. The party says this is a way to preserve its status as the first southern state to vote in the 2008 GOP presidential nominating contest. Florida had moved its primary to January 29. Both states will be in violation of Republican National Committee rules that require them to wait until the 5 of February to hold nominating contests. But that hasn't stopped party leaders in those states from disregarding them.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is in orbit with teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan on board. The shuttle launched yesterday from the Kennedy Space Center. NASA last tried to send a teacher into space on shuttle Challenger in 1986, which exploded shortly after takeoff, killing everyone aboard. Morgan will devote most of her time to moving the shuttle's robotic arm. She'll also spend time interacting with students. The crew of seven is expected to be in orbit for eleven days to help build the International Space Station.

That's all for now. Check out weekly wrap-up from the White House tomorrow on upi.com. Thanks for watching!

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• bridge
• collapse
• construction
• Minneapolis
• Utah
• coal
• mine
• trapped
• South
• Carolina
• primary
• Space
• shuttle
• Endeavour

[BoboVicus]

I think It has to doi with the climate, expanding and contracting due to the heat.

[ginerlynn]

They are now talking about a possible design flaw,perhaps exacerbated by the extra weight. Important thing to note is that there are quite a number of them constrcted the same way. These bridges must be inspected and damage/erosion repaired sooner so that the added stress of maintenance doesnt cause another disaster like this one.