SO for the past week a stretch of I 65 has been closed northbound, creating a plethora of traffic and backups to rival the Dan Ryan and Tri-State stretches of highway through the metro Chicagoland area. Intolerable in this day and age, until you start thinking about just how lethargic our state and federal legislators are today, and have been over the last 8 years or so. . . and why. . .
The bridge is shifting and loose; a discovery made while a worker was doing an inspection of the condition of said bridge.
Right away we begin reading, hearing, and seeing the finger pointing going on. The state had a band aid approach they implemented, but that was an epic failure. . .
BOTH side of the aisle are at fault here, but once again social media jumps onto the wagon. Today I saw this and I almost came unglued. . .
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr111/hlovett_2008/bannerfans_161965951-700x499_zpsjhyw0vgj.jpg) (http://s475.photobucket.com/user/hlovett_2008/media/bannerfans_161965951-700x499_zpsjhyw0vgj.jpg.html)
Can anyone here tell me what is absolutely and unequivocally wrong with the implications of the above meme? (It was posted on social media and written by an Indiana Democrat. I refuse to post a link to that source out of utter disgust). :mad: :rant:
I admit to an intense disagreement and dislike for Mike P. (gag wretch). However. Why is this meme wrong at face value?
As I remember, it was Mitch who gutted the state work force and create the so called surplus. Also, since this is an Interstate highway, federal funds should come into play. Everyone is to blame for our crumbling infrastructure.
Quote from: Mr442 on August 16, 2015, 05:30:23 PM
As I remember, it was Mitch who gutted the state work force and create the so called surplus. Also, since this is an Interstate highway, federal funds should come into play. Everyone is to blame for our crumbling infrastructure.
Indeed. . .
The Anti-Christ shares blame because he failed to take heed of the INDOT reports on the Wildcat Creek Bridge and direct federal funds to repairs them. :yes:
As it turns out, it has NOTHING to do with anybody but a contractor who was working on widening the road (http://www.wibc.com/news/local-news/i-65-bridge-closure-blamed-contractor-will-take-4-6-weeks-reopen) and punctured an Artesian well. The resulting water release eroded the packed sand bed which supports the bridge over Wildcat Creek, causing it to tilt anfd sink about nine inches.
It has NOTHING what-so-ever to do with any misuse of funds......the only thing that was misuse was MORE political BS, with the democrats spouting off, blaming Pence before they had the facts...TRYING to make it a political issue.
Quote from: Henry Hawk on August 17, 2015, 08:21:23 AM
As it turns out, it has NOTHING to do with anybody but a contractor who was working on widening the road (http://www.wibc.com/news/local-news/i-65-bridge-closure-blamed-contractor-will-take-4-6-weeks-reopen) and punctured an Artesian well. The resulting water release eroded the packed sand bed which supports the bridge over Wildcat Creek, causing it to tilt anfd sink about nine inches.
It has NOTHING what-so-ever to do with any misuse of funds......the only thing that was misuse was MORE political BS, with the democrats spouting off, blaming Pence before they had the facts...TRYING to make it a political issue.
Uh. . . You had better read though your research again . . . and include the INDOT bridge inspection reports within that reading; and not just the media's hyperbole. . .
That "Artesian well" was struck back when they were setting the piers originally. The "contractor" that raised an alert that led to the present situation was working on a FUTURE road widening project that includes the bridge in question.
INDOT bridge inspection reports and warnings about the deteriorating condition of the Wildcat Creek bridge have been ongoing for years; to no avail. In fact, one of them warned of exactly the situation (an impending bearing failure) that came to pass. And still nothing was done.
The funds were there to do what was necessary all along, but an in state decision was made, (repetitively), to ignore it until the contractor told them the damn thing was moving. . .
Walsh Construction has been working on the bridge as part of a state project to widen I-65 to six lanes (http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/01/06/indot-hires-contractor-widen-tippecanoe-county/21357177/)between Indiana 25 and Indiana 38.
Workers noticed unusual movements in the bridge deck, then discovered some of the rocker bearings that relieve pressure on the bridge had fallen out.
The condition of the structure, combined with construction taking place, appeared to be the cause, Calder said.
A routine inspection in May did not identify problems that warranted closure of the structure located south of Indiana 25, she said.
But issues with the rocker bearings were documented during the May 19 evaluation performed by inspector Matt Ference.
On a scale of 0 to 9, he gave the substructure, piers and abutments a rating of 4 or poor condition.
"In old reports it is documented that there has been settlement at pier 3 which has caused an extreme tilt to the rocker bearings," Ference noted. "The bearings are still in place and tilted."
He also noted undermining at one end of a supporting frame that is part of an abutment.
Other components of the bridge fared better.
The deck rated 6 or satisfactory condition, and the superstructure was rated 5 or fair condition.
A poor rating on one component of a bridge doesn't mean the entire structure is unsafe, INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield said.
Quote from: Henry Hawk on August 18, 2015, 04:45:52 PM
Walsh Construction has been working on the bridge as part of a state project to widen I-65 to six lanes (http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/01/06/indot-hires-contractor-widen-tippecanoe-county/21357177/)between Indiana 25 and Indiana 38.
Workers noticed unusual movements in the bridge deck, then discovered some of the rocker bearings that relieve pressure on the bridge had fallen out.
The condition of the structure, combined with construction taking place, appeared to be the cause, Calder said.
A routine inspection in May did not identify problems that warranted closure of the structure located south of Indiana 25, she said.
But issues with the rocker bearings were documented during the May 19 evaluation performed by inspector Matt Ference.
On a scale of 0 to 9, he gave the substructure, piers and abutments a rating of 4 or poor condition.
"In old reports it is documented that there has been settlement at pier 3 which has caused an extreme tilt to the rocker bearings," Ference noted. "The bearings are still in place and tilted."
He also noted undermining at one end of a supporting frame that is part of an abutment.
Other components of the bridge fared better.
The deck rated 6 or satisfactory condition, and the superstructure was rated 5 or fair condition.
A poor rating on one component of a bridge doesn't mean the entire structure is unsafe, INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield said.
Walsh construction is the contractor chosen to conduct the bridge modifications; which they bid a set price on performing. Then they discovered the present issue.
Now subsequent inspections AFTER Walsh notified of the present condition found bearing(s) gone and no longer present; which caused the subsequent re-closure of the northbound bridge.
QuoteOn August 6 the Indy Channel, quoting INDOT officials, reported:
. . .The last inspection of the bridge -- which was built in 1969 -- was performed on May 19, 2015.
Inspectors listed the bridge's superstructure, or supporting elements, in "fair condition," noting deficiencies such as rust and minor section loss.
The report also listed the bridge's substructure, or foundation, in "poor condition" and noted that some of the bearings were tilted.
The 2015 inspection noted major damage, bank erosion and debris surrounding the bridge's channel protection.
A September 2014 inspection report listed very similar concerns about the bridge's foundation and support structure.
The Indiana Department of Transportation said crews were working to widen the bridge this week when they noticed unusual movement. . ."The Indiana Department of Transportation is still assessing what caused the bearings falling out of the bridge," INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield said.. . .
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/inspection-report-closed-i-65-bridge-had-structural-problems (http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/inspection-report-closed-i-65-bridge-had-structural-problems)
QuoteOnAugust 7th, the Lafayette Courier Journal quoted THE INDOT inspector responsible for inspecting that bridge as saying:
...Substructural problems on the bridge are noted in INDOT inspection reports dating back at least a decade.
Bearings at the top of the steel components that support the bridge deck had a significant tilt to the north that worsened when air temperatures fell, inspector Sherwood Garrison noted on May 5, 2005.
The tilt the seemed tolerable when measured at that time, he wrote, but added:
"The large rocker tilt is likely caused by an improper or poorly located Pier #4 during the initial construction or poorly located drill holes for the bearing assembly top plate.
"My thought is that the contractor may have tried to place the bearing rockers so that they were in the centers of their respective top and bottom plates, and hence the large lean of the bearing rockers."
On June 6, 2012, Garrison flagged the potential for a critical problem due to the extreme tilt of the rocker bearings on a different pier, pier #3.
"If the pier were to rotate and the rocker bearings fall out of position, a serious to critical condition would exist," he wrote. . .
http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/08/07/safety-concerns-close-i65-again--wildcat-creek/31290265/ (http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/08/07/safety-concerns-close-i65-again--wildcat-creek/31290265/)
QuoteFrom the same article above, quoting the same inspector:
. . .The substructure, that is the piers, abutments and pilings that support the bridge, on a scale of 0 to 9, have been rated 4 or poor condition since at least 2005.
Garrison cited concern about the piers in addition to the tilt of the rocker bearings, and on May 25, 2005, he downgraded the substructure overall condition from a satisfactory rate of 6 to a poor rating of 4 . . .
So it isn't as if this condition is a big surprise, or should have been a surprise in any case. . . INDOT has been reporting the very same situation on this very bridge for a decade at least; to zero response. The money was there every year to be allocated toward the needed repairs that would have allowed a planned and organized approach toward proactively addressing the problems. But the process failed to do so for at least a decade.
Now I'll be the first to say it is not only the Anti-Christ's fault; he shares it with someones Bitch Mitch and others. . .
Here's a coupe of the bridge reports: (For your viewing pleasure)
http://ftpcontent2.worldnow.com/wthr/pdf/09302014report.pdf (http://ftpcontent2.worldnow.com/wthr/pdf/09302014report.pdf)
http://ftpcontent2.worldnow.com/wthr/pdf/05192015report.pdf (http://ftpcontent2.worldnow.com/wthr/pdf/05192015report.pdf)
The whole issue of a surplus is BS. I can understand having some money in reserve for emergencies but in excess of $2 billion? The citizens should only be taxed for the amount the state needs to cover its expenses, not so that the state can maintain a huge bank account.
Quote from: Exterminator on August 19, 2015, 08:51:37 AM
The whole issue of a surplus is BS. I can understand having some money in reserve for emergencies but in excess of $2 billion? The citizens should only be taxed for the amount the state needs to cover its expenses, not so that the state can maintain a huge bank account.
Believe it or not, I agree.
Quote from: Exterminator on August 19, 2015, 08:51:37 AM
The whole issue of a surplus is BS. I can understand having some money in reserve for emergencies but in excess of $2 billion? The citizens should only be taxed for the amount the state needs to cover its expenses, not so that the state can maintain a huge bank account.
Quote from: Henry Hawk on August 19, 2015, 09:43:11 AM
Believe it or not, I agree.
And I too, absolutely agree.
This state has bragged about an "excess" ever since it sold the Toll-road to a foreign entity. (That if I recall correctly, went bankrupt).
That we've maintained such a large "surplus" ever since makes one wonder if some accounting slight of hand has been going on with Federal Funding as well. Now I am NOT saying it has been going on, but it certainly makes me suspicious. . .
This state has a major catastrophe and it will immediately turn to the Feds for help in remediation, so one has to ask, what's that surplus really for if not for someone to target for nefarious intention?