Bridge Collapses After Just 10 Years Because of Design Flaws
upstart writes:
Bridge Collapses After Just 10 Years Because Designers Were Too Focused On Looks:
After just 10 years in use, a Norwegian bridge collapsed into a river and left two drivers in need of rescue.
The Tretten Bridge in the Oyer area of southern Norway collapsed in 2022 after a heavy goods vehicle attempted to cross it. Now, an inquiry into the collapse of the bridge over the Gudbrandsdalslagen river has found that it failed because its designers spent too long making sure it looked nice and not enough time ensuring it worked as a bridge, reports Dezeen.
Designers of the bridge, which was opened in 2012, were accused of "inadequate caution" in the development of the span. As Dezeen explains:
"The investigation has shown that inadequate caution was exercised in the planning, design, inspection and approval of Tretten Bridge, with respect to the risk factors linked to its unconventional design," the report said.
"A short construction period, span lengths and reuse of existing foundation were framework conditions for the planning of the bridge," it continued.
"These framework conditions, combined with the choice of material and a strong focus on aesthetics, contributed to the structure not being robust."
[...] During the bridge's design and build process, Norway was transitioning from its own, older building regulations to new European rules governing bridge design.
At this time, projects in progress were permitted to work to the older regulations, and that's exactly what the team behind the Tretten Bridge followed. The investigation touched on this as well, stating that "all the involved parties can be criticized" for their decision to work within outdated frameworks.
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