It’s a difficult time to be a bridge designer right now, with a timeline in Baltimore Collapse after a ship crashes in and New York’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge come dangerously close to a similar fate. Now the bridge collapse in Norway is being blamed on designers spending too much time focusing on the look of the bridge.
The Tretten Bridge in the Øyer area of southern Norway collapsed in 2022 after a truck tried to cross it. Now an investigation into Bridge collapse over the river Gudbrandsdalslågen has found that it failed because its designers spent too much time making sure it looked beautiful and not enough time making sure it worked as a bridge. reports Dezeen.
Planners of the bridge, which opened in 2012, were accused of “insufficient caution” in developing the span. As Dezeen explains:
“The investigation demonstrated that insufficient caution was exercised in the planning, design, inspection and approval of the Step Bridge with regard to the risk factors associated with its unconventional design,” the report said.
“A short construction period, spans and the reuse of existing foundations were the framework conditions for planning the bridge,” it continued.
“These conditions, coupled with the choice of materials and a strong focus on aesthetics, contributed to the structure not being robust.”
In addition, the reports stated that the bridge should have been damaged Strengthening and supporting work in 2016 that could have prevented the collapse. This happened after the Perkolo Bridge collapsed into a river as a truck attempted to cross it.
Similarities were noted between the designs of the two bridges New civil engineer It is called “vulnerabilities inherent in design.”
Another factor that could have weakened the design of the Trettenbrücke even further was the time frame in which it was built. During the bridge’s design and construction process, Norway established its own, older building regulations new European rules Bridge design.
At that time, ongoing projects were allowed to operate under the older regulations, and that’s exactly what the team behind the Trettenbrücke followed. This was also addressed in the research, noting that “all those involved can be criticized” for choosing to work within outdated frameworks.