Bridge collapses in Minnesota

[Joe Tall]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
joe, can u define abutment failure for us?

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty simple really, if you pull the rug out from underneath your feet, you are going to fall.

This link on scour will help though.

ADDED: MN Bridge Inspection Statute

[/ QUOTE ]

as previous posts pointed out, the bridge was built so no support was placed in the center of the river - it's a steel span bridge with it's support on both bank sides -

don't see how scour is a possibility here

rb

[/ QUOTE ]

The abutments or peirs on each side of the bridge were in the river then.