Florida International University-Sweetwater Pedestrian Bridge Collapse

The Florida International University (FIU)-Sweetwater University City pedestrian bridge was planned to connect the FIU campus to student housing neighborhoods in Sweetwater. It was intended to improve pedestrian safety, as the crosswalks at this wide, busy intersection had been a safety hazard.

By |2023-06-27T16:23:15-06:00March 30th, 2023|Friday Famous Failures|10 Comments

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a suspension bridge in the state of Washington that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. It opened to traffic on July 1st, 1940. Sleek and slender with a length of 7,392 feet, it was the third-longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, following the George Washington Bridge in New York City, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

By |2023-06-27T16:23:33-06:00February 23rd, 2023|Friday Famous Failures|4 Comments

The Minnesota I-35W Bridge Collapse

The I-35W Bridge was designed by the engineering firm Sverdrup & Parcel, with the blueprints receiving final certification in 1965. The structure complied with the 1961 standards of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) and the 1964 standards of the Minnesota Highway Department.

By |2023-06-27T16:23:50-06:00January 26th, 2023|Friday Famous Failures|12 Comments

The Flixborough Works of Nypro Explosion and Fire

"I felt the blast from a terrific explosion which had occurred somewhere behind me. The blast was such that it threw me full length across the road. Debris then began to fall all around me, and I was covered with oil which fell out of the sky," a worker ...

By |2023-02-17T11:58:46-06:00July 28th, 2022|Friday Famous Failures|1 Comment

The Kansas City Hyatt Walkway Collapse

On the night of July 17, 1981, the newly built Kansas City Hyatt Regency hotel was hosting a dance contest in its atrium, presented by a local radio station. Partygoers thronged the floor of the atrium and the three catwalks above, which were located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor levels. Suddenly, there was a loud crack ...

By |2023-02-17T11:58:51-06:00June 23rd, 2022|Friday Famous Failures|9 Comments