Sunday, August 12, 2007

The NTSB and The System

"We will take our time. Because when we get it, it will be right," said Rosenker. "And when we get it right and provide the probable cause, we'll also be making recommendations to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

Gusset plates connect the bracing members of steel structures. NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said that investigators found a "design issue" with the plates. I’ve contacted the NTSB asking for information on the design issue for my use. So far nothing but chirping crickets.

The steel lying at the bottom of the Mississippi holds all of the answers. The NTSB finger has already been pointed at Progressive Contractors, Inc. for storing a truckload of material on the deck and the dead bridge designer. And nobody knows squat about what happened to that lightly loaded bridge on a quiet Minnesota evening.

So it only makes sense to raise gasoline taxes 5 cents a gallon and distribute $40 billion additional taxpayer dollars to civil servants and government contractors. Because, you know, you can’t be too safe. And it’s all about safety.

Interesting paper on gusset plates:
http://www.aisc.org/Content/ContentGroups/Documents/Steel_Tips1/144_dec_98.pdf

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