Had to perform an emergency bridge inspection last week for the first time in my career. I was already down in Louisville, KY for the inspection of the Kennedy Bridge which crosses the Ohio to Indiana. Soon after hearing that a bridge further upstream had been closed, we received a phone call from the state asking for our assistance. We assembled relatively quickly even with the hour long drive to the bridge site.
Early in the morning, while construction workers were preparing the bridge for it's future move to it's permanent concrete piers, a bearing at the southwest corner dislodged and injured a construction worker. After the bearing had dislodged, the upstream truss fell about 12" until it made contact with the temporary pier. Although there were signs of movement throughout the southern span the bridge remained in good condition.
