Bridge Crack

Thursday, 4-17-03

Bridge crack found by chance
Damaged I-95 support girder gets emergency repairs

By SEAN O'SULLIVAN
Staff reporter
04/17/2003

One man's search for a blue egret may have averted a serious accident or even a disaster on Interstate 95.

Ed Bried was meeting friends for lunch at Brandywine Park in Wilmington last Thursday when he started scanning the skies and the underside of the I-95 bridge over the Brandywine River for a large bird he had seen earlier.
What he spotted instead was a 7-foot crack in an 8-foot-long support girder under the bridge.
"It was a pretty big rip in one of the beams. Sunlight was coming through it," Bried said.
When he got home, he called the Delaware Department of Transportation. Crews were out that night to check the crack.
By Friday, the state ordered all trucks to the left lane of the northbound span to avoid the weakened area.
DelDOT spokesman Mike Williams said a full-scale collapse of the bridge was unlikely. However, he said engineers were uncertain how bad a worst-case scenario could have been. A section of the bridge could have been lost, causing debris to rain down under the bridge, he said.
The last time the bridge was inspected was September 2002. DelDOT officials believe the crack developed in the past few weeks.
"Our forensic analysis will require more time," said Secretary of Transportation Nathan Hayward, who thanked Bried for his sharp eye. "We are very grateful to Ed Bried for his keen observation and prompt reporting."
The beam with the crack in it dates back to construction of I-95 in the 1960s, Williams said.
DelDOT has welded metal plates to the beam as a temporary fix, and engineers are studying long-term solutions that could involve shutting down the bridge to replace the beam.
Until the permanent fix is in place, all truck traffic will remain restricted to the left lane only on the northbound span.
Bried said he never did find that blue egret. "I was looking for it to take a picture," he said.

Workers install instruments under the I-95 bridge over Brandywine Creek. Engineers are considering long-term solutions for the crack.

Ed Bried's search for a blue egret revealed sunlight peaking through a large crack in an I-95 girder.

Reach Sean O'Sullivan at 324-2777 or at mailto:sosullivan@delawareonline.com

One man's search for a blue egret may have averted a serious accident or even a disaster on Interstate 95.
Ed Bried was meeting friends for lunch at Brandywine Park in Wilmington last Thursday when he started scanning the skies and the underside of the I-95 bridge over the Brandywine River for a large bird he had seen earlier. What he spotted instead was a 7-foot crack in an 8-foot-long support girder under the bridge. "It was a pretty big rip in one of the beams. Sunlight was coming through it," Bried said. When he got home, he called the Delaware Department of Transportation. Crews were out that night to check the crack. By Friday, the state ordered all trucks to the left lane of the northbound span to avoid the weakened area. DelDOT spokesman Mike Williams said a full-scale collapse of the bridge was unlikely. However, he said engineers were uncertain how bad a worst-case scenario could have been. A section of the bridge could have been lost, causing debris to rain down under the bridge, he said. The last time the bridge was inspected was September 2002. DelDOT officials believe the crack developed in the past few weeks. "Our forensic analysis will require more time," said Secretary of Transportation Nathan Hayward, who thanked Bried for his sharp eye. "We are very grateful to Ed Bried for his keen observation and prompt reporting." The beam with the crack in it dates back to construction of I-95 in the 1960s, Williams said. DelDOT has welded metal plates to the beam as a temporary fix, and engineers are studying long-term solutions that could involve shutting down the bridge to replace the beam. Until the permanent fix is in place, all truck traffic will remain restricted to the left lane only on the northbound span. Bried said he never did find that blue egret. "I was looking for it to take a picture," he said.
	Workers install instruments under the I-95 bridge over Brandywine Creek. Engineers are considering long-term solutions for the crack.

	Ed Bried's search for a blue egret revealed sunlight peaking through a large crack in an I-95 girder.