Two killed in Kunming bridge collapse

Two people were killed and four others injured when a 200-meter section of a bridge that was undergoing demolition collapsed in Kunming, Yunnan province Tuesday evening.

An excavator and several workers were on the Xiaozhuang Bridge when the accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m., destroying a car parked under the bridge, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The injured victims are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

The bridge was located on an artery road linking the provincial capital and its northwestern parts.

From the China Daily webpage.

Obvioulsy the most critical moments for bridges are during construction, re-habilitation and demolition, when the structural system is either not complete or compromised.

Memorial Bridge Demolition

The old Memorial Bridge in North Dakota is currently been demolished after a new bridge replaced it. The three spans were blown with explosives in two separate operations, on October 6 and October 29. The website has very interesting information and videos of the explosive demolition.

It certainly looks like a lot of fun and very spectacular. I was surprised about how close the new bridge is (apparently closed to traffic during the procedure) and how well the operation went. I can only guess at the amount of engineering involved, certainly not trivial.