Timothy G. Galarnyk, CEO of Construction Risk Management, presented this list of U.S. bridge failures in June 2012 at the International Bridge Conference. (Galarnyk compiled this from media reports, but when checking with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, he was told FHWA does not maintain a listing of collapsed or failed bridges.)

For a state-by-state list of how the bridges in your state are doing and an analysis of the data, check out the Better Roads Annual Bridge Inventory (click on the link for a downloadable PDF). Look for our new report in the November 2012 print edition or website (www.betterroads.com) of Better Roads, or check out the full report plus additional charts and details in our digital edition (www.BetterRoads.com/digital).

LISTING OF U.S. BRIDGE FAILURES

(For a downloadable PDF of this list, click here.)

Jan. 1, 1980 to Dec. 31, 2009

1980 – 09 May: Sunshine Skyway Bridge Struck by Ship – St. Petersburg, FL

1981 – 17 July: Hyatt Regency Skyway Bridge Collapse – Kansas City, MO

1982 – 13 January: 14^th Street Bridge Collapse Struck by Airplane – Washington DC

1982 – 15 April:           Cline Avenue Bridge Collapse during Construction – East Chicago, IN

1983 – 28 June:            Mianus River Bridge Collapse Metal Fatigue – Greenwich, CT

1987 – 05 April:            Schoharie Creek Bridge Collapse River Bed Scour – Ft. Hunter, NY

1989 – 01 April:            Tennessee River Bridge Collapse Piling Failure – Memphis, TN

1989 – 17 October:            Cypress Viaduct Collapse in Earthquake – Oakland, CA

1989 – 17 October:            Oakland Bay Bridge Partial Collapse in Earthquake – San Francisco, CA

1989 – 28 October:            Pedestrian Bridge Collapse Overloaded – Heber Springs, AR

1990 – 24 April:           Lake Street Bridge Collapse During Construction – Minneapolis, MN

1990 – 25 November:           Lacey Murrow Bridge Sunk Due to Heavy Flooding – Seattle, WA

1993 – 28 May:          Claiborne Avenue Bridge Collapse Struck by Barge – New Orleans, LA

1993 – 22 September:           CSXT Bridge Collapsed Struck by Barge – Mobile, LA

1995 – 10 March:           I-5 Bridge Collapse Substructure Failure – Coalinga, CA

2000 – 13 December:           Hoan Bridge Partial Collapse Brittle Steel Fatigue – Milwaukee, WI

2001 – 15 September:           Queen Isabella Causeway Collapse Struck by Barge – South Padre Island, TX

2002 – 26 May:          I-40 Bridge Collapse Struck by Barge – Webbers Falls, OK

2003 – 26 March:          I-95 Bridge Collapse Traffic Crash Caused Fire – Bridgeport, CT

2003 – 06 July:            Wimer Covered Bridge Collapsed When Pickup Truck Crossed it – Oregon