Why is USA so terrible at building bridges?

Just in the last year alone:

Most of these no fatalities (Atlanta 2017 didn't either), though 10 construction guys died in Colombia. Hear are some deadlier ones.

Et cetera.

This one was purely the fault of "new thinking" or something.

The catastrophically failed bridge was only put in place in the last week. As the FIU Twitter account made clear, it was built using a novel construction technique involving “swinging” pre-fabricated sections into place on site that the university called “first-of-its-kind.”

Likely, there won't be a "second of its kind" we can hope.

Stick with the nuts & bolts, please wrote:

This one was purely the fault of "new thinking" or something.

The catastrophically failed bridge was only put in place in the last week. As the FIU Twitter account made clear, it was built using a novel construction technique involving “swinging” pre-fabricated sections into place on site that the university called “first-of-its-kind.”

Likely, there won't be a "second of its kind" we can hope.

The technique, utilizing a device called a “self-propelled modular transporter,” was touted as an “instant bridge” at its unveiling and would eventually have been reinforced with a cable suspension system before it went into use.

The bridge was not yet in use, scheduled to be completed next year. It would have connected FIU’s campus to the town of Sweetwater. “It’s about student safety and connecting with Sweetwater,” FIU President Mark Rosenberg said at the bridge section’s unveiling. “It reflects our attitude that we want to be part of the solution. We want to help, we want to bring people in, we’re inclusive. That’s who we are at FIU.”

Actually, FIU shouldn't be much concerned.

Students were on spring break and it is unknown if any of the victims, presumably motorists below, were connected to the university.

Governments are often required to go with the lowest bidder.

Cantilever wrote:

I mean like physical ones.

Do these crash/break all the time in the rest of the world?

I doubt it is any less frequent than in the US.

This is a good older book that talks about bridge/engineering failures like some that you listed and the Kansas City Hyatt Regency pedestrian bridge.

They should be terribly concerned. Their advertisements were all over the thing, and they were the ones that chose the bidder for the construction.

UK is no better.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_Bridge_disaster

Partial credit

A zipline or even a tightrope would have been safer.

Bubbadeeboos wrote:

Governments are often required to go with the lowest bidder.

You've never bid a government contract then. It doesn't work that way.

Cantilever wrote:

I mean like physical ones.

Do these crash/break all the time in the rest of the world?

I can think of some famous ones too.

Atlanta - 2017

Minnesota - 2007

Alabama (train) - 1993

Tampa Bay - 1980

Gallipolis (OH) - 1967

And of course:

Tacoma Narrows - 1940

Any others?

I won't count Oakland (1989) as part of the earthquake, those things happen.

because they are built to be as inexpensive as possible. they are typically "value engineered" from the original design to be cheaper (therefore less elegant) and cheaper engineers are used to save money. basically, everything is cut and the quality goes down and it becomes dangerous.

this is how the process of design to construction of almost all buildings goes too.

some of these failures (not the one today in miami) are just because they are old and traffic volume is increased.

infrastructure boondoggles wrote:

because they are built to be as inexpensive as possible. they are typically "value engineered" from the original design to be cheaper (therefore less elegant) and cheaper engineers are used to save money. basically, everything is cut and the quality goes down and it becomes dangerous.

this is how the process of design to construction of almost all buildings goes too.

some of these failures (not the one today in miami) are just because they are old and traffic volume is increased.

Reminds me of a book I enjoyed reading in college. Constantly seeking the perfect balance between safety and cost. Constantly making things cheaper until you learn you went too far.

There probably are fewer bridge failures elsewhere, but also fewer bridges. USA builds way too much crap. WAY too much. The people think that life is good in a concrete and steel jungle for some sick reason.

Why is USA so terrible at building bridges?

https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/report/the-bridge-nowhere-national-embarrassment

European engineers are no brainiacs either.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/architect-forgets-elevator-for-47-floor-skyscraper-in-spain-a-916082.html

Quote of the day near end of article - "Now that dream is becoming reality."