• Cold Bore Ritual Contest - Only a Few Hours Left To Enter!

    What’s your cold bore ritual, that one thing you always do before your first shot to set yourself up for success? Winner gets new limited edition Hide merch. Remember, subscribers have a better chance of winning!

    Join contest Subscribe

Boulder Denver Turnpike US 36?

Foul Mike

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 18, 2001
3,082
4,909
Eastern Colorado
A bridge approach structure has collapsed and requires detours. It has been going on for about a week.

The approach side of a RR Crossing has collapsed so they route the traffic around. Other side of the same structure that is going down!! How safe is that"

NO ONE mentions it, but are they over an OLD Mine drift or air shaft? That material has to be going somewhere as in a storm sewer pipe OR down a shaft or stope or drift? but somewhere.

After 30 loooong years with Mtc. I got to watch" engineers" in action. alot and the ONLY thing I have ever seen that came close to that was an Entire BATALLION of OCS Grads trying to figure out who is charge.
Sorry No links, Above my skill level. FM
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lapuapalooza
I have ~15 years or so in construction and aggregate. From my armchair, looks like lack of compaction and poor aggregate choices. It looks like due to a lack of compaction, water was able to soak in and due to water intrusion, the angle of repose of the soil changes ( won’t stand on its own anymore) it put out too much lateral pressure on the retaining blocks and it simply blew out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eddystone
I have ~15 years or so in construction and aggregate. From my armchair, looks like lack of compaction and poor aggregate choices. It looks like due to a lack of compaction, water was able to soak in and due to water intrusion, the angle of repose of the soil changes ( won’t stand on its own anymore) it put out too much lateral pressure on the retaining blocks and it simply blew out.
So in laymens terms that would be, "The Contractor made a miss-fuck-u-lay'sion, an in time it became uncunted? Is that about right?
 
So in laymens terms that would be, "The Contractor made a miss-fuck-u-lay'sion, an in time it became uncunted? Is that about right?
No. Not so much as a miscalculation as “let’s cut corners while engineers and state inspectors are away” to save time.

You guys notice how approached to new bridges have a dip just before the deck? This is due to lazy/corner cutting. I think fines should be levied as now not only does the dip launch traffic into the air, but now the bridge has extra shock loads to deal with that will eventually need addressed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SilentStalkr
A nearby lake would increase the water table level and proximately to train vibrations; it'll be interesting to see what the cause is on this one.

soil borings are always done near bridges and before these walls are built so highly unlikely a shaft or mine was the cause. I would guess the material isn't going anywhere except compacting on the subgrade below; and after the wall shifted enough, the joints failed between precast panels and blew out the side.

https://www.coloradodaily.com/2019/...-repair-sinkhole-that-closed-eastbound-lanes/

the picture on their front page shows how much of the wall sunk. All the panels and the cap should be in a straight line.
 
4D085374-DE83-4934-A2ED-06257A287B52.jpeg
0F214530-1CF3-4FE9-8CAE-5074DD2CBF72.gif
 
Pound a hole in your just compacted lift. Lowering the rod with CZ137 on the tip, and the computer knows how much radiation gets back to the sensors to judge compaction level on a curve.
 
Lack of compaction. Backfilling in greater than 10” of aggregate without full 100% compaction intervals with a nuke test on each level.

the approach pavement should "bridge" the aggregate next to the bridge as compaction is harder to obtain against the vertical surface of the abutment. would you suggest adding nuke testing at the approach footing and slab?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bender
Nuke testing should be used on all roadways and foundation substrates.
Water barrier membranes can be used when around water issues. A study of natural soils would tell them the information.
 
Nuke testing should be used on all roadways and foundation substrates.
Water barrier membranes can be used when around water issues. A study of natural soils would tell them the information.


Would an above-ground detonation at say, one mile result in sufficient compaction? We could conduct testing in Iran and NK?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bender
The approach side of a RR Crossing has collapsed so they route the traffic around. Other side of the same structure that is going down!! How safe is that"

the two walls are built independently of each other. the other side is much smaller (10 feet tall) compared to the collapsing side which is about 30 feet tall. they have probably installed seismic sensors on the bridge and walls in the area and can measure any horizontal and vertical changes with gps incase something else does start to shift, it'll be known early.
 
shame it dusty and sandy other wise 2000 miles of this along the boarder would make for some funny ass video's

add some electricity and sizzle sizzle no more problem at the boarder clean up isle 4 now if you could just make it animal safe
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bender
fucking pot heads at work

Um....I know you think you are joking...

Our engineers here at my shithole, demanded that they be exempted from drug testing. They contended that they don't actually do anything to warrant such a strict policy in recreational drug use. Considering their stance, and the fact that we are talking illicit drug use.......

Yeah. I have a pretty low opinion of engineers, because I work closely with them.
 
On the TV News last night they said the collapse is getting bigger and settling at the rate of 2 feet a day.
No one seems to know where all of that dirt, rocks etc. is going, but it is still going down as of last night and the engineers are all scratching their heads and putting their thumbs up their asses and wondering WTF.

It has to be going somewhere, as in down a storm drain tube, or my thinking, into an OLD mine. The shit just doesn't melt and run away nor does it just vaporize. It is going somewhere.

It has been said that the "Privatization" of the Turnpike and expansion after that is at fault and I think that has a lot to do with it as no doubt a lot of shortcuts were made but the CDOT" Engineers", or as I know them,"The Brain Dept." or other contractors should have been at the site looking at some of the compaction and I seriously doubt that this is just a compaction problem considering how large it has become.

I worked close to the CDOT "Brain Dept." for 30 years in CDOT Maintenance. and to say I hold the "Brain Dept." in the lowest esteem would be more than an understatement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bender
I have ~15 years or so in construction and aggregate. From my armchair, looks like lack of compaction and poor aggregate choices. It looks like due to a lack of compaction, water was able to soak in and due to water intrusion, the angle of repose of the soil changes ( won’t stand on its own anymore) it put out too much lateral pressure on the retaining blocks and it simply blew out.

Seems legit............like I would know LOL
 
I shot a match in Boulder the day it happened. I took 36 in and everything was fine. Glad I decided on a different route on the way home.

This is what happens when you take the lowest bid.