Bridge Collapse in Cranston, RI

(Satellite)

The railing (parapet wall) fell down on the Amtrak tracks blocking all of them. There were no injuries. But there was a lot of service interruptions.

8:06 video @ 0:37

It was the south parapet wall on the ramp from westbound RI-10 to northbound I-95 that fell. That is why that ramp is now closed.

Satellite

A follow-up video.

6:04 video @ 1:45

2:40 video @ 1:06
Professional engineer shares insight into on-ramp barrier collapse
The wall was installed by Amtrak, and Amtrak is supposed to maintain it.

NS/N&W Bridge over New River at Radford, VA

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Aug 2022

Eastern Rails Photography posted
With a fresh crew onboard, specially painted Norfolk Southern AC44C6M 4001 is in charge of westbound manifest 127 as it crosses over the New River in Radford, VA on an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon. 10/28/23
Roger Allen: What does the first engine's new paint job represent?
Eastern Rails Photography: Roger Allen 4000 & 4001 wear this special paint scheme to designate the units as prototypes for the DC to AC conversion program - which now has about 800 units!

Street View, Oct 2024

Abandoned in Virginia posted three photos with the comment: "The old New River bridge that was burned down during the Civil War. New bridge built right next to where the old stone pillars still stand!"

Jessica Johnson-Whitaker: This is not actually true - the pillars from tbt old bridge that was burned was used to build the one they use now. The other pillars are the remains of another trestle project Norfolk Southern was trying to build but abandoned it.

Randall Hampton shared with the commet: "Radford, VA."

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Brick Lincoln Highway (US-30) Segments between Mansfield and Ashland, OH

West Curve: (Satellite, Jim's coordinates)

East Curve: (Satellite, see street view below. It is just east of the bridge and south of the road.)

Lincoln Highway Overview

Street View, Jun 2024

Street View, Jun 2024

Joe Belcastro posted four photos with the comment: "Between Ashland Ohio and Mansfield."

Randy Keys: Exactly where is this? I grew up in Ashland and never heard about it.

Joe Belcastro: Randy Keys if you are traveling North on 42 from Mansfield turn left on 1688 and it's on left a few miles out. You can't miss it.

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Jim Roepke commented on Joe's post
On the same road a little closer to Mansfield.

Here the Google Maps coordinates

40°49'07.7"N 82°24'54.4"W

This is another example of where today's US-30 takes a much more direct route across the country than the Lincoln Highway originally took. The goal of the highway back then was to connect existing towns rather than a speedy trip across the country. So the original route probably went from Wooster to Ashland and then to Mansfield.

Satellite

But why was it on 1688 and Windsor Road? Because the Black Fork Mohican River was not drained as well as it is today. Or else there was a mill dam that has since been removed.

1908/1948 Ashland Quad @ 62,500

1940 Fort Peck Dam Danger

Dam: (Satellite)

Spillway: (Satellite)

Power Plant: (Satellite)

 

The earthen dam suffered two landslides during construction. The first one happened early with a designed slope of 1:1. The slope was changed to 1:3, and construction continued. The second happened near completion because the weak shale bedrock failed. They convened the design committee, and they concluded that the dam should be fixed and completed. These screenshots are of the second landslide.

28:04 video @ 23:34
Fort Peck Dam Construction

@ 23:50

The power plant is on the left. I don't know why the buildings are so tall. If they are surge tanks, they are awful big.

Street View, Jun 2023

The consulted expert blames the big landslide during construction on the use of hydraulic fill rather than on the shale that deteriorated when exposed to weather. Thus, he says the dam could fail again. If Fort Peck Dam breaks, the deluge of water could break the big downstream dams. This would flood St. Louis with a lot more water than the 1993 flood.

4:44 video @ 2:12
When the dam breaks: 'Flawed' dam may threaten St. Louis area
"BECAUSE OF DAMAGE FROM EARTHQUAKES IN THE 1970, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA REQUIRED ALL HYDRAULIC FILLED DAMS BE TORN DOWN OR REBUILT. NO OTHER LARGE DAMS HAVE BEEN BUILT THAT WAY SINCE."

Mark Sepolio Photography posted two photos with the comment: "This the Spillway... Although The Fort Peck Dam in Montana: It is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the United States and creates Fort Peck Lake, the fifth largest artificial lake in the U.S. The dam is over 250 feet [76m] in height and 21,026 feet [6.4km, 4 miles] in length. What’s more, the dam was constructed not only for flood control but also to create jobs during the Great Depression. At its peak in 1936, it provided 10,456 jobs. Isn’t that fascinating?"

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Gus Copenhaver commented on the above post
Now you're in my familys' part of Mt.

Jo, Nov 2022

Jo, Nov 2022

Shreya07 posted

Fort Peck Dam

Fort Peck Dam is one of the largest earth-fill dams in the world, located in northeastern Montana on the Missouri River. Built during the Great Depression, it stands as a landmark of American engineering and New Deal–era public works.

Construction and History

Construction began in 1933 and was completed in 1940 as part of large federal projects designed to create jobs and modernize infrastructure. Thousands of workers came to the remote plains to build the massive structure, turning the project into a major historical chapter for the region.

At the time, it was among the biggest dam projects ever attempted in the U.S.

Size and Engineering

Fort Peck Dam is over 21,000 feet (6,400 m) long and about 250 feet (76 m) high. Unlike concrete dams, it is made primarily of compacted earth and rock, which required enormous volumes of material and careful design.

Fort Peck Lake

The dam created Fort Peck Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. The lake stretches for more than 130 miles and has a shoreline longer than California’s coast.

Purpose

Fort Peck Dam serves multiple roles:

Hydroelectric power generation

Flood control along the Missouri River

Water storage and river management

Recreation and tourism

Recreation and Wildlife

The area around the lake is known for outdoor activities such as:

Fishing for walleye, pike, and bass

Boating and camping

Wildlife watching

It is managed in part by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees dam operations and recreation areas.

Why It Matters

Fort Peck Dam is both an engineering achievement and a historical symbol of the New Deal era. Today it continues to provide power, manage water, and support recreation in the northern Great Plains.

This image is small because it may be AI generated.

History Old Photos posted
It was a crisp autumn day on October 10, 1936, at the massive construction site of Fort Peck Dam in northeastern Montana. Dozens of workers swarmed over the enormous circular steel liner — a giant diversion tunnel section designed so that one-fourth of the mighty Missouri River would eventually flow through it during the dam’s construction. Men in work clothes and caps balanced on scaffolding and internal spokes, welding, bolting, and guiding the massive structure into place with ropes and tools. The huge steel cylinder dominated the scene, dwarfing the workers and highlighting the incredible scale of this New Deal engineering project. Built to tame the Missouri River, provide jobs during the Great Depression, and bring flood control and navigation to the region, Fort Peck Dam was one of the largest earth-filled dams in the world. This iconic photograph by Margaret Bourke-White captured both the raw power of American industry and the human effort behind it.

Cayla Jasske commented on the above post
This is a real photo……don’t think this post is…another AI

Museum/Pocahontas Coal Mine and 1883 Aban/N&W #1, #2 & #3Tunnels near Pocahontas, VA

Museum/Coal Mine: (Satellite)

Tunnel #1: (Satellite, I used a road map because the trees hide Laurel Fork in the satellite image.)

Tunnel #2: (Satellite, I based the locations on the topo map below.)

Tunnel #3 (Western Branch): (Satellite)

Pocahontas was a company town for the adjacent mine, and the tunnels are on the 4.5-mile branch that N&W built to serve the coal mines.

The tunnels were built in 1883 and Tunnel #2 was reinforced with concrete in 1915. [AbandonedOnline (This web page has a map of the three tunnels.)]

Museum/Pocahontas Coal Mine

Karin Nordlander, Jun 2025

Street View, Jun 2024

"The Southwest Virginia Improvement Company opened Pocahontas Mine No. 1, the first to exploit the rich seams of the Pocahontas Coalfield, in 1882. An extension of the Norfolk and Western Railway soon followed, bringing industrial development to Southwest Virginia and linking it to Norfolk. The mine brought a mix of ethnic groups from neighboring states and Europe to the area, including African Americans, Hungarians, Italians, Russians, Germans, and Welsh. Miners produced about 1,000 tons of coal a day by 1883 In 1938, a closed section of the mine opened as the nation’s first Exhibition Coal Mine, which educated visitors about the industry. Mining operations ceased in 1955." [hmdb]

Tunnel #1, 201' (61m)

reddit
sgernabcaga comment:

The Pocahontas Branch, located near Pocahontas, Virginia, is a defunct 4.5-mile coal-hauling rail line that spans approximately 4½ miles. The branch includes the Pocahontas No. 1 and No. 2 Tunnel (the third and fourth tunnels before part of the branch line became the main line), which were constructed in 1883. One of the last coal preparation plants on the line closed in 1974. While plans were to utilize the abandoned line for tourist train purposes, it never materialized.

I've posted more photos and history of the branch line here.

BridgesTunnels

"The Pocahontas Branch served only four coal operations, split evenly between the Pocahontas Fuel Company and Pocahontas Big Vein Coal Company. 2 Pocahontas Fuel operated its original No. 1 mine in Pocahontas until October 13, 1955. 1 2 During its reign of 73 years, it produced more than 44 million tons of coal. The preparation plant in Boissevain operated until the early 1970s, while another facility in Pocahontas was open until 1974. The rail line was mothballed afterward, preserved in the event another mine would be developed in the vicinity."

Tunnel #2, 366' (111.6m)

Facebook Reel

Tunnel #3, 90' (24.4m)

This source says the tunnel was only 37' (11.3m) long. There were 22 bridges on the N&W branch along the Laurel Creek.

Mark Petrishen posted six photos with the comment: "Pocahontas Tunnel #3. Pocahontas, Va. 80 feet long.  Former N&W R.R. This is across from the old high school behind the tennis/basketball court. Most people don't not know about this one."

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All Tunnels

1968 Anawalt and 1962 Bramwell Quads @ 24,000

I looked for a Google Earth image that had less tree leaves. The red line on the right is #1, and the line near the center bottom is #2.

Google Earth, Dec 2003 plus Paint

The town's website brags about being ATV friendly.

Chimney Hollow Reservoir Dam

(Satellite)

If you can suffer through the preaching about safety & teamwork and watching a pickup truck drive down dirt roads, this video is informative.

18:30video @ 1:46
Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project Virtual Tour
It is a $510m project.

A time lapse of the construction.

3:42 video @ 0:56
Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project - August 2021-July 2025

21:03 video @ 1:17
Why Is Colorado Building a 22 MILLION TON Rock Wall in the Rocky Mountains?

The failure of the Grand Teton Dam demonstrated why it is so important that the core of an earth dam is non-permeable.

3:51 video @ 1:02
Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project Final Asphalt Placement July 2025

2:57 video @ 0:51
Initial Water to Move into Chimney Hollow Reservoir in April 2026

1885 Buskirk Ford Bridge over McKee Creek

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I added the label "metalIron" because the bridge is made with wrought iron instead of steel.

2012 photo by Chris Gonnerman via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA)

HistoricBridges
"This is an extremely rare surviving bridge by the Morse Bridge Company, a builder known for unique and decorative details. This example has ornamental portal bracing. Its riveted caissons, if original (which they appear to be) are very old surviving examples of riveted caissons (this small type of caisson was sometimes called a Lally column)."

Lisa Ruble posted four photos with the comment:

Buskirk Ford Bridge is a through truss bridge over McKee Creek in Adams County built in 1885 and in 2018 was still open to one lane through traffic of less than 4 tons.
I photographed the Buskirk Ford Bridge on November 8, 2018. See more photos in the comments.
History about the bridge -
A special committee visited the proposed location at Buskirk Ford for the new bridge and estimated the cost in the Spring of 1885 and reported as follows: We find the necessity for the bridge urgent and the location satisfactory. We made careful soundings and found the foundation all that could be desired at a depth of three feet from the surface. - The Quincy Whig.
May 1885 Estimates
Number cubic yards masonry 238...…….$1000.00
Length of span 74 feet to sustain a
moving weight of 1200 pounds per
lineal foot, 14 foot roadway...……………...1200.00
Total Estimated Cost...……………………$2200.00
June 1885 the following advertisement appeared in the Quincy Daily Whig:
Notice To Stone Masons!
Sealed proposals will be received at the office of Peter Smith, County Engineer for Masonry for abutments and wing walls for a bridge across McKee's Creek at Buskirk Ford in the county of Adams and State of Illinois until 12 o'clock Monday.
The committee contracted with Messrs J Busch & Co of Quincy Illinois for masonry at $5.95 per cubic yard and with the Morse Bridge Company of Youngstown, Ohio, for the superstructure at $10.85 per lineal foot, the total cost being as follows:
Masonry...………….$1409.87
Superstructure...……..707.43
Total...………………$2200.00
October 1885... Solomon Belmeyer, John H Yeldell and F W Kestner, the committee of the board of supervisors on the Buskirk Ford Bridge, report that the work done by Messrs Gottilieb H Busch & Co was first class in every respect and the best bridge work ever put up in Adams County and they also wish to return thanks to August Lange, foreman for the firm, who worked day and night to get the work done on time and in a satisfactory manner. The Quincy Daily Herald.
December 1885 - The committee reported... this bridge is a very substantial wrought iron structure, 73 1/2 feet span, and that the same is now completed and paid for. - The Quincy Whig.
September 1893 - A special committee met to examine the Buskirk Ford Bridge, which had been washed away from its abutments by a flood the previous Spring. It was reported that the cost to repair the bridge would be $800 to make it fit for travel and it was recommended that the amount be appropriated for the bridge repair. The Quincy Daily Herald.
The work was reported finished in December 1893, and the bill of $650 was allowed. - The Quincy Daily Whig.

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Lisa Ruble commented on her post
Buskirk Ford Bridge is a through truss bridge over McKee Creek in Adams County built in 1885.

Lisa Ruble commented on her post
Buskirk Ford Bridge is a through truss bridge over McKee Creek in Adams County built in 1885.

Lisa Ruble commented on her post
Buskirk Ford Bridge is a through truss bridge over McKee Creek in Adams County built in 1885.

Lisa Ruble commented on her post
Buskirk Ford Bridge is a through truss bridge over McKee Creek in Adams County built in 1885.

Jesica Huber commented on Lisa's post
It hasn't been a through road by the looks of things for many years. The cutouts on the top part are beautiful.

Jesica Huber commented on Lisa's post

Jesica Huber commented on Lisa's post

July 14, 2015, photo by K. Allen Ballard via BridgeHunter
"This was taken the morning after a huge stor hit West Central, IL....If you look down the LH side, middle of the bridge you'll see a large tree & Limb is jammed up thru the railing and lodged against the bridge."

As is expected for a wrought iron bridge, it is pin connected.

July 14, 2015, photo by K. Allen Ballard via BridgeHunter
"SW Bank looking at tree lodged in upstream (west) railing."

HistoricBridges
"Some of the eyebars have an unusual design. They appear like normal loop-forged eyebars, but closer inspection shows the design is different from the usual design. Below is a photo showing the unusual detail of the eyebar. Note how the eyebar head looks thicker than the main bar."

Here are a couple of those riveted caissons that HistoricBridges talked about.

2015 photo by K. Allen Ballard via BridgeHunter

April 2006 Flood:

At first, I thought they closed the road between N1200th Ave. andCR 1153N so that trucks would not get stuck at a place where they could not turn around. But when I zoomed out I noticed that the road is evidently closed because McKee Creek and Fisher Branch have flooded. Accessed Apr 26, 2026.

Satellite