Bridge railing collapse in Chattanooga, Tennessee

A concrete beam from a bridge located in Chattanooga, Tennessee failed and collapsed injuring one person.

The bridge is located at the Interstate 75 North and I-24 West split. The collapse was not a structural failure but it was probably caused after an overweight vehicle collided with the lower part of the bridge. "We don't believe that the failure of the beam was an issue with the design of the bridge or maintenance activity," Paul Degges, chief engineer at the Department of Transportation (DOT), stated. The incident is still under investigation.

One person was slightly injured after the collapsed beam hit a vehicle, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. 

The bridge was constructed in 1959 and it was inspected in the summer of 2018. According to the report, the bridge was structurally sound and it would be re-inspected in May 2020. However, 2 suggestions to improve the structure were made:

1. Remove loose concrete filler beneath the beams and
2. Remove a tree that was causing cracks in the concrete as it was getting larger

The incident comes after 2 overpass collapses that occurred recently. In March 2017, a section of Interstate 85 in Atlanta failed after a fire incident but, fortunately, no one was injured. However, one year later, a brand-new pedestrian bridge collapsed into a major road at Miami International University resulting in 6 fatalities.