The Reality Of The Tilt Meters On The Indian River Inlet Bridge
November 2nd, 2007 by Maria Evans
While we wait for the alleged “new bridge” to be built over the Indian River Inlet, the current Indian River Inlet Bridge is being “monitored,” but how closely?
Darrel Cole from DelDot said, “The bridge is safe,” when he was the guest on Thursday’s The Dan Gaffney Show. The “bridge” in question, of course, was the Indian River Inlet Bridge. Cole had this to say about what DelDot was doing to insure that we’re safe driving over the old Indian River Inlet Bridge:
“…we have what we call even ’tilt sensors’ that we work with the University of Delaware, next year we’re going to put on what we call sonar readings…” - Darrel Cole of DelDot AUDIO
Well, WGMD News has learned that right now, those “tilt sensors” touted as part of the monitoring system of the Indian River Inlet Bridge, aren’t set up for any kind of emergency alert activity. So, if the bridge starts tilting fast and furious right now, those “tilt sensors” aren’t going to alert any kind of an authority to stop you from driving over the bridge.
I spoke with Jack Puleo, Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and he explained the “tilt sensors” to me.
There are “two small tilt sensors” on the Indian River Inlet Bridge. Puleo said fluid inside a sensor puts out an electronic charge that measures “tilt” “every two minutes and sends the data” to a “logger” at the Indian River Inlet. Then someone from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Delaware’s Newark campus plugs their laptop into the system at the Indian River Inlet, downloads the information, then brings it back to Newark and it’s analyzed.
So how does it help during some kind of a bridge tilting emergency? Well, it doesn’t. Not right now, and not anytime soon.
According to Puleo, the sensor, “does not by itself have an emergency anything….” Eventually, there will be a “radio link” that will send “tilt sensor” information directly to the University of Delaware’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Newark and then, ultimately, a real time feed will go to DelDot.
DelDot, incidentally, is the only authority that actually can make the call to close the bridge, the University of Delaware does not have that power.
So let’s recap…we’re supposed to feel safe going over the Indian River Inlet Bridge because of “tilt sensors” that are not monitored daily, are not hooked up to any kind of emergency system, don’t automatically alert any kind of authority to take action like closing the bridge in the event of drastic or dangerous tilting, and they won’t do any of that stuff anytime in the near future.
But don’t worry, next year there will be “sonar readings” at the bridge. WHEW!
But wait, there’s more…here’s what DelDot’s Q & A released on October 26, 2007 (yes, that’s one week ago) has to say about the “tilt sensors:”
Most recently, DelDOT worked with the University of Delaware to install tilt sensors on the piers of the bridge. This latest effort will further enhance the Department’s current bridge monitoring program. These sensors will offer the department added confirmation that the bridge piers are stable. Should any change occur, the sensors would provide DelDOT an opportunity to promptly respond.
Right now, that would be “promptly respond” after someone downloads the data from the Inlet Bridge onto a laptop, takes it to the U of D in Newark, its analyzed by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and someone calls DelDot. But for the record, the “tilt sensors” are, in fact, installed. Kudos to DelDot.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Is this not the most pitiful piece of propaganda you have ever heard?Thanks for the post, Maria. I cannot believe that the state and DelDot expect us people with some form of intelligence to believe all this. Can you imagine just how much additional scouring is happening tonight with our 45 plus mph wind gusts that should most likely continue until Sunday. That bridge is just an accident waiting to happen. If there is an “accident”, there will be many lives lost as I cannot possibly imagine how one could survive the collapse of that bridge with the currents that flow through it on a regular basis. I simply cannot believe that nobody cares but the scared people who have to cross this mess…..Again, excellent job, Maria !!!!
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Hah! Reminds me of the old adage “Live horse, and you’ll get corn!” Or, as in where we may need traffic lights or at least a stop sign, it doesn’t happen until the “hmmphnnphh” fatality. I suppose for a year or so we could go back to having someone walk in front of each vehicle crossing the bridge to warn drivers and occupants if anything is amiss. I mean, it’s ‘only’ a year. What a farce…if it was funny. It’s far from it.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:39 am
Good work Maria!
I don’t know a thing about effectively monitoring the safety of a bridge, but to have a tilt sensor that does not continuously transmit the data to a monitor that can sound an alarm instantaneously seems insufficient to me.
Moreover, Darrel Cole’s attempts to reassure us by stating that the Indian River Bridge is the “most monitored bridge in the state” is not reassuring to me in the least. In fact, it appears that this monitoring is not enough, as just stated.
Since the scouring action of the inlet current on the bridge piers seems to be the principal concern, I want to know from a qualified expert that the bridge is safe from this point of view.
As far as I am concerned, Darrel Cole, that is your assignment, to inform us promptly on this scouring issue. No more stuttering, stammering, hemming and hawing, like you were doing on Dan’s show. Let us have some straight factual and trustworthy information on this bridge safety issue.
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:55 am
The tilt sensors will eventually transmit data to monitors at the U of D and DelDot, and hooking it up to some kind of alert system was described as the “ultimate goal.” It’s just not hooked up now, and it won’t be for a while.
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:21 am
Maybe they will hook it up and test it AFTER the bridge falls down…….
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:27 am
Look on the bright side, as it stands now if the bridge falls they’ll be able to tell us the exact moment it became unsafe.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:21 am
Excellent thought Maria–that is why I like you so much–always very positive in your presentations…….
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Well just to give Cole a little credit, for the sake of his job he can’t reveal all these details or the public is going to start going hysterical and getting scared about the bridge. He has to keep some sanity and confidence so people actually still cross the bridge. Also in his defense, the bridge is surveyed regularly and it is inspected by divers yearly. I have full confidence that this bridge is ok in the near future.
As for this UD professor who is a civil engineer. He could be violating engineering ethics by speaking out on this matter. He should not be revealing facts about a program they are running with the state unless he had permission by the state to do so.
However, your right the state hasn’t handled the IRIB project in the correct manner. They are dragging their feet/wasting money and it happens all the time. I say this time and time again it’s because they don’t pay engineers enough so they lack the quality and quantity. Darrel Cole has jeopardized his job on this one and he too could be violating engineering ethics by not being straight with the public about what is going on with this project. Delaware infrastructure and engineering is way behind that of other states. They need to be revamped, and we need a governor that has the ability to do so.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Excellent points, Fabio, and many thanks to you also. My only problem is with the fact that even if there is only a little bit of doubt about the safety of the bridge, then it should be closed. However, I realize that this would put a huge damper on the economy and the convenience of people trying to get from Bethany to points northward. Also, think about this–suppose a patient in Bethany Beach or Fenwick Island was having a heart attack or was having difficulty in breathing, or was bleeding profusely, the ambulance would have to detour many many miles to get the person to the hospital. That is just why this idea is not feasible. However, it is not quite fair that we have to fear crossing the bridge every time we do just that. I definitely do not know the solution, but it should have never been allowed to happen in the first place. We have all known about the safety issues of the existing bridge for a very long time……I have a deceased friend who worked for the University of Delaware College of Marine studies and he told me many times that divers had discovered serious safety issues, and I am talking about 20 some years ago.. Go figure !!!!.
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Maybe they should just reposition this camera and assign someone to watch it 24 hours a day…
http://www.deldot.gov/public.ejs?command=PublicCameraDisplay&county=3&id=126&hb=0&connectType=http
November 4th, 2007 at 3:37 am
I don’t understand this “eventually it will be” crud. Do it now. What the hell are we waiting for? Marconi to invent the radio? You can bet your bippi that if this bridge was up state, this sad state of affairs would not be happening.
Thank your local legislators for allowing down state be treated like a third world country.
November 5th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
It’s always been that way and there is nothing the legislators can really do about it. Did you know every year New Castle County always go over budget on construction projects? You know where the money comes from to pay that debt? It comes out of the fund from Sussex County. Every year the state slashes Sussex Counties budget for construction to leave extra in case New Castle goes over and they always do. Probably one good reason our roads are terrible and we haven’t gotten any new ones. There isn’t a whole lot the legislators can do. The upstate legislators always out rule them anyways. The whole state system is a debacle.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Fabio your 1st line is correct. Remember the legislators clipped Nathan Haywires wings but he still continued to sign orders. When he signed the bridge order the good old boys just let it go thru. They could have resended the orders he signed. If he was still there I bet there would be spans going across the water safe or not.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
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