An old highway bridge that paralleled the railroad bridge — together, they were called the Twin Bridges — was removed in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation determined it was in imminent danger of falling. It wasn’t immediately clear when the railroad bridge was constructed or when it was last inspected.
How can they not know when a bridge was constructed or at least last inspected? Don’t they keep records of this stuff?
Well, to be fair, this all just happened yesterday morning, and it’s the weekend. The article states the investigators have “requested” those documents; it didn’t say they weren’t available or anything.
Yeah, that’s probably what it was. It really surprised me when I read it, though. Running Coach found the answer quick enough
I hope the asphalt and sulphur are cleaned out of the river quickly, so there isn’t too much environmental damage.
And the Yellowstone River already has a fair amount of sulfur in it. The don’t have to get every last atom of it out, just down to normal background levels.
I’m pretty sure it’s not very soluble in water. Sulfur’s typically kept in big piles like you’d keep gravel, etc… In fact, there is one in Galveston that I know about- open to the elements and everything.
Same thing with asphalt; they mix it with aggregate and make roads out of it- they’re just there in whatever weather.
The good news I suppose, is that both materials are typically transported hot. So when the cars fell into the river, they almost certainly solidified quickly and are a lot less likely to leach into the environment.
That sounds promising for cleanup, at least. I was imagining the stuff dissolving in the water. Glad to hear it’s pretty solid stuff that won’t travel too far.
Until fairly recently, when they started to make ping pong balls out of ABS plastic (not exactly a non-hazardous material) they were made of celluloid (an extremely hazardous material).
There’s an insert that comes with the slabs of celluloid that are used for making knife handles. It recommends that while power sanding or buffing one should keep a bucket of water at hand. Not to put it out if it over heats and catches on fire, but so that while it burns the flames are contained.
“The solution to pollution, is dilution.” This is a well known industrial phrase. They aren’t going to be filtering anything out. To try and recover anything from the water will probably cause more harm than good.
David Stamey, the county’s chief of emergency services, said there was no immediate danger for the crews working at the site, and the hazardous material was being diluted by the swollen river.
