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The deadliest bridge collapses in the US in the last 50 years

The deadliest bridge collapses in the US in the last 50 years
Posted at 4:19 PM, Mar 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-15 19:19:01-04

There have been a number of deadly bridge collapses through the years, some due to structural deficiencies and others in collisions or accidents. Here's a look back at the 10 deadliest incidents in the last half century.

Hyatt Regency Walkway 
Deaths: 114

Where: Kansas City, Missouri

When: July 17, 1981

The walkways on the second and fourth floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed under the weight of guests. They then both crashed onto a crowded dance floor in the lobby. The American Society of Civil Engineers called it "one of the most devastating structural failures in U.S. history in terms of lives lost."

Big Bayou Canot
Deaths: 47

Where: Outside Mobile, Alabama

When: September 22, 1993

Part of an Amtrak train fell off a trestle into the bayou and caught fire. It happened right after a barge hit a railroad bridge. Minutes later, the Amtrak Sunset Limited hit the bent tracks and plunged into the bayou.

Silver Bridge 
Deaths: 46

Where: Between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio

When: December 15, 1967

According to eyewitnesses, the entire 1,460-foot suspended portion of the Silver Bridge folded "like a deck of cards" in less than 20 seconds and collapsed into the river. Investigators later blamed a fracture in the bridge for the accident.

Cypress Street Viaduct 
Deaths: 42

Where: Oakland, California

When: October 17, 1989

The Cypress Freeway Viaduct was a double-decker freeway structure that connected Interstate 880 to the Bay Bridge approach. The Loma Prieta Quake caused the upper deck to collapse on to the lower.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Deaths: 35

Where: Outside St. Petersburg, Florida

When: May 9, 1980

A freighter struck the bridge during a thunderstorm, sending a bus, six cars and a pickup truck into the bay.

I-40 Bridge
Deaths: 14

Where: Webbers Falls, Oklahoma

When: May 26, 2002

A third of the I-40 bridge fell after a towboat pushed a barge into a support.

Cline Avenue 
Deaths: 14

Where: East Chicago, Indiana

When: April 15, 1982

Three spans of the elevated Cline Avenue bridge extension highway project gave way, according to UPI.

I-35 W Bridge
Deaths: 13

Where: Minneapolis

When: August 1, 2007

Support plates that were about half as thick as they should have been were the likely cause of the I-35 W bridge collapse over the Mississippi River, investigators said.

Schoharie Creek Bridge
Deaths: 10

Where: Fort Hunter, New York

When: April 5, 1987

Faulty construction was to blame for the collapse of the bridge. According to the Times-Union, the bridge's pilings were built on the riverbed instead of driven into the bedrock beneath the surface.

Sydney Lanier Bridge 
Deaths: 10

Where: Brunswick, Georgia

When: November 7, 1972

A freighter collided with a drawbridge, sending cars into the Brunswick River.