Xinhua All Media+ | Hubei Expressway Bridge Rollover Event Tracking

　　Xinhua News Agency, Wuhan, December 20 (Reporters Wang Xian, Hou Wenkun, Tian Zhongquan) G50 Huyu Expressway Huahu Interchange D ramp (Huyu Expressway to Daguangnan Expressway ramp) on the 18th, the bridge rollover incident has caused 4 People died and 8 people were injured.

This incident aroused public attention, and the reporter launched an in-depth investigation.

198-ton truck hits the road and reported 99 tons in Hubei

　　The reporter arrived at the scene on the day of the incident and saw that the ramp bridge of the approximately 500-meter-long interchange section turned over at 90 degrees, three trucks fell side by side and overturned, and a small car was held down by the overturned ramp bridge.

　　It is understood that one of the three trucks has a total weight of 198 tons. It is a large truck for transporting special equipment. The license plate number is Shaanxi AN0257. It enters the expressway from the Lintong toll station in Shaanxi Province.

According to relevant departments, the design limit of the incident section was 55 tons.

At the same time, special transportation vehicles like Shaanxi AN0257 need to apply for an over-limit permit before going on the highway, and the vehicle must follow the prescribed route, and even need to pass guidance when necessary.

　　The reporter inquired on the official website of the Shaanxi Provincial Highway Bureau and found that the vehicle had an over-limit permit at the Shaanxi Provincial Highway Bureau on December 10. "East Toll Station", the traffic period is from December 10, 2021 to December 20, 2021, with a total weight of 198 tons. It is a vehicle of Tianjin Pingfa Heavy Transport Co., Ltd.

　　Relevant departments of Hubei Province obtained the trajectory of the accident vehicle and found that the Shaanxi AN0257 vehicle did not leave the Lianhuo Expressway in Qindong, but continued to drive in the direction of Henan.

As there are no toll stations between the provinces, the vehicles drove all the way to Hubei via the Daguang Expressway.

　　The relevant person in charge of the Hubei Provincial Traffic Management Department said that they checked the relevant approval procedures and found that the truck declared in Hubei was about 99 tons of cargo and its own weight.

The safety issue of single-pillar pier bridges arouses attention again

　　The incident bridge was a single-pillar pier structure, and the safety issue of this type of bridge has once again aroused social concern.

　　The reporter found out that many experts have publicly questioned the safety of single-pillar pier bridges. They believe that the lateral stability of single-pillar pier bridges is poor, which is affected by many factors such as vehicle load, support settlement, its own structural form, and temperature. Under the circumstances, overall overturning accidents are prone to occur, coupled with the lack of the existing bridge specifications for the calculation of lateral stability, which makes single-pillar pier bridges have greater safety hazards during operation.

　　The ramp bridge in the incident was completed and opened to traffic on September 28, 2010, and the anti-eccentric load overturning standard was in line with the national requirements at the time.

"Although the single-pillar pier bridge meets the standards more than ten years ago, its safety remains to be studied and investigated." A person familiar with the matter said.

The specific reason remains to be investigated

　　The reporter found at the scene that the ramp bridge in the incident had a rollover of nearly 90 degrees, and the overturned bridge and piers were relatively intact, with almost no traces of fracture.

　　The relevant person in charge of the Hubei Provincial Traffic Management Department and Hubei Provincial Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. revealed that on the day of the incident, there was a small area of ​​construction on the ramp bridge, which occupied part of the road; at the time of the incident, three trucks on the bridge were driving in the same direction, on the same side. road.

　　Relevant experts who analyzed the cause of the accident at the scene told the reporter that after preliminary research, the mass of the vehicle for transporting special equipment was too large, and there were two vehicles driving on the same side, which may have caused the ramp bridge to roll over, but the specific cause of the accident still needs to be done. Follow-up comprehensive analysis.