Latchford is a cozy little town a few miles South of Cobalt. A teacher at TDSS was kind enough to take me canoeing on nearby lake Ana-nip this summer. I don't have any pictures of that but a friend sent me some pictures. The bridge suffered a partial collapse on January 14, 2003. This was a major problem for many months. A temporary bridge was still being used in July '03.

Photo Courtesy Linda Lacko

View of the Montreal R. Bridge with Latchford in the Background

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Photo courtesy Linda Lacko

Un-suspended decking, main N-S Highway closed

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Photo courtesy Linda Lacko

Jury-rigged hangers, jacks under decking

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Photo courtesy Linda Lacko

So What Happened??

I'm always trying to understand things. I guess it's because I'm an Engineer. Or maybe that's why I'm an Engineer. Anyway I came across the failure investigation report for this calamity. It turns out at least 2 of the deck supports (the vertical hangers) had stopped supporting the bridge a few years before the collapse. Other causes for this failure were:
Extreme cold weather when the failure occurred along with steel that turned brittle at that temperature.
Seized hanger pins and other attachments that failed and could not be easily inspected.

It's all there in the report - very interesting reading.

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