Skip to main content

VIDEO - Bridge demolition going wrong

June 17, 2015
A bridge demolition job went spectacularly wrong in Finland recently. Luckily for all concerned, there were no casualties, but it could have quite easily been a different story. A demolition contractor was using an excavator fitted with a hydraulic breaker to break up the structure, but the work was carrying on despite live traffic flowing on the road under the bridge.

Note too the behaviour of drivers on the route after the initial collapse.

This video came just as the European Demolition Association headed to Finland’s capital Helsinki to discuss best practice.

The Viitostiellä Mikkelissä bridge collapsed following a few blows from a hydraulic hammer to the deck, suggesting the structure was in a very poor condition indeed.

Related Content

  • Washington DC’s historic bridge replacement project
    June 11, 2019
    The project to replace a historic bridge in US capital Washington DC is providing major challenges for its builders - Mike Woof writes
  • Risk warnings for UK revealed with new data
    May 9, 2013
    New data from the UK reveals key information about road risk factors both across the country and in capital London. A new report reveals that around 68% of pedestrian casualties are adults who are at greatest risk on weekend evenings and after consuming alcohol. Meanwhile another separate study in London reveals that cyclists are not at fault in most crashes in which they are involved.
  • Euromarket stable until 2020, predicts Euroconstruct
    December 13, 2018
    Analysts predict strong growth in road building up to 2020 as public finances improve. Graham Anderson reports from Helsinki European civil engineering markets – including road building and maintenance - are predicted to grow strongly between now and 2020 thanks to the increasing strength of EU members states’ national economies. The increasingly optimistic forecasts are contained in the latest construction industry research from construction market analyst Euroconstruct, based in the Finnish capital Hel
  • Via Nordica turns international
    July 31, 2012
    Via Nordica, the road technology conference of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) has changed from the traditional Nordic event to become more international The conference, held every four years, rotates between the five countries, and the 2008 event, held in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, was a clear demonstration of the international trend. An accompanying exhibition attracted more than 70 companies and organisations from 14 countries. Pär-Håkan Appel, the secretary g