Science Channel: UC engineer explains demolition disaster
UC expert explains how Hopple Street overpass disaster occurred
Science Channel's popular show "Engineering Catastrophes" turned to a University of Cincinnati structural expert to explain how demolition of an overpass in 2015 caused a fatal accident on one of the nation's busiest highways.
Construction foreman Brandon Carl was killed when the Hopple Street overpass on I-75 collapsed during demolition.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science associate professor Gian A. Rassati told Science Channel that the demolition destabilized the cantilever overpass bridge, causing the accident.
"During deconstruction of the bridge you need to make sure the rest of the structure remains stable. So by starting to remove the loads at one end, the bridge became lighter at that end. That end of the bridge started lifting up," said Rassati, who teaches in UC's Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management.
Construction crews that noticed the steel girders begin to lift installed anchor bolts to keep the span in place during demolition. But the span collapsed onto I-75, killing a construction worker and injuring a truck driver that crashed into the fallen span.
"With hindsight being what it is, they should have removed all the weight from the middle and then started working from both ends to maintain the symmetry of the forces as much as possible," Rassati said. "The biggest issue that caused the ultimate failure was starting from one end, causing a seesaw effect."
"Engineering Catastrophes" airs on Science Channel.
Featured image at top: UC associate professor Gian Rassati talks to Science Channel for its show "Engineering Catastrophes." Photo/Science Channel
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.