The bridge collapsed after only 10 years because the designers focused too much on appearance

It’s a tough time to be a bridge designer right now, with the bridge span in Baltimore collapse after a ship crashes get in there and New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is coming dangerously close to a similar fate. Now, the bridge collapse in Norway is being blamed on the designers spending too much time focusing on its appearance.

The Tretten Bridge in the Øyer region of southern Norway collapsed in 2022 after a heavy goods vehicle tried to cross it. Now, an investigation about bridge collapsed across the river Gudbrandsdalslågen discovered that it failed because its designers spent too much time making sure it looked good and not enough time making sure it functioned as a bridge, reports Dezeen.

The designers of the bridge, which opened in 2012, have been accused of being “reckless” in developing the span. As Dezeen explains:

The report said: “The investigation has shown that there was a lack of care in the planning, design, testing and approval of the Tretten Bridge, with regard to the risk factors associated with its unique design. It”.

“The short construction period, span length and reuse of existing foundations were the framework conditions for the planning of the bridge,” it continued.

“These framing conditions, combined with the choice of materials and a strong focus on aesthetics, contributed to the structure’s instability.”

Furthermore, reports suggest that the bridge should have passed consolidation and support work in 2016 may have saved it from collapse. This happened after the Perkolo bridge fell into the river when a heavy goods vehicle tried to cross.

Similarities were discovered between the designs of the two bridges. New construction engineer called “inherent flaws in its design.”

An additional factor that may further weaken the Tretten Bridge’s design is the time frame in which it was built. During the design and construction of the bridge, Norway was transitioning from its older construction regulations New European regulatory regulations bridge design.

At this time, projects already underway were allowed to operate under older regulations, and that’s exactly what the Tretten Bridge development team followed. The inquiry also addressed this issue, stating that “all stakeholders can be criticized” for their decision to work within outdated frameworks.