The Charlotte Observer du lieu suivant : Charlotte, North Carolina • 1

wwwcharlottecom MONDAY MAY 22 2000 METRO EDITION 500 Racing fans tumble into nightmare at Motor Speedway water sections GUS ROSALES LEJANOSpecial to The Observer Dozens of racing fans are piled on top of one another moments after a pedestrian walkway collapsed Saturday night after The Winston at Motor Speedway A Huntersville resident leaving the speedway one step from the section that gave way snapped this picture Story page 8A This story was reported by staff writers Ames Alexander Liz Chandler Karen Cimino Scott Dodd Eric Frazier Bruce Henderson Mark Johnson Robert Moore Marion Payn-terand Courtney St Onge CONCORD Crucial steel cables had corroded inside the pedestrian bridge that collapsed Saturday at Motor Speedway and injured 107 people according to an NC bridge inspector Don Idol an assistant bridge inspection engineer with the NC Department of Transportation said Sunday he saw rusted half-inch steel cables protruding from the broken concrete spans that lay across southbound lanes of US 29 He also saw several 3-foot cracks underneath three remaining spans obvious signs he said of possible problems inside the bridge would have been a flag for Idol said as teams of engineers and construction-disaster experts examined the 80-foot section that shuddered then collapsed under file weight of fans leaving the speedway still very early but my initial reaction is that these cables were exposed to moisture and they became Idol said that would have weakened the The investigation now turns to why the steel corrodedThe state periodically inspected the bridge as it was being built in 1995 and gave a final OK State officials held the speedway responsible for further safety inspections of the privately owned walkway Before construction started state engineers also recommended the use of concrete sections that would be stronger than those the speedway apparently installed The 100 pounds-per-square-foot concrete sections that the speedway used met building codes but in a 1995 letter to speedway President HA Wheeler state officials urged using stronger material Internally state officials recommended 145 pounds per square foot But they conceded to 100 after seeing the response we were designing that bridge we would have designed it for a little heavier Benton Payne division engineer for the state Transportation Department said Sunday know when the speedway lets out there would Screams chaos follow a cascade of concrete a il i A rnm iriTH 1 US 29 lanes reopened NC Highway Patrol officials reopened all lanes of US 29 around 10:35 pm Sunday in plenty of time for this rush hour Both directions of the four-lane highway were closed all day Sunday as crews worked into the night to clear the rubble of the fallen walkway from the southbound lanes More coverage inside Engineer says technique used to build walkway can result in hazardous rust 7A jj 1 ft 4 "Wt By PETER ST 0NGE StaffWnter The crowd on the pedestrian walkway was thick Saturday night but not more than usual after a race at Motor Speedway At 1115 people shuffled shoulder to shoulder toward their cars Adults held children Two brothers laughed Alec Watson 24 had bought tickets to The Winston for his brother Matt who turned 20 on Friday The pair had driven up from Rock Hill then watched great racing from their seats in the fourth-turn terrace Now on the walkway outside the fourth turn they talked and walked toward the ramp and the parking lot below Next to them a young boy in his arms said something funny about the race Everyone smiled Then they heard a snap Not loud but distinct The brothers looked at each other The concrete beneath them gave way It was It happened too quickly for terror victims would say later A snap then another then a concrete walkway smashed into the asphalt of US 29 Bodies followed quickly some free-falling in the warm night air others sliding down the broken walkway in a cascade of arms and legs Jim Hill was five or six steps from the ramp when trouble began heard one crack a second crack Fans react to the latest tragedy to hit Motor Speedway: gives you a sick feeling in the pit of your 7A JEFFSINERStaff Clarissa Hill 7 of Durham holds onto her father Chris Hill Sunday afternoon at Motor Speedway Quick action from her grandfather Jim Hill helped save her from serious injury then all of a sudden there was nothing under he said Hill a former schoolteacher from Charleston Va had come to see The Winston with his wife Jane son Chris and 7-year-old granddaughter Clarissa Hill had been to Speedway several times so he knew the exit routine Stick together get lost On the walkway he held Cla- Hundreds of emergency workers need less than an hour to move nearly 90 injured people to hospitals 8A Events will continue as scheduled at the speedway this week as it gears up for Coca-Cola 600 9A FRANCISCO KJOLSETHStaff This aerial view shows the portion of the pedestrian bridge at Motor Speedway that collapsed Saturday night Please see CRASH page 8A Please see TUMBLE page 6A Classified NATIONAL 4 -i LOCAL Another term for Heston The convention is over but the National Rifle board of directors meets today to formalize an unprecedented third term for leader Charlton Heston IB 4 Charter plane crashes Family members of the 19 people who were on a charter plane that crashed in a ball of fire after apparent engine failure are comforted by volunteers Sunday 3A non mn 1 Tins newspaper is printed in part on recycled paper and is recyclable Vol 131 No 143 Contents 2000 The Charlotte Observer 1 I).