Corrosion and Bridges

Wikipedia has a list of bridge failures here, many of them caused by corrosion. One of the most well-known bridge failures is the Silver Bridge, between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio, that failed in 1967 and inspired the book Mothman Prophecies and the film of the same name. On Tuesday two tension rods and a crossbeam from a recently installed repair collapsed during the evening commute, causing the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge to be closed. The cause is not yet known. More information here.

EDIT: Bay Bridge re-opens.