
Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Back to Show
Watch Preview
NOVA
Why Bridges Collapse
Season 46
Episode 18
In 2018, Italy’s Morandi Bridge collapsed, tragically killing 43 people. For 50 years, the iconic bridge had withstood the elements—and stress from ever-increasing traffic. What went wrong that fateful day? And how can new engineering technology protect bridge infrastructure to prevent such tragic failures in the future?
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:09
Join pioneering shipbuilders as they embark on a feat of maritime engineering.

1:53:34
How can the science of learning help us rethink the future of education for all children?

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:49
Discover how Allied forces conspired to destroy one of Hitler’s most diabolical weapons.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:41
Join engineers as they race to rescue a historic lighthouse from certain doom.

52:51
Join investigators as they untangle the cause of Alzheimer’s and race to develop a cure.

53:32
Watch as Otzi, a 5000-year-old mummy, is brought to life and preserved with 3D modeling.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:07
Retrace the thought experiments that inspired his theory on the nature of reality.

53:36
How has the land shaped our lives, from the arrival of the first Americans to today?

53:35
How did massive volcanic eruptions, inland seas, and land bridges pave the way for life?

53:35
Experience the colossal geologic forces that shaped our continent over 3 billion years.

53:37
An astonishing find could solve the mystery of Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:09
A team attempts to build the flood boat using inscriptions from an ancient clay tablet.