Seven Engineers Suspended After $2.3M Bridge Includes 90-Degree Turn

Bureaucratic Constraints and Design Outcome

• Commenters highlight long-running land disputes between agencies and shifting specs as key drivers of the bizarre layout.
• Many see the bridge as a “solution” to an impossible constraint set: appease all landowners and rail/metro authorities rather than optimize traffic flow.
• Some argue this is a textbook case of “engineering by committee” where satisfying process and stakeholders trumped the original functional goal (moving ~300k people/day).

Is It Really Bad Engineering? Safety vs Function

• Several note the turn is closer to ~60–75 degrees than a perfect 90, and similar sharp turns exist on bridges worldwide.
• Critics respond that the issue is not the angle itself but radius, lane width, design speed, and capacity: it likely cannot safely or efficiently handle the intended volume, especially mixed traffic (buses, scooters, cars).
• Some view it as merely inconvenient, possibly safe at low speed; others emphasize that if it “is neither fulfilling the functional requirement nor safe,” that is by definition failed engineering.

Engineer Ethics, Licensing, and “Saying No”

• Strong debate over whether the suspended engineers are culpable or scapegoats.
• Licensed civil engineers in the thread stress a formal duty to public safety: you must refuse to sign off on unsafe or unfit designs, even under pressure.
• Opposing voices argue that in high power-distance cultures and precarious job markets, refusing can mean losing your livelihood—and someone else will sign anyway.
• Some suggest the real failure lies with management/politicians who created impossible constraints and now offload blame downward.

Cultural and Political Context

• Multiple comments tie this to Indian bureaucratic culture: deference to authority, low tolerance for dissent, and politicized land/infrastructure deals.
• Others note this kind of yes‑man dynamic and blame‑shifting exists in both government and large corporations globally.

Parallels to Software and Other Fields

• Many draw analogies to software “90-degree turns”: dark patterns, impossible product requirements, and systems that fail at their primary purpose.
• The absence of licensing and personal liability in software is contrasted with civil engineering, where formal accountability can include loss of license or jail.