Interstate 35 designer committed suicide

[snopes]

Q: Is this an urban legend, or is there some truth to it?

I have heard from several people that the designer of Interstate 35 committed suicide because he felt badly for people who died in accidents. I'm a native Austinite and was always curious.

A: Legend. Post-construction suicide by a designer is a common theme in urban legends starring architects and engineers.

No single individual designs a highway, says John Hurt, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation, and design takes years. The district engineer when this section of Interstate 35 was designed and constructed was Ed Bluestein, who died of natural causes in 1993, Hurt says.

http://www.statesman.com/life/conten...03/3greig.html

[WildaBeast]

Post-construction suicide by a designer is a common theme in urban legends starring architects and engineers.

I saw a show on the History Channel about railroad safety several years ago. Apparently there were quite a few substandard bridges built in the early days of railroads. The mentioned one accident where a bridge collapsed, and said that one of the engineers who designed the bridge had warned the railroad that it was unsafe, and he committed suicide after the accident.

Okay, the rumor around here is that the person who designated the locations for the rest areas along I-65 in Alabama started at the AL-TN border with a six-pack of beer and whenever he needed to pull over to take a leak, that's where he put a rest area.

My BIL told me that one (he works for the Federal Highway System, so it must be true ).

[RichardM]

I've designed lighting along parts of I35. Should I be worried?