Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Bridge collapse in Washington state blamed on tractor-trailer
1 view
Skip to first unread message
Leroy N. Soetoro
May 25, 2013, 1:09:23 AM5/25/13
to
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586034/bridge-collapse-in-
washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
MOUNT VERNON, WASH. A truck hauling a too-tall load hit an overhead girder
of a bridge on the major thoroughfare between Seattle and Canada, sending
a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below, though
all three occupants suffered only minor injuries.
It happened about 7 p.m. Thursday on the north part of the four-lane
Interstate 5 bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle,
and disrupted travel in both directions.
Initially, it wasn't clear if the bridge just gave way on its own. But at
an overnight news conference, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste
blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying an oversize load that hit an upper
part of the span. The vertical clearance from the roadway to the beam is
14.6 feet.
"For reasons unknown at this point in time, the semi struck the overhead
of the bridge causing the collapse," Batiste said.
Motorist Dan Sligh saw it happen.
"He hit the bridge about 3 or 4 feet wider than the actual bridge was, and
we went right off with the bridge as it collapsed," Sligh told reporters
from a hospital.
The truck made it off the bridge and the driver remained at the scene and
cooperated with investigators. Authorities have not yet said what the
truck was carrying.
Two other vehicles went into the water about 25 feet below as the
structure crumbled. Three people were rescued and were recovering Friday.
Drivers were told to expect delays. Detours have been set up to try to
ease the congestion. Batiste urged drivers to avoid the area if possible,
especially over the Memorial Day weekend. Traffic along the heavily
travelled route could be affected for some time. The bridge is used by an
average of 71,000 vehicles a day.
"The I-5 corridor is totally disrupted," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee,
who went to the scene Thursday night.
"Thanks to the rescuers and a little bit of luck, we had three
Skagitonians who made it out of the Skagit River alive," Inslee said.
Last August, Barry LePatner, author of "Too Big to Fall: America's Failing
Infrastructure and the Way Forward," told CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor
on "CBS This Morning" that the next bridge disaster was much closer than
anyone wants to believe.
"Since 1989," LePatner said, "we've had nearly 600 bridge failures in this
country and, while they're not widely publicized ... a large number of
bridges in every state are really a danger to the traveling public."
On Thursday, Sligh and his wife were in their pickup on Interstate 5
heading to a camping trip when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big
puff of dust."
"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh said, adding he "saw the water
approaching ... you hold on as tight as you can."
Sligh, his wife and another man in a different vehicle were dumped into
the chilly waters of the Skagit River.
Sligh and his wife were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with non-life-
threatening injuries. The other man was reported in stable condition at
United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, hospital CEO Greg Reed said.
Sligh said his shoulder was dislocated in the drop into the water, and he
found himself "belly deep in water in the truck." He said he popped his
shoulder back in and called out to his wife, who he described as being in
shock initially as they waited for rescuers to arrive in boats.
The bridge was inspected twice last year and repairs were made,
Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said.
"It's an older bridge that needs a lot of work just like a good number of
bridges around the state," she said.
Transportation officials are working on plans for either a temporary or
permanent replacement, she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending an investigative
team.
Jeremiah Thomas, a volunteer firefighter, said he was driving nearby when
he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.
"The bridge just went down, it crashed through the water," he said. "It
was really surreal."
Deyerin said the water depth was about 15 feet, and the vehicles half-
visible in the water likely were resting on portions of the collapsed
bridge.
Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.
"It's not something you see every day," said Jimmy O'Connor, the owner of
two local pizza restaurants who was driving on another bridge parallel to
the one that collapsed. "People were starting to crawl out of their cars."
He said he and his girlfriend were about 400 yards away on the Burlington
Bridge when they heard "just a loud bang."
"Then we looked over and saw the bridge was down in the water," he said.
He pulled over and saw three vehicles in the water, including the camping
trailer that landed upside-down, he said.
The bridge was not classified as structurally deficient, but a Federal
Highway Administration database listed it as being "functionally obsolete"
� a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow
shoulders and low clearance underneath.
The bridge, which was inspected last August and November, was built in
1955 and had a sufficiency rating of 47 out of 100 at its November 2012
inspection, Transportation Department spokesman Noel Brady said Friday.
The state average is 80, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil Engineers'
2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came to the state's
bridges. The group said more than a quarter of Washington's 7,840 bridges
are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
The bridge was 1,112 feet long and 180 feet wide, with two lanes in each
direction, Brady said. There are four spans, or sections, over the water
supported by piers. The span on the north side is the one that collapsed.
It's a steel truss bridge, meaning it has a boxy steel frame.
The mishap was reminiscent of the August 2007 collapse of an I-35W bridge
in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured another 145 when it
buckled and fell into the Mississippi River during rush-hour.
Sligh was thankful.
His wife was "doing OK" and he had "lots of cuts," he said. "You're kind
of pinching yourself and realize you're lucky to be alive."
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
MOUNT VERNON, WASH. A truck hauling a too-tall load hit an overhead girder
of a bridge on the major thoroughfare between Seattle and Canada, sending
a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below, though
all three occupants suffered only minor injuries.
It happened about 7 p.m. Thursday on the north part of the four-lane
Interstate 5 bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle,
and disrupted travel in both directions.
Initially, it wasn't clear if the bridge just gave way on its own. But at
an overnight news conference, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste
blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying an oversize load that hit an upper
part of the span. The vertical clearance from the roadway to the beam is
14.6 feet.
"For reasons unknown at this point in time, the semi struck the overhead
of the bridge causing the collapse," Batiste said.
Motorist Dan Sligh saw it happen.
"He hit the bridge about 3 or 4 feet wider than the actual bridge was, and
we went right off with the bridge as it collapsed," Sligh told reporters
from a hospital.
The truck made it off the bridge and the driver remained at the scene and
cooperated with investigators. Authorities have not yet said what the
truck was carrying.
Two other vehicles went into the water about 25 feet below as the
structure crumbled. Three people were rescued and were recovering Friday.
Drivers were told to expect delays. Detours have been set up to try to
ease the congestion. Batiste urged drivers to avoid the area if possible,
especially over the Memorial Day weekend. Traffic along the heavily
travelled route could be affected for some time. The bridge is used by an
average of 71,000 vehicles a day.
"The I-5 corridor is totally disrupted," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee,
who went to the scene Thursday night.
"Thanks to the rescuers and a little bit of luck, we had three
Skagitonians who made it out of the Skagit River alive," Inslee said.
Last August, Barry LePatner, author of "Too Big to Fall: America's Failing
Infrastructure and the Way Forward," told CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor
on "CBS This Morning" that the next bridge disaster was much closer than
anyone wants to believe.
"Since 1989," LePatner said, "we've had nearly 600 bridge failures in this
country and, while they're not widely publicized ... a large number of
bridges in every state are really a danger to the traveling public."
On Thursday, Sligh and his wife were in their pickup on Interstate 5
heading to a camping trip when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big
puff of dust."
"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh said, adding he "saw the water
approaching ... you hold on as tight as you can."
Sligh, his wife and another man in a different vehicle were dumped into
the chilly waters of the Skagit River.
Sligh and his wife were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with non-life-
threatening injuries. The other man was reported in stable condition at
United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, hospital CEO Greg Reed said.
Sligh said his shoulder was dislocated in the drop into the water, and he
found himself "belly deep in water in the truck." He said he popped his
shoulder back in and called out to his wife, who he described as being in
shock initially as they waited for rescuers to arrive in boats.
The bridge was inspected twice last year and repairs were made,
Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said.
"It's an older bridge that needs a lot of work just like a good number of
bridges around the state," she said.
Transportation officials are working on plans for either a temporary or
permanent replacement, she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending an investigative
team.
Jeremiah Thomas, a volunteer firefighter, said he was driving nearby when
he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.
"The bridge just went down, it crashed through the water," he said. "It
was really surreal."
Deyerin said the water depth was about 15 feet, and the vehicles half-
visible in the water likely were resting on portions of the collapsed
bridge.
Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.
"It's not something you see every day," said Jimmy O'Connor, the owner of
two local pizza restaurants who was driving on another bridge parallel to
the one that collapsed. "People were starting to crawl out of their cars."
He said he and his girlfriend were about 400 yards away on the Burlington
Bridge when they heard "just a loud bang."
"Then we looked over and saw the bridge was down in the water," he said.
He pulled over and saw three vehicles in the water, including the camping
trailer that landed upside-down, he said.
The bridge was not classified as structurally deficient, but a Federal
Highway Administration database listed it as being "functionally obsolete"
� a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow
shoulders and low clearance underneath.
The bridge, which was inspected last August and November, was built in
1955 and had a sufficiency rating of 47 out of 100 at its November 2012
inspection, Transportation Department spokesman Noel Brady said Friday.
The state average is 80, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil Engineers'
2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came to the state's
bridges. The group said more than a quarter of Washington's 7,840 bridges
are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
The bridge was 1,112 feet long and 180 feet wide, with two lanes in each
direction, Brady said. There are four spans, or sections, over the water
supported by piers. The span on the north side is the one that collapsed.
It's a steel truss bridge, meaning it has a boxy steel frame.
The mishap was reminiscent of the August 2007 collapse of an I-35W bridge
in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured another 145 when it
buckled and fell into the Mississippi River during rush-hour.
Sligh was thankful.
His wife was "doing OK" and he had "lots of cuts," he said. "You're kind
of pinching yourself and realize you're lucky to be alive."
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
richard
May 25, 2013, 8:46:16 PM5/25/13
to
On Sat, 25 May 2013 05:09:23 +0000 (UTC), Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
> http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586034/bridge-collapse-in-
> washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
>
One very important question the DOT and NTSB MUST ask and investigate.
Why did the trailer HIT that particular beam when it had cleared all the
others?
Perhaps something had caused that beam to sag lower than the others.
Or is the road surface higher at that point?
Given the bridge's age, it would stand to reason that after all these years
of heavy traffic and vibrations, something is gonna give.
> http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586034/bridge-collapse-in-
> washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
>
One very important question the DOT and NTSB MUST ask and investigate.
Why did the trailer HIT that particular beam when it had cleared all the
others?
Perhaps something had caused that beam to sag lower than the others.
Or is the road surface higher at that point?
Given the bridge's age, it would stand to reason that after all these years
of heavy traffic and vibrations, something is gonna give.
Mighty Wannabe
May 25, 2013, 9:11:26 PM5/25/13
to
The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks". Before too long
you'll see buildings coming down like the factory collapse in India.
The GOP rightards really fucked the country over, big time.
John Levine
May 25, 2013, 10:08:58 PM5/25/13
to
>The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
during the Eisenhower administration.
--
Regards,
John Levine, jo...@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. http://jl.ly
Harry K
May 25, 2013, 11:51:49 PM5/25/13
to
arced bottom chord mebe and thus less clearance at the edge of the
roadway. Trailer hit them with the top, right front corner.
Harry K
Tom Cook
May 26, 2013, 1:04:33 AM5/26/13
to
In article <1uplvpkzo2vqx$.6digvpodqngg$.d...@40tude.net>
richard <nor...@example.com> wrote:
>
> On Sat, 25 May 2013 05:09:23 +0000 (UTC), Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
>
> > http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586034/bridge-collapse-in-
> > washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
> >
>
> One very important question the DOT and NTSB MUST ask and investigate.
>
> Why did the trailer HIT that particular beam when it had cleared all the
> others?
That's a very good point.
>
> On Sat, 25 May 2013 05:09:23 +0000 (UTC), Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
>
> > http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586034/bridge-collapse-in-
> > washington-state-blamed-on-tractor-trailer/
> >
>
> One very important question the DOT and NTSB MUST ask and investigate.
>
> Why did the trailer HIT that particular beam when it had cleared all the
> others?
Rodney Parks
May 26, 2013, 1:03:55 AM5/26/13
to
In article <knrqrq$3lk$1...@leila.iecc.com>
magic revisionism hat on sideways or backwards.
You know they're liberals when they demonstrate their inability
to dress themselves with cocked hats, or pants hanging down
below their asscheeks indicating they are available for a gay
pickup as a bottom.
John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> wrote:
>
> >The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
> >the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>
> I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
> during the Eisenhower administration.
Libtards can make any delusion retroactive simply by putting the
>
> >The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
> >the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>
> I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
> during the Eisenhower administration.
magic revisionism hat on sideways or backwards.
You know they're liberals when they demonstrate their inability
to dress themselves with cocked hats, or pants hanging down
below their asscheeks indicating they are available for a gay
pickup as a bottom.
richard
May 26, 2013, 1:51:32 AM5/26/13
to
One thing I learned about bridges, they are rarely marked properly.
One company sent me to a place in NC and I found a bridge marked as 13'2".
Meaning, don't go that way.
So my boss got curious and called the local sheriff.
Because their trucks used that route frequently.
When I got to the bridge, it was marked as 14'6".
The reason it got marked in the books improperly was, the locals didn't
want truckers using that route.
And there were bridges I barely cleared as well.
From the still photos of Skagit bridge I saw, it looked liked some supports
were out of whack.
Not necessarily due to the truck.
Were these supports then weakened due to age causing them to sag?
And how's come there are no clearance markers before the bridge?
Then again, did the escort do his job properly and check the clearances
BEFORE hand?
Gunner Asch
May 26, 2013, 5:58:59 AM5/26/13
to
On Sun, 26 May 2013 01:51:32 -0400, richard <nor...@example.com>
Typically...escort vehicles will have an overhead "whip" that is set
just above the height of the "oversize load" and when it hits
something...it means there is an issue with the load going under it.
Often times it will be a power or telephone line..and they often times
simply use a long pole to raise it up so the truck can go under it
without damaging the cable. Evidently in this case..if this bridge
had rounded corners..it wouldnt have worked...but someone certainly
screwed the pooch for not seeing this issue.
--
"You guess the truth hurts?
Really?
"Hurt" aint the word.
For Liberals, the truth is like salt to a slug.
Sunlight to a vampire.
Raid® to a cockroach.
Sheriff Brody to a shark
Bush to a Liberal
The truth doesn't just hurt. It's painful, like a red hot poker shoved
up their ass. Like sliding down a hundred foot razor blade using their
dick as a brake.
They HATE the truth."
just above the height of the "oversize load" and when it hits
something...it means there is an issue with the load going under it.
Often times it will be a power or telephone line..and they often times
simply use a long pole to raise it up so the truck can go under it
without damaging the cable. Evidently in this case..if this bridge
had rounded corners..it wouldnt have worked...but someone certainly
screwed the pooch for not seeing this issue.
--
"You guess the truth hurts?
Really?
"Hurt" aint the word.
For Liberals, the truth is like salt to a slug.
Sunlight to a vampire.
Raid® to a cockroach.
Sheriff Brody to a shark
Bush to a Liberal
The truth doesn't just hurt. It's painful, like a red hot poker shoved
up their ass. Like sliding down a hundred foot razor blade using their
dick as a brake.
They HATE the truth."
Harry K
May 26, 2013, 9:19:38 AM5/26/13
to
that they didn't
"guarantee clearances". The escort went through ahead of truck with a
height pole that cleared. It could easily have done so if it wasnt'
as far right as the truck.
Harry K
pyotr filipivich
May 27, 2013, 1:03:25 AM5/27/13
to
John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> on Sun, 26 May 2013 02:08:58 +0000 (UTC)
typed in misc.survivalism the following:
--
pyotr filipivich
Obi-wan once observed"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded."
Who knew Dubya was a Jedi Knight?
typed in misc.survivalism the following:
>>The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
>>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>
>I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
>during the Eisenhower administration.
Never underestimate the Power of the Force.
>>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>
>I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
>during the Eisenhower administration.
--
pyotr filipivich
Obi-wan once observed"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded."
Who knew Dubya was a Jedi Knight?
pyotr filipivich
May 27, 2013, 1:03:25 AM5/27/13
to
richard <nor...@example.com> on Sun, 26 May 2013 01:51:32 -0400 typed
in misc.survivalism the following:
That, as they say, it the 64 million dollar question. As of the
9pm news (Sunday) - the NTSB has not had a chance to interview the
driver of the pilot car, nor check the vehicle for damage.
--
pyotr filipivich
You've read my sig file, that's enough Social Interaction for the Day.
in misc.survivalism the following:
9pm news (Sunday) - the NTSB has not had a chance to interview the
driver of the pilot car, nor check the vehicle for damage.
--
pyotr filipivich
You've read my sig file, that's enough Social Interaction for the Day.
Free Lunch
May 27, 2013, 11:32:19 AM5/27/13
to
On Sun, 26 May 2013 22:03:25 -0700, pyotr filipivich
<ph...@mindspring.com> wrote in misc.transport.road:
>John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> on Sun, 26 May 2013 02:08:58 +0000 (UTC)
>typed in misc.survivalism the following:
>>>The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
>>>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>>
>>I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
>>during the Eisenhower administration.
>
> Never underestimate the Power of the Force.
The engineering standards of the first I-system bridges were good
enough, but they were not designed to be hit by oversized trucks when
they were half a century old. If you look at a lot of bridges of the
first decade of construction you see that they are functionally
obsolete: no breakdown lanes, narrow driving lanes, poorly maintained,
little or no engineering redundancy.
The builders were not building the Brooklyn Bridge (which is currently
undergoing major maintenance). They didn't design them to be as heavily
used or poorly maintained. It is the inadequate maintenance that has
brought them to "matchstick" status.
<ph...@mindspring.com> wrote in misc.transport.road:
>John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> on Sun, 26 May 2013 02:08:58 +0000 (UTC)
>typed in misc.survivalism the following:
>>>The real cause is GOP's "small government" and "less regulation", and
>>>the effect is "bridges make out of matchsticks".
>>
>>I'll be interested to hear how they retroactively made that happen
>>during the Eisenhower administration.
>
> Never underestimate the Power of the Force.
enough, but they were not designed to be hit by oversized trucks when
they were half a century old. If you look at a lot of bridges of the
first decade of construction you see that they are functionally
obsolete: no breakdown lanes, narrow driving lanes, poorly maintained,
little or no engineering redundancy.
The builders were not building the Brooklyn Bridge (which is currently
undergoing major maintenance). They didn't design them to be as heavily
used or poorly maintained. It is the inadequate maintenance that has
brought them to "matchstick" status.
0 new messages