I-5 bridge over Skagit River collapses

[on_wisconsin]

According to KING-TV, local authorities are saying there are no known fatalities at the moment. No word on any injuries or severity, however.

[ZLoth]

From http://www.wsdot.com/traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx?refnum=133585&action=2:

I-5 Both Directions - On I-5 northbound & southbound at Skagit River Bridge (MP 228) there is an incident blocking all lanes. The State Patrol has arrived on the scene.
Last Updated: 5/23/2013 7:20 PM
At milepost 228

[Lyon Wonder]

If the remaining spans of the bridge are structurally stable, they'll probably install a pre-fab replacement span to keep the bridge usable, like the replacement of the Eggner's Ferry bridge span in Kentucky that collapsed after getting hit by a barge last year.

[bigpine320]

Back in August 2006 in Yakima, Wash area.  A truck hauling a crane.  Struck the first portal overhead beam.  On northbound I-82 bridge over Naches River.  WSDOT was able to do temporary fix.  In the meantime a perment fix was not done until 2008.

In November 2005 another bridge strike with a crane occurred.  At Lieser Road overcross on SR-14 in Vancouver, Wash.  The fist two beams over the eastbound lanes were impacted.  The rest of the overpass was not affected.

As well another overpass taken out along I-90 near Easton, Wash.

In both cases the crane was not properly secured.  The cost of repairs was pickup by the trucking firm insurance company.

EDIT: It appears that Google Maps has -airbrushed out- the I-5 crossing at Skagit River for now.

[KEK Inc.]

Memorial Day Traffic between Seattle and Bellingham/Vancouver will be fun.

[rickmastfan67]

EDIT: It appears that Google Maps has -airbrushed out- the I-5 crossing at Skagit River for now.

It was changed to "planned", thus making it not render on the higher zooms.

[KEK Inc.]

When you zoom in, the planned road is all perforated in the new Google Maps interface.

[kkt]

Back in August 2006 in Yakima, Wash area.  A truck hauling a crane.  Struck the first portal overhead beam.  On northbound I-82 bridge over Naches River.  WSDOT was able to do temporary fix.  In the meantime a perment fix was not done until 2008.

In November 2005 another bridge strike with a crane occurred.  At Lieser Road overcross on SR-14 in Vancouver, Wash.  The fist two beams over the eastbound lanes were impacted.  The rest of the overpass was not affected.

As well another overpass taken out along I-90 near Easton, Wash.

In both cases the crane was not properly secured.  The cost of repairs was pickup by the trucking firm insurance company.

EDIT: It appears that Google Maps has -airbrushed out- the I-5 crossing at Skagit River for now.

The Slater Road bridge near Ferndale, Wash., has been seriously damaged three times in separate incidents by trucks carrying oversize loads:  2002, a truck carrying an excavator.  2006, a truck carrying an unspecified large vessel.  2012, truck carrying an excavator.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/12/03/2789273/county-slater-bridge-repair-to.html

[NE2]

Also on the Goog, it lets you route over it but says "This road will be temporarily closed starting on 24 May". Looks like a decent way of presenting the information (using the existing closure system), though it would be more useful to be able to calculate a detour.

[kkt]

Also on the Goog, it lets you route over it but says "This road will be temporarily closed starting on 24 May". Looks like a decent way of presenting the information (using the existing closure system), though it would be more useful to be able to calculate a detour.

For an interstate closure wouldn't it be reasonable to assume the detour will be clearly marked?  The detours for Mount Vernon to Burlington aren't all that far out of the way.

[NE2]

Well, yes, but who knows. In a more general sense, it would be a nice feature.

[agentsteel53]

I'll be up there in July and will have to drive that segment... I wonder what will be the least amount of traffic: 536-20, or even 534-9-Cook Road.

[Brandon]

Memorial Day Traffic between Seattle and Bellingham/Vancouver will be fun.

A saving grace is that at least a detour route can be very short using the parallel surface street bridge over the river.  It may be far worse for local traffic than for I-5 traffic if there are few other viable alternatives for crossing the river nearby.

[NE2]

I'll be up there in July and will have to drive that segment... I wonder what will be the least amount of traffic: 536-20, or even 534-9-Cook Road.

530-20

[kkt]

I'll be up there in July and will have to drive that segment... I wonder what will be the least amount of traffic: 536-20, or even 534-9-Cook Road.

Hard to say, esp. it's pretty early and they may decide to change the marked detour as they see how it affects traffic patterns.  I'd also consider: exit I-5 at exit 221 - west on Fir Island Road - north on Brown Slough Road - turns into north on Best Road - turns into north on Farm To Market Road - turn east on Bow Hill Road - reenter I-5 at exit 236.  This wouldn't be the fastest way, probably, but it should be a pleasant way going over pretty farm country and be outside the jammed marked detour routes.

I'll probably be through there this weekend.

[agentsteel53]

530-20

might end up being the case!  530-20-9-542, even.  we're not averse to some scenery. :evenbiggerass:

[jeffandnicole]

In urban and high-travelled, congested areas, nearly every bridge and overpass is functionally obsolete.  Unfortunately, too many people confuse the term with "Well, duh, of course it was going to collapse...just look at it...I drive over it every day knowing that I could be the next victim".

As for detour routes, the nearby bridges may be the shortest but not the best route, especially if capacity is already an issue on that nearby bridge.  Warnings need to be broadcasted well in advance to spread the traffic out to several routes.

[dmuzika]

Looks like it was an Alberta-based trucker hauling a large steel casing for an oil drilling rig.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Washington+State+Patrol+chief+says+bridge+collapse+caused+truck/8430406/story.html

[jeffandnicole]

One story I read mentioned this: "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..."

Now, I know reporters tend to get their facts screwed up, and probably aren't the smartest tools in the shed, but at 180 feet wide, two lanes in each direction would amount to 45 foot wide lanes. 

[Brandon]

Reading one of the articles, this struck me as interesting:

The semi-truck ahead on the far right seemed too wide for the bridge span, and Sligh told his wife so.

"We started slowing down, and about that same time another semi-truck came up on the left side,"  he told KIRO 7. "It almost looked like he pinned that truck over to where he couldn't swerve."

Did another truck try to pass the oversized load on the bridge?

[roadman]

Looks like it was an Alberta-based trucker hauling a large steel casing for an oil drilling rig.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Washington+State+Patrol+chief+says+bridge+collapse+caused+truck/8430406/story.html

Hughie Rowland perhaps?

[roadman]

Detour route map from Washington State DOT web site:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Construction/PugetSound/detourmap.htm

[Brian556]

Just another example of a stupid careless truck driver not measuring his load and/or not paying attention to clearances. How hard of a concept is it to measure your load?

Just think about how much damage and how much motorist inconvenience is caused yearly by clearance accidents.

To avoid clearance accidents, I think the law should be changed to require truckers hauling a load on a flat bed trailer to measure the load before transporting it, and write down the height on a doccumet that would be legally required to carry. Police officers would then check these doccuments at weight stations, checkpoints and during traffic stops (for other violations) if they suspect the number isn't accurate or to just do spot checks.

Truck drivers are required to check a multitude of things before they drive each morning. It's silly that they have to check their oil but not their clearance.

I think this simple change would dramatically reduce clearance accidents by making load measurement mandatory. Log books are mandatory, checked by law enforcement, and guess what, truckers fill them out whether they want to or not because of the fear of penalty.

I do also think the DOT was foolish to constructed a bridge that could be brought down by such a simple and forseeable accident.

[vtk]

I don't think trucks were that big in 1955.  "Forseeable" might be a stretch.

[roadman]

I don't think trucks were that big in 1955.  "Forseeable" might be a stretch.

Correct - trucks of the era were much smaller and shorter than today.  Also, in the 1950s, a load that size would have been handled by rail, not truck.  I'm also pretty sure that, when the bridge was designed and initially constructed, the DOT didn't envision it being used for an Interstate freeway.

Lastly, until the NTSB report is released, we cannot rule out a sudden vertical load shift (say due to expansion joint or uneven pavement) that caused the top of the load to hit the truss.