Our aging transportation system is showing its gray hairs again. An I-5 bridge in Washington State that was declared “functionally obsolete” has collapsed, sending two vehicles plunging into the water below. The cause has not been officially determined, but it appears that the collapse may have been caused by an oversized load striking the overhead span of the bridge.
The bridge, which is 60 miles north of Seattle, was described by the Federal Highway Administration’s file as having a design which is “outdated, such as having narrow shoulders and low clearance underneath.” As such, it is no surprised that a larger-than-usual load might strike the bridge.
A local driver described the scene: “I saw the truck strike the right corner of the bridge. It almost tipped the truck over but it came back down. It tipped it up to about a 30 degree angle to the left and it came back down on its wheels and almost instantaneously behind that I saw girders falling in my rearview mirror.”
Though two vehicles fell into the water below, all three people were rescued thanks to help from the U.S. Border Patrol, the State Patrol, and local authorities. There were no fatalities.
According to a report from FleetOwner, there is a temporary replacement bridge planned while the permanent bridge is being repaired or replaced. This will mean reduced speeds and traffic flow throughout the I-5 corridor north of Seattle. This is a bit of an issue since it is the only North-South interstate in Washington State and carries a daily load of 71,000 vehicles including 6,500 commercial trucks.
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Source: fleetowner, landline
Image Source: nydailynews
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