May 2013
Volume 1 Number
I-5 Skagit River (Washington) Bridge Collapses What probably has been everyone’s fear at one time or another as they cross one of the many bridges across the country, happened on Thursday, May 23, on the I-5 Skagit River Bridge. Reminiscent of the bridge collapse in Minnesota in 2007, the fortunate thing was that no one was killed and the few people who were on the bridge when it collapsed were rescued from the cold icy waters. It was frightening nonetheless. Cause of the bridge collapse has been attributed in part to a truck hitting a part of the bridge. Investigators are still looking into the collapse of the bridge. Meanwhile, a lot of commuters and truckers are having to take alternate routes around the bridge until the bridge is fixed. Washington State is looking at a temporary fix to the bridge until they can figure out started to cross it. Looking in his mirror he watched in horwhere the funds will come from to construct a new bridge. ror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the cold icy waters of the Skagit River. The truck that hit part of the bridge is owned by a CanaThe three people in the vehicles were rescued and suffered dian company. The truck was hauling drilling equipment only minor injuries. and it was an oversized load. William Scott, 41, was the The Mullen Trucking company driver stopped on the driver of the truck. According to news reports, he felt the truck bump against the steel framework of the bridge as he other side of the bridge and was cooperating with officials. The oversized load had been approved prior to the trip to carry a load as high as 15 feet, 9 inches. The southbound vertical clearance on the Skagit River bridge is as little as 14 feet, 5 inches according to state records. That lowest clearance is outside the bridge's vehicle traveling lanes. According to Transportation Department communications director Lars Erickson, the bridge’s curved overhead girders are higher in the center of the bridge but sweep lower toward a driver’s right side. The bridge has a maximum clearance of about 17 feet, but there is no signage to indicate how to safely navigate the bridge with a tall load. The Photograph Source: Washington DOT