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Fiery crash collapses Bay Area freeway
AP ^ | 04/30/07 | MARCUS WOHLSEN

Posted on 04/29/2007 9:27:55 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

Fiery crash collapses Bay Area freeway

By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writer 57 minutes ago

OAKLAND, Calif. - A gasoline tanker crashed and burst into flames near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Sunday, creating such intense heat that a stretch of highway melted and collapsed. Officials predicted a traffic nightmare for Bay Area commuters for weeks or months to come.

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Flames shot 200 feet in the air, but the truck's driver walked away from the scene with second-degree burns. No other injuries were reported in the 3:45 a.m. crash, which officials said could have been deadly had it occurred at a busier time.

"I've never seen anything like it," Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said of the crumpled interchange. "I'm looking at this thinking, 'Wow, no one died' — that's amazing. It's just very fortunate."

Authorities said the damage could take months to repair, and that it would cause the worst disruption for Bay Area commuters since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge itself.

Nearly 75,000 vehicles a day use the interchange, which connects westbound lanes of Interstate 80 to southbound I-880, on the edge of downtown Oakland about half a mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza. But Because the accident occured where three highways converge, authorities said it could cause commuting problems for hundreds of thousands of people.

State transportation officials said 280,000 commuters take the bridge into San Francisco each day.

On Sunday the collapse doubled the half-hour trip drivers normally face getting to and from San Francisco and the eastern suburbs — even though many didn't even attempt the trip because of the crash. Traffic appeared light on the bridge itself, but motorists looking to get on and off were backed up on both sides.

Transportation officials said they already had added trains to the Bay Area Rapid Transit rail system that takes commuters across San Francisco Bay, and were urging people to telecommute if possible. In preparation for rush hour, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized funding so that ferries, buses and the rail system could carry commuters free of charge during Monday's commute.

State officials said motorists who try to take alternate routes Monday instead of relying on public transportation would face nightmarish commutes.

The tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline ignited after crashing into a pylon on the interchange.

The driver, James Mosqueda, 51, of Woodland, was headed from a refinery in Benicia to a gas station near the Oakland Airport when the accident occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A preliminary investigation indicated he may have been speeding on the curving road, Cross said. Mosqueda was being treated in a hospital for burns Sunday; the hospital would not transfer media calls to his room.

Witnesses reported flames rising up to 200 feet into the air. Heat exceeded 2,750 degrees and caused the steel beams holding up the interchange from eastbound I-80 to eastbound Interstate 580 above to buckle and bolts holding the structure together to melt, leading to the collapse, California Department of Transportation director Will Kempton said.

The charred section of collapsed freeway was draped at a sharp angle onto the highway beneath, exposing a web of twisted metal beneath the concrete. Officials said that altogether a 250-yard portion of the upper roadway was damaged.

The cost of the repairs would likely run into the tens of millions of dollars, and the state was seeking federal disaster aid, Kempton said. Schwarzenegger late Sunday issued an emergency declaration to allow repairs to happen faster, said Adam Mendelsohn, the governor's spokesman.

The Bay Bridge consists of two heavily traveled, double-decked bridges about two miles long straddling San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said the accident showed how fragile the Bay area's transportation network is, whether to an earthquake or terrorist attack, and has the potential to have a major economic effect on the city.

"It's another giant wakeup call," Newsom told reporters at the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: baybridge
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Newsome can call it “another giant wake up call”, but exactly whose bed was he in when the “wake up call” came???

The guy is such a player, he needs a permanent “On-Star” system implanted.


41 posted on 04/30/2007 6:35:36 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: Bobibutu; Lexinom

From a news account:

“The tanker was on its way from a refinery in Benicia to a gas station on Hegenberger Road in Oakland. “

So he seems to be right.


42 posted on 04/30/2007 6:39:11 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: I still care
"I guess this must be only the second time in history fire has melted steel."

That was the first thing I thought, too. Like so much for the fearmongers who have been saying that the steel in the WTC wouldn't have melted.

Carolyn

43 posted on 04/30/2007 6:41:40 AM PDT by CDHart ("It's too late to work within the system and too early to shoot the b@#$%^&s."--Claire Wolfe)
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To: Neanderthal

I checked this because it would make a good story about unintendend consequences (the pollution costs of the longer drives will far outweigh the costs of the foam).

But it appears it wouldn’t have mattered.

From a news account:

“We didn’t know it was a tanker truck that was involved. As soon as that was established, we immediately upgraded to a large-scale incident response team and added two more engines and two trucks,” Price said.

Firefighters soon saw that the upper ramp was buckling, Price said, and by 4:02 — seven minutes after they arrived — it had collapsed. The firefighters changed their strategy for battling the blaze.”

The road was already “gone” when they got there, and collapsed 7 minutes later, not long enough for the foam to make a diference.

The article DID say they didn’t use foam, but that’s because after the collapse there was no point in putting out the fire any more:

“With no structures or lives in jeopardy, and with 8,000 gallons of flammable fuel involved, you’re basically better off letting it burn itself out,” said Price.

Firefighters used only water to control the blaze, which took about two hours, Price said. Had there been lives at risk, firefighters would have used firefighting foam, but the chemicals in it then would have polluted the nearby bay.”


44 posted on 04/30/2007 6:42:53 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: CharlesWayneCT

The Institute is taking a sabbatical...


45 posted on 04/30/2007 7:02:59 AM PDT by JRios1968 (This tagline brought to you by courtesy of Happygrl)
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To: Bobibutu

I work as a CALTRANS consultant...statewide, we’re directing a lot of personnel and effort towards this.


46 posted on 04/30/2007 7:05:15 AM PDT by JRios1968 (This tagline brought to you by courtesy of Happygrl)
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To: Eye of Unk

Don’t you just love it you think out of the box and give reason points and you just get ignored like your invisible and the poster move along in their own little world very few ever connect the dots.

I fine many times on FR there very little meaningful diologue just smart ass put down!

They are so wraped up in one liners and smart ass remarks but to ponder what is going on here with so many simular attacts taking place across the country just gets in the way!

Same way with these shooting that burst out of the blue in public place many are by design and others are out of sickness in this nation.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.


47 posted on 04/30/2007 9:21:13 AM PDT by restornu (Elevate Your Thoughts!)
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To: I still care

“I guess this must be only the second time in history fire has melted steel.”

Yes, but don’t tell Rosie as it is sure to upset her!


48 posted on 04/30/2007 9:25:12 AM PDT by seekthetruth
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To: CharlesWayneCT

I know that area pretty well, as I did a short contract once for Family Stations, Inc. Even took in an A’s game while I was there.


49 posted on 04/30/2007 9:49:35 AM PDT by Lexinom (DH08/FT08)
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To: Buddy B
From www.sfgate.com:
...Cross said Mosqueda had been driving for Sabek Transportation, of South San Francisco, for 10 months. He was carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline from a Benicia refinery to a gas station on Hegenberger Road in Oakland.

According to a company statement, Mosqueda has a safe driving record. The company described his escape from the wreck as "miraculous" and said it is cooperating with the investigation into the crash. The company also said initial alcohol and drug tests indicate Mosqueda was not under the influence while he was driving.

Cross said Mosqueda has a valid driver's license and no apparent history of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

"At this point, there is no indication of impairment on the part of the driver, but that will be part of our investigation," CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said.

A worker at a nearby sewage treatment plant, Isaac Rodriguez, said he spotted Mosqueda on the connector ramp above as the fire raged.

"I believe he was in shock. He didn't know how badly he was burned," said Rodriguez, who added that he later regretted not trying to get someone to find Mosqueda and pick him up.

"It looked at one point like he was going to go back to the truck," Rodriguez said. "I told him, 'Get out of there!' "

Mosqueda has worked in the past with the Sacramento Valley chapter of Teen Challenge, an international Christian ministry that runs centers for people struggling with addiction and other "life-controlling" problems, according to Escalante.

"If he walked away, it's only because the Lord was with him," said Escalante...


50 posted on 04/30/2007 11:47:57 AM PDT by RonDog
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To: restornu

Thank you very much for that kind comment and yes it seems like sometimes FR is nothing but a basebal bleachers forum but even I do a few one liners occasionally, sometimes it better to say nothing intelligent if you catch my drift.


51 posted on 04/30/2007 6:10:44 PM PDT by Eye of Unk
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