Posted on 05/24/2013 12:18:57 AM PDT by djf
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A portion of an Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River, about 60 miles north of Seattle, collapsed Thursday, sending three vehicles and people plunging into the cold water at least 50 feet below.
Amazingly, there were no fatalities, Skagit County authorities said. Three people were pulled from the river and taken to Skagit Valley Hospital and United General Hospital; two were reported to be in stable condition, the other had minor injuries and was being released Thursday night.
The survivor who was released was identified as Dan Sligh, 47. His wife, Sally Sligh, 56, remained in the hospital. The other injured person was reported to be a 20-year-old man.
Both the northbround and southbound lanes of the northern section of the bridge collapsed at about 7 p.m.
This section of I-5 runs between the Washington cities of Burlington and Mount Vernon.
When rescuers arrived, people were sitting on top of their submerged cars. The water is about 18 feet deep where the bridge collapse took place.
Gov. Jay Inslee headed to the scene to monitor the rescue efforts, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it was monitoring the situation as well.
Inslee later told a news conference that repairing the bridge is “job No. 1″ and that it’s unknown how long it will take to replace the bridge. I-5 is a main north-south arterial for northwestern Washington state.He said he will authorize the Transportation Department to establish detour routes to minimize impact on traffic and commerce.
“Witnesses say a truck hit the bridge and caused it to collapse, but an investigation has been launched to confirm that,” Inslee said. “Any witnesses or people with information should contact the State Patrol.
“The National Transportation Safety Board is on their way tomorrow, and I’ve been in touch with our federal partners. We will be involved in a vigorous and diligent effort to get traffic flowing again through the Skagit bridge corridor and I will issue an emergency proclamation tomorrow to make sure we have the resources to do so as quickly as possible,” Inslee said.
Goskagit.com said one driver who had just crossed the bridge shortly before it collapsed told a reporter he felt a vibration and looked in his rear view mirror to see that the section of bridge he had just crossed was no longer behind him.
“I thought something was wrong with my car at first,” the man told the reporter about feeling the vibration.
The bridge was built in 1955, was inspected last November and it received passing grades, Treece said.
The trolls are already out on the message boards doing exactly that.
That steel bridge looks like an easy repair—it would be easy using WWII technology...
Where are all the lawyers? Who can I sue? What about my injuries? Who will pay for my car repairs? Perhaps if more dollars weren’t diverted to welfare, infrastructure wouldn’t collapse.
Do bridges collapse often in the US?.
I’m assuming that they will blame:
Bush
Republican congress
Sequester
before morning coffee is cold
with seat belts on and an open window to escape out of is my guess!
If it’s an Interstate Bridge, then it isn’t a State highway.
It’s Obama’s fault.
Washington state - home of my favorite bridge collapse of all time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xox9BVSu7Ok
Not often, but the bike paths are well groomed with the tax dollars that are supposed to be for roads and bridges...
Sign found on local wall: Mothman Was Here.
Maintenance and jurisdiction over the interstate highway system has been turned over to the states.
That’s why New York can charge a toll on the NYS thruway, which is, IIRC, part of I-90
This is what happens when you skim 30% off highway funds before spending the rest on bike trails, rain gardens, and public transportation.
What a coinky-dink...a bridge on the NYS Thruway (I-90) collapsed back in 1987; killing 10 people.
Ike didn't get very far. The convoy got stuck in the mud in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and from that day forward, Ike began thinking about building better highways to connect east and west coasts for defense purposes.
So, it's the Japanese's fault.
Three trillion-with-a-t in stimulus and absolutely nothing to show for it but debt and rusting bridges.
I think both experiences formed Ike’s outlook. The U.S. Army was very grateful for the autobahn (and the Ludendorff Brücke, which was expressly built for the defense of the Reich).
I thought the Stimulus Bill was supposed to have fixed these infrastructure “shovel ready” projects. Just where did all that money go again?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.