Bridge collapse right down the road from here

[killdeer43]

It's one of the main bridges on Interstate 5.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/skagit-river-bridge-collapses_n_3329496.html

Just when you thought it was safe to drive to Seattle!

Just sayin',
Joe

 

[tjmangum]

Wow, that looks very scary. You guys pay lots of taxes. How could this have happend?
T

 

[killdeer43]

We have an eastbound road trip coming soon, but we'll take a left a couple of miles before we reach this spot. We're looking at some serious traffic tie-ups/detours on I-5 for quite a while. Knowing that area well, I see a headache coming.
The good news is that it appears no one was killed.

As Roseanne Rosannadanna said, "It's always somethin'."

Joe

 

[dreadnut]

Yeah, good news no one perished. We used to take the Deception Pass bridge to the mainland, then head east to Mt. Vernon and catch I-5 North or South.

 

[rampside]

That is a very scary thing as myself and fellow LTG'ers from Minnesota know. Fortunately no one was killed this time. Not so lucky when it happened in Minneapolis.
Minnesota has now taken a very aggressive approach to bridge inspections regardless of size or location.

 

[adorshki]

Wow, that looks very scary. You guys pay lots of taxes. How could this have happend?
T

Overhearing news this morning, there was collision damage to the structure. Thought I heard 'em say a big rig with an oversize load caused a car to hit a support structure, by either hitting it or making it swerve?
Still, you'd think it'd be beefy enough to withstand vehicular impact, unless it was already metal fatigued from age.

 

[Thunderface]

That is a very scary thing as myself and fellow LTG'ers from Minnesota know. Fortunately no one was killed this time. Not so lucky when it happened in Minneapolis.
Minnesota has now taken a very aggressive approach to bridge inspections regardless of size or location.

I took the I-35W bridge to and from work, but I had been avoided it because they were resurfacing it. On the night it collapsed I was giving a friend a ride home and went a different route, thankfully. Like Rampside said, thankfully no one was killed this time in Seattle. When the reconstructed 35W bridge opened, at 4 or 5 a.m., there were cars lined up waiting to cross it. I have to admit that first trip over was a little anxious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osocGiofdvc

 

[killdeer43]

Interestingly enough, I go down that way frequently to look for good birds on the Skagit Flats, but I always take the back roads and do my best to avoid the Interstate. Too many cars, too fast to stop if you see an owl/eagle/hawk perched on a fencepost, just waiting to be photographed.

I see more when I slow down.

Joe