Bridge collapse

[Bushman]

I don't know how big a story this is other than our state but I just crossed over the I-5 bridge probably 45 minutes before it collapsed into the skagit river. Both North and South bound lanes collapsed with cars going into the river. No reported deaths but rescue cruise are still searching. This is the major interstate on the west coast of the US from Mexico to Canada and is about 45 miles from the Canadian border.

[seabass]

I just read about this. Crazy! I don't go that way too often, but I've been over that bridge at least a dozen times. I hope everyone is ok!

[blind drunk]

I woke up to that story this morning and I thought I was dreaming it. Sounds like nobody died. Amazing.

[heartcut]

A lot of my family lives in the Seattle area, glad they skipped this one and no one was killed. That's a 58 year old bridge classified by the NBI as functionally obsolete and they're saying a truck full of drilling equipment hit one of the girders. Lawyers should be salivating by now.

[beelah]

Saw it on the news this morning.. I know the bridge...but it amazes me that one girder taken out and the whole thing goes down.

[Coyote]

Been over that one many times through the years, a good friend of mine
when over it just about 2 hours before

Reports are no one hurt Thank God for that

Maybe the Gubberment should stop spending so many $$$ on
programs for the entitlement crowd and so some fixing
on the road and bridges for those of us who work and pay taxes

Just my 2 cent rant and rave

Coyote

[seabass]

Been over that one many times through the years, a good friend of mine
when over it just about 2 hours before

Reports are no one hurt Thank God for that

Maybe the Gubberment should stop spending so many $$$ on
programs for the entitlement crowd and so some fixing
on the road and bridges for those of us who work and pay taxes

Just my 2 cent rant and rave

Coyote

Politics. Keep it to yourself.

[blind drunk]

A lot of my family lives in the Seattle area, glad they skipped this one and no one was killed. That's a 58 year old bridge classified by the NBI as functionally obsolete and they're saying a truck full of drilling equipment hit one of the girders. Lawyers should be salivating by now.

The Alberta trucking co had all the permits to run an over weight load. Wonder if that will keep the legal salivation to a dull roar!

[Pesty]

A lot of my family lives in the Seattle area, glad they skipped this one and no one was killed. That's a 58 year old bridge classified by the NBI as functionally obsolete and they're saying a truck full of drilling equipment hit one of the girders. Lawyers should be salivating by now.

After that other bridge collapsed many years ago that did kill a bunch,
The national highway and safety board issued commads to test and inspect our nations bridges to make sure this didn't happen again.

Their findings were rather disturbing as more than 75% of our bridges were classified as 'accidents waiting to happen'. Our nations infastructure is in a state of serious disrepair and collapses like this are sure to happen again.

I was living in boston when that happened and I remember DOT closed a bunch of bridges around the state and went into repair mode for the ones they couldn't close.

[Truckinbutch]

A lot of my family lives in the Seattle area, glad they skipped this one and no one was killed. That's a 58 year old bridge classified by the NBI as functionally obsolete and they're saying a truck full of drilling equipment hit one of the girders. Lawyers should be salivating by now.

The Alberta trucking co had all the permits to run an over weight load. Wonder if that will keep the legal salivation to a dull roar!

Not at all . Full responsibility still rests on driver , escorts , company to make certain clearances are adequate and dimensions of load are correct .

[S-Cackalacky]

There are adequate taxes raised each year for the specific purpose of maintaining and upgrading the highway infrastructure. Problem is - a significant amount gets diverted to unrelated projects.

Just sayin',
S-C

[mash rookie]

Does that mean you wont be down this weekend BM? I was watching it form the moment they started airing the news 15 minutes after it happened. The over sized load was not over weight. It was over size width and height. It didn’t stay in the middle. It hit beams on the right hand side before centering and completing the bridge crossing. Damn lucky it happened an hour before dusk. After dark and folks would have kept driving off a dark cliff for an hour. Two cars took the plunge three people okay. Unbelievable that nobody died. (The last I heard)

[MuleKicker]

Been over that one many times through the years, a good friend of mine
when over it just about 2 hours before

Reports are no one hurt Thank God for that

Maybe the Gubberment should stop spending so many $$$ on
programs for the entitlement crowd and so some fixing
on the road and bridges for those of us who work and pay taxes

Just my 2 cent rant and rave

Coyote

I agree.

[Bushman]

The detours have been huge, think I will not be down for a while, now I will be looking for oversized loads before going under a bridge in my boat

[Truckinbutch]

There are adequate taxes raised each year for the specific purpose of maintaining and upgrading the highway infrastructure. Problem is - a significant amount gets diverted to unrelated projects.

Just sayin',
S-C

Agreed x2 ! Just look at the Rails To Trails project in WV . Federal Highway Use Tax funds diverted to create hiking/bicycle paths for yuppies . Money I paid in to keep highway infrastructure maintained as a cost of doing business . At the same time that I was beatin my kidneys to pieces bumping across America's highways . Ya don't even want to get me started on this subject

[mash rookie]

Butch, You are swerving your big rig way off topic here. At the risk of swerving even more, I disagree with your statement.

Trails are not just for yuppies and trucks are not the only ones paying highway taxes.

Consider how many idiots are not on the road in front of your truck slamming on the brakes or hiding out in your blind spot becuse they are on a trail.

I cant speak to the WV project. Many Rails to trails conversions have been very successful across the country for many reasons.
Ours have been mostly paid by county tax funds. That means property taxes by local residents. The ones most likely to use them. Recently they acquired a rail path for free doing a three way property trade between the railroad, port and county. They are seeking private funds for conversion.

I ride on them as a safe place to get a little exercise and I am no damn yuppie or granola.

Add in the fact that the more people that use bike paths the lower the cost of health care overall (taxes) and less people killed by autos and Trucks. Ever been stuck for 8 hours while they investigate a auto/truck bicycle accident? Usually a death?

Bushman I will be happy to delete my post as off topic if you wish. LOL, now that you are a mod you can do it if you want.

[Truckinbutch]

Butch, You are swerving your big rig way off topic here. At the risk of swerving even more, I disagree with your statement.

Trails are not just for yuppies and trucks are not the only ones paying highway taxes.

Consider how many idiots are not on the road in front of your truck slamming on the brakes or hiding out in your blind spot becuse they are on a trail.

I cant speak to the WV project. Many Rails to trails conversions have been very successful across the country for many reasons.
Ours have been mostly paid by county tax funds. That means property taxes by local residents. The ones most likely to use them. Recently they acquired a rail path for free doing a three way property trade between the railroad, port and county. They are seeking private funds for conversion.

I ride on them as a safe place to get a little exercise and I am no damn yuppie or granola.

Add in the fact that the more people that use bike paths the lower the cost of health care overall (taxes) and less people killed by autos and Trucks. Ever been stuck for 8 hours while they investigate a auto/truck bicycle accident? Usually a death?

Bushman I will be happy to delete my post as off topic if you wish. LOL, now that you are a mod you can do it if you want.

I am only speaking of the WV project that I KNOW was funded by diverted HUT funds . Ride your whimcycle wherever you wish . This is America . If you ride in WV you are riding on trails at the expense of diverted funds .

[Bushman]

We are fixing our bridge!

[wv_cooker]

Now that is funny right there, I don't care who you are that is funny. I am glad that no one was seriously hurt and you can use humor in this instance. I have seen 2 bridge disasters in my life that weren't quite as easy to swallow. The duct tape is hilarious Bushman!!!!!!

[Truckinbutch]

Now that is funny right there, I don't care who you are that is funny. I am glad that no one was seriously hurt and you can use humor in this instance. I have seen 2 bridge disasters in my life that weren't quite as easy to swallow. The duct tape is hilarious Bushman!!!!!!

Silver Bridge bein one of them , I betchya .

[wv_cooker]

Now that is funny right there, I don't care who you are that is funny. I am glad that no one was seriously hurt and you can use humor in this instance. I have seen 2 bridge disasters in my life that weren't quite as easy to swallow. The duct tape is hilarious Bushman!!!!!!

Silver Bridge bein one of them , I betchya .

Yep, the other was in Florida when I lived there in my roaming days of the 70's.

[blind drunk]

That's funny Bushman. What is it with engineers and gaffer tape

[OlympicMtDoo]

Looks like I'm gona have to take the PA ferry to the Island unless they have a temp fix in a month like they say, we'll see.

[Bushman]

Looks like I'm gona have to take the PA ferry to the Island unless they have a temp fix in a month like they say, we'll see.

If they do like they did over the Nooksack river the Core of Engineers made a temp bridge which worked until a new one could be built but definitely a weight restriction.

PS: heading back out this afternoon to the islands nailed the shrimp last time out so giving it another go. Plan to leave this afternoon and will be back late Saturday or Sunday.

[OlympicMtDoo]

Good Luck!!

[OlympicMtDoo]

Took a trip to the east side sunday morning, got stuck at Snoqualmie summit for almost an hour waiting for 3 of the new Skgit river bridge beams to go around the snow shed ( they were to big to fit through it ) 215 feet long. Almost made it worth the holdup just to see these things going down the road. They were made somewhere in Idaho, seems like they could have made them a little closer to the job but at least they are commin.

[Braz]

That is one hell of an I-beam.

[Bushman]

Wow, I just crossed the temp bridge for the first time since construction. No over sized vehicles and speed limit is 40 mph over the bridge. My guess is that is the slowest stretch of I-5 to the Mexican border.