I-5 Bridge collapse, Mt. Vernon - Burlington WA

For anyone driving for the holidays on I-5 in Washington State, beware that the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River (north of Seattle, half way to Canada) collapsed within the hour.

Pray for the people in the water, then make alternate route plans.

 

They will have to use other nearby bridges, with far less traffic capacity.

It is functionally obsolete (built in 1955, before the Interstate Highway system) and rates well below average, but passed inspection.

Several witness are reporting that an oversize load struck the structure. One driver was in the other lane between the truck and its pilot car, saw the pilot clearance pole hit the structure, and knew it wasn't going to turn out well. Then saw the strike behind, and girders falling almost immediately. Apparently the truck did make it across before the actual collapse.

Three rescues saw far, some with hypothermia. No fatalities or serious injuries reported yet.

 

The DOT Traffic Map/Camera/Alert page is as cryptic as usual, giving no hint of the scale of the 'incident'. Car crash, debris in road, criminal takedown, blockade for presidential motorcade, interstate highway destroyed, it is all marked the same:

This incident will take a bit longer than usual to be cleared. Weeks, maybe months.

 

One driver behind suggested that the load was too wide, not tall:

"Sligh told KOMO he was traveling south on the interstate behind the tractor trailer when he realized the load appeared to be about four feet too wide to fit through the bridge's superstructure.

"Anytime he wants to go over to the left would be OK," Sligh said he told his wife.

But another tractor-trailer appeared to hem the truck in to the right lane.""

If true, that other truck driver could also carry some liability.

All bridges are graded on multiple factors (deck, foundation, superstructure, etc.). As infrastructure degrades due to inadequate funding, averages scores are lower than we would like, and this one scored well below average. It clearly needed attention, but other items in even worse condition consumed all the available budget.

Maybe this will make it easier for the Legislature to pass a fuel tax increase without incurring the wrath of voters at the polls.

 

Those routes don't have the capacity for regular I-5 traffic, so a larger menu of alternates is needed. Today through Tuesday, I bet delays will reach far more than just an hour. Hopefully by mid week, drivers will have a handle on other options.

The state will need to quickly reprogram some traffic lights, take out some stop signs and put in the portable stop lights from some construction zones, and do a bunch of other reconfigurations.