Charles M. Dunn
2013-05-24 05:43:34 UTC
MOUNT VERNON, WASH. An Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of
Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people
into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.
The four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7
p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. There was no immediate estimate
of how many people were in the water or whether there were any
injuries or deaths, he said.
It also was not known what caused the collapse of the bridge
about 60 miles north of Seattle in Skagit County, which
stretches from the North Cascades National Park to a cluster of
islands off the Washington coast.
Xavier Grospe, 62, who lives near the river, said he could see
three cars with what appeared to be one person per vehicle. The
vehicles were sitting still in the water, partially submerged
and partly above the waterline, and the apparent drivers were
sitting either on top of the vehicles or on the edge of open
windows.
"It doesn't look like anybody's in danger right now," Grospe
said.
Helicopter footage aired by KOMO-TV in Seattle showed several
rescue boats at the bridge collapse scene with several
ambulances waiting on the shore. One rescue boat left the scene
with one person strapped into a stretcher.
A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the
water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of
the car's hood.
Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.
The bridge is not considered structurally deficient but is
listed as being "functionally obsolete" a category meaning
that their design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders
are low clearance underneath, according to a database compiled
by the Federal Highway Administration.
The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of
57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well
below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an
Associated Press analysis of federal data, but 759 bridges in
the state have a lower sufficiency score.
According to a 2012 Skagit County Public Works Department, 42 of
the county's 108 bridges that are 50 years or older. The
document says eight of the bridges are more than 70 years old
and two are over 80.
Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil
Engineers' 2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came
to the state's bridges. The group said more than a quarter of
Washington's 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient
of functionally obsolete.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586023/i-5-bridge-
collapses-in-nw-wash.-people-in-water/
Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people
into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.
The four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7
p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. There was no immediate estimate
of how many people were in the water or whether there were any
injuries or deaths, he said.
It also was not known what caused the collapse of the bridge
about 60 miles north of Seattle in Skagit County, which
stretches from the North Cascades National Park to a cluster of
islands off the Washington coast.
Xavier Grospe, 62, who lives near the river, said he could see
three cars with what appeared to be one person per vehicle. The
vehicles were sitting still in the water, partially submerged
and partly above the waterline, and the apparent drivers were
sitting either on top of the vehicles or on the edge of open
windows.
"It doesn't look like anybody's in danger right now," Grospe
said.
Helicopter footage aired by KOMO-TV in Seattle showed several
rescue boats at the bridge collapse scene with several
ambulances waiting on the shore. One rescue boat left the scene
with one person strapped into a stretcher.
A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the
water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of
the car's hood.
Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.
The bridge is not considered structurally deficient but is
listed as being "functionally obsolete" a category meaning
that their design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders
are low clearance underneath, according to a database compiled
by the Federal Highway Administration.
The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of
57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well
below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an
Associated Press analysis of federal data, but 759 bridges in
the state have a lower sufficiency score.
According to a 2012 Skagit County Public Works Department, 42 of
the county's 108 bridges that are 50 years or older. The
document says eight of the bridges are more than 70 years old
and two are over 80.
Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil
Engineers' 2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came
to the state's bridges. The group said more than a quarter of
Washington's 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient
of functionally obsolete.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57586023/i-5-bridge-
collapses-in-nw-wash.-people-in-water/