Federal officials were searching the country for a possible temporary replacement for a bridge that collapsed along the crucial Interstate 5 corridor, but Washington Gov. Jay Inslee cautioned Friday that major disruptions will last for weeks, if not months.
A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment hit an overhead bridge girder Thursday night, sending a section of the highway into the river below. The truck driver watched helplessly as the structure collapsed in his rearview mirror. Two other vehicles plunged into the Skagit River, but all three occupants escaped with only minor injuries.
At a news conference, Inslee said federal officials were looking for a pre-fabricated structure to replace the 160-foot section that fell into the river. If one is found, a temporary fix could be in place in weeks. If one can’t be quickly secured, the governor said it could be months before a replacement can be built.
“You cannot overstate the importance of this corridor to Washington state,” Inslee said. Traffic on the interstate and surrounding roads was backed up for miles throughout the area, a situation that the governor said would continue indefinitely.
“There will be substantial delays,” he said.
Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup on I-5 heading to a camping trip when he said the bridge before them disappeared in a “big puff of dust.”
“I hit the brakes and we went off,” Sligh told reporters from a hospital, adding he “saw the water approaching … you hold on as tight as you can.”
Cynthia Scott, the wife of truck driver William Scott, said Friday from the couple’s home near Spruce Grove, Alberta, that her husband saw the collapse.
“He looked in the mirrors and it just dropped out of sight,” Cynthia Scott said. “I spoke to him seconds after it happened. He was just horrified.”
The spectacular scene unfolded about 7 p.m. on the north section of the four-lane Interstate 5 bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canada border.
The Washington State Patrol said the truck driver works for Mullen Trucking in Alberta. The tractor-trailer was hauling a housing for drilling equipment southbound when a corner of the load struck several trusses on the north end of the bridge, the patrol said.
Scott voluntarily gave a blood sample for an alcohol test and was not arrested.
Initially, it wasn’t clear if the bridge gave way on its own. But at a news conference, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on the too-tall load.
The truck made it off the bridge and Scott remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
The trucking company said it received a state permit to carry its oversized load across the bridge. Ed Scherbinski, Mullen’s vice president for operations, said the state Department of Transportation had approved of the company’s plan to drive the equipment along I-5 to Vancouver, Wash.
He also said the company hired a local escort to help navigate the route.
“This is what we do for a living. We pride ourselves in doing things the proper way,” Scherbinski said.
Mike Allende, a state DOT spokesman, confirmed the truck had its permit.
“We’re still trying to figure out why it hit the bridge,” he said. “It’s ultimately up to the trucking company to figure out whether it can get through. It’s their responsibility to make sure the load they have can travel on that route.”
Dave Chesson, a state DOT spokesman, said there were no signs leading up to the bridge warning about its clearance height.
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