BRIDGE - The Salt Lake Tribune

Thousands of bridges at risk of freak collapse

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:24:03 MDT

Thousands of bridges at risk of freak collapse

By MIKE BAKER and JOAN LOWY The Associated Press

Updated May 25, 2013 11:24AM MDT

Seattle • Thousands of bridges around the U.S. may be one freak accident or mistake away from collapse, even if the spans are deemed structurally sound. The crossings are kept standing by engineering design, not supported with brute strength or redundant protections like their more modern counterparts. Bridge regulators call the more risky spans “fracture critical,” meaning that if a single, vital component of the bridge is compromised, it can crumple. Those vulnerable crossing carry millions of...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Trucker bumped I-5 bridge, saw the horror in rearview mirror

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:23:14 MDT

Trucker bumped I-5 bridge, saw the horror in rearview mirror

By MANUEL VALDES and MIKE BAKER The Associated Press

Updated May 24, 2013 06:23PM MDT

Mount Vernon, Wash. • The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River. Amazingly, nobody was killed. The three people who fell into the water escaped with only minor injuries. Officials are trying to find out whether the spectacular collapse of a bridge on one of the ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I-5 bridge collapse in Washington blamed on truck hitting span

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:26:37 MDT

I-5 bridge collapse in Washington blamed on truck hitting span

By MANUEL VALDES and MIKE BAKER The Associated Press

Updated May 24, 2013 01:26PM MDT

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. • A truck hauling a too-tall load of drilling equipment hit an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River. All three occupants suffered only minor injuries. It happened about 7 p.m. Thursday 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, and disrupted travel in both direction...

I-15 near Beaver restricted during bridge project

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:20:12 MDT

I-15 near Beaver restricted during bridge project

By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 20, 2013 11:20AM MDT

If you plan on driving through Beaver County along Interstate 15 this week, you might want to add a little more time to your travel plans. Utah Department of Transportation crews began work late Sunday to move a replacement bridge north of Beaver near mile post 116. That project is expected to take until sometime this Thursday to complete. In the interim, I-15 traffic through the area will be reduced to one lane, crossing over to the opposite side for motorists to navigate the construction zone....