Collapse of the Interstate 5 Skagit River Bridge Following a Strike by an Oversize Combination Vehicle, Mount Vernon, Washington, May 23, 2013.

摘要

On Thursday, May 23, 2013, about 7:05 p.m. Pacific daylight time, a 2010 Kenworth truck-tractor in combination with a 1997 Aspen flatbed semitrailer hauling an oversize load was traveling south on Interstate 5 (I-5) near Mount Vernon, Washington. The oversize combination vehicle had a permit for the route of travel and was being led by a pilot/escort vehicle, a 1997 Dodge Ram pickup truck. As the oversize combination vehicle traveled across the I-5 bridge above the Skagit River, its oversize load struck the bridge, damaging the structure. As a result of contact damage to the bridge’s truss structure, span 8 of the 12-span bridge collapsed into the Skagit River. Two passenger vehicles, a southbound 2010 Dodge Ram pickup truck towing a Jayco travel-trailer and a northbound 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek, fell into the river. Eight vehicle occupants were involved in the collapse; three received minor injuries and five were uninjured. Safety issues identified during the investigation included the following: permitting and route surveying for oversize loads; pilot/escort vehicle operations, guidelines, and driver training; commercial driver operations for transporting oversize loads; state practices for high load bridge strikes; and requirements for low-clearance signage.