In this photo provided by Francisco Rodriguez rescue workers head to the scene where a pickup and a car fell into the Skagit River after the collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge Thursday.(Photo Francisco Rodriguez AP)
Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Friday for three counties of northwest Washington state Friday to cope with disruption to traffic and the economy from the collapse of an Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River.
The roadway damage and its effects continue to impact the life and health of our citizens as well as the property and transportation infrastructure of Washington State all of which affect life health property or the public peace and constitute a public disaster demanding immediate action Inslee said in his emergency decree covering Skagit Snohomish and Whatcom counties.
A large section of the 1 111 foot steel and concrete bridge collapsed Thursday evening sending two vehicles into the river after a truck carrying an excessively tall load of drilling equipment struck an overhead girder Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said Friday.
Three people were hospitalized with non life threatening injuries Thursday evening but there were no fatalities.
The accident knocked out a major north south artery between Seattle 60 miles south to Canada that sends 70 000 vehicles across the bridge every day.
The governor's proclamation directed state agencies and department to to do everything reasonably possible to help local communities.
Inslee estimated that repairs would cost $15 million but officials were unable to say how long the bridge would be closed.
State transportation officials said backups on the detour route would be at minimum 40 minutes and get worse over the Memorial Day weekend.
It's going to be slow going out there said state Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Allende. We're advising people to stay home if they can or leave as early as possible.
We're hopeful that people will adjust their plans but this is one of the biggest travel weekends that we have he said.
The State Patrol said the driver of the truck works for Mullen Trucking in Alberta. The tractor trailer was hauling housing for drilling equipment to Vancouver Wash. when the top right front corner of the load struck several trusses on the north end of the bridge the patrol said.
Last SlideNext SlideThe driver William Scott of Spruce Grove Alberta near Edmonton voluntarily gave a blood sample for an alcohol test and was not arrested. A top company official said Scott was amazed by what he saw happen.
He's a little bit bewildered Ed Scherbinski vice president of Mullen Trucking said in an interview with The Associated Press. He looks in the (rearview) mirror and the bridge is coming down behind him.
The bridge built in 1955 is listed by the National Bridge Inventory as fracture critical which means that the entire structure can be brought down if even one major part fails The Seattle Times reported.
Bridges that have redundant features are designed to remain intact if one a single section is damaged.
The trucking company said it received a state issued permit to carry its oversized load across the bridge. Scherbinski said the Washington state Department of Transportation had approved of the company's plan to drive the equipment along the route.
He also said the company hired a local escort to help navigate the route. He said the driver was well experienced with handling oversized loads.
This is what we do for a living. We pride ourselves in doing things the proper way he 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.
Cynthia Scott of Spruce Grove Alberta said she spoke with her husband moments after he saw the bridge fall into a river in his rearview mirror. Cynthia Scott said there was a small ding in one of the front corners of the load.
Dave Chesson a state DOT spokesman said there were no signs leading up to the bridge warning about its clearance height.
Dan Sligh 47 and his wife Sally were off on a Memorial Day camping trip in their pickup when the bridge stretching out ahead suddenly 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.
Sligh said he dislocated his shoulder but managed to climb out of the vehicle. His wife was knocked unconscious and he kept her head above water until rescuers arrived more than an hour later.
Emergency teams also rescued one man sitting on top of his car prompting bystanders to applaud when he reached dry land.
Jeremiah Thomas a volunteer firefighter said he was driving nearby when he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.
The bridge just went down it crashed through the water he said. It was really surreal.
The bridge which was classified by the NBI as functionally obsolete was inspected twice last year and repaired according to state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson.
The 58 year old bridge 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 report 42 of the county's 108 bridges 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 or functionally obsolete.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it is launching an investigation into the collapse.
Contributing Associated Press
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