I-5 Bridge Collapse

[CHamilton]

Temp bridges planned for fallen I-5

Image via KOMO News

SEATTLE — Plans are underway to construct a pair of temporary steel bridges across the Skagit River in northern Washington state where a highway span collapsed into the water last week.

The Associated Press has learned from an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement that the bridges will go up next to the original span and will allow limited travel over Interstate 5.

Planners hope to have the temporary structures in place within three weeks. Repair work would then begin on the damaged bridge, with a goal of finishing that work by fall.

The federal government is expected to cover 90 percent of the cost of the temporary bridge and the replacement.

 

[Kirk Greenfield]

Could someone tell me how they are changing traffic southbound from Vancouver to Seattle? We will be returning from Alaska through there in about six weeks time, July 4th. Any help about how traffic is being handled/re-routed, would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[CHamilton]

Kirk, here's the official detour map:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Construction/PugetSound/detourmap.htm

But they're now saying that the temporary bridge will be up in three weeks, so you may not need to detour by then.

 

[DET63]

Searching the news, Washington State is one of the states that has been debating a gas tax increase to pay for transportation and infrastructure projects. The state Senate was debating over a 10 cent gas excise tax increase.One part of the debate has been over that only 10% of the new gas tax revenue was slated to go to maintenance with the rest of it to new road and bridge projects. My bet is that the state legislature is now going to pass the gas tax increase with more going to maintenance. Replacing or modifying a bridge with a poor design by modern standards can fall under maintenance.

Washington state already has the highest gasoline taxes in the country at 37.5¢ per gallon. Raising them is not likely to do much good.

 

[Ryan]

Saying that you're the tallest person in the room doesn't mean much when you're in a room filled with toddlers.

More than anything else, that's an argument for raising it everywhere else to pay for the infrastructure that we all depend on.

 

[CHamilton]

SEA King Street Station is packed this morning. Of course, it's a holiday, but people were lined up an hour in advance to check in for both 501 and 510. Bet some of the northbound passengers picked the train rather than face the Skagit bridge detour.

 

[JayPea]

Searching the news, Washington State is one of the states that has been debating a gas tax increase to pay for transportation and infrastructure projects. The state Senate was debating over a 10 cent gas excise tax increase.One part of the debate has been over that only 10% of the new gas tax revenue was slated to go to maintenance with the rest of it to new road and bridge projects. My bet is that the state legislature is now going to pass the gas tax increase with more going to maintenance. Replacing or modifying a bridge with a poor design by modern standards can fall under maintenance.

Washington state already has the highest gasoline taxes in the country at 37.5¢ per gallon. Raising them is not likely to do much good.

High gas taxes is a consequence of our state not having an income tax. If the state can't get revenue from one source they will find other sources.

 

[afigg]

Washington state already has the highest gasoline taxes in the country at 37.5¢ per gallon. Raising them is not likely to do much good.

According to this Tax Foundation list, WA was #9 in per gallon gas total taxes at the start of 2013. Comparing states is tricky because of the mix of straight excise taxes, wholesale percentage taxes, fees, taxes on the distribution end. NY is #1, CA #2 using the cost of gas at the start of the year.

The list is out of date because, so far at least 4 states this year have either raised or changed their gas taxes. Wyoming raised their excise tax, so did Vermont. MD added a wholesale tax on top of the excise tax that will go up over the next 3 years, for what should work out to a 20 cent a gallon increase at current prices. What Virginia did was (way too) complicated, but it is a mix of wholesale tax on gas, higher wholesale rate of 6% on diesel, higher state sales taxes, and a bunch of fees. The last I read MA is down to haggling over how much of a gas tax increase along with other revenue increases to provide more transportation funding. PA is facing a serious transportation funding shortfall and appears to be likely to lift a cap on a wholesale type gas tax. Most of these state increases matter because they will provide more funding, not just for roads, but for transit and/or passenger rail projects in their state.

Many states are facing serious shortfalls in revenue for transportation projects because the gas excise tax in a number of states was last raised decades ago and is no longer providing adequate revenue after many years of inflation. Some states will address that problem this year, some will not because a tax increase gets stalled in the state legislature. The federal government needs to increase the 18.5 cent gas federal excise tax, but no way that gets through the dysfunctional Congress. The bridge collapse in WA may be enough to get an excise tax increase through the WA state legislature however.

 

[CHamilton]

The good news about the bridge collapse is that Amtrak is dealing well with the increased passengers. Train 510 was sold out this morning, and I just left BEL on 517. It's only a couple of minutes late; they even had time to deliver a couple of pizzas to the train.

 

[fairviewroad]

SEA King Street Station is packed this morning. Of course, it's a holiday, but people were lined up an hour in advance to check in for both 501 and 510. Bet some of the northbound passengers picked the train rather than face the Skagit bridge detour.

And after standing in line for an hour, they might wonder why they didn't just take a detour that might have added 20 minutes to their trip.

 

[CHamilton]

WSDOT has set up webcams showing the construction zone around the bridge, as well as traffic in the detours.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

The new, permanent Skagit River bridge opened 7 hours later than originally planned yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 15, according to this article in The Seattle Times.

 

[CHamilton]

NTSB places blame for Skagit River bridge collapse

SEATTLE -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued a probable cause Tuesday in last year’s Interstate 5 Skagit River Bridge collapse.

NTSB members have concluded that a semi truck traveling from Canada failed to travel in a lane with sufficient clearance, causing the tractor-trailer to clip a portion of the bridge triggering the collapse. Investigators found Mullen Trucking, out of Alberta, did not properly plan the route to account for the lower clearance.

It also found that the pilot car driver responsible for guiding the truck driver was distracted using her cell phone while crossing the bridge, and WSDOT did not provide adequate signage noting the lower clearance.

 

[Anderson]

In other words:
NTSB: Let's just blame everyone involved.

 

[fairviewroad]

In other words:

NTSB: Let's just blame everyone involved.

Which sounds like it may actually be a logical conclusion in this case.

 

[CHamilton]

Lawsuit seeks to determine fault in 2013 Skagit River bridge collapse

MOUNT VERNON — Nearly three years after a portion of the Skagit River Bridge on Interstate 5 collapsed into the river, a legal dispute continues over who will be held financially liable.

In December, a Skagit County Superior Court judge combined into one lawsuit two civil claims brought against the company that operated the semi-truck that struck several overhead trusses on May 23, 2013, on what is now named the Trooper Sean M. O’Connell Jr. Memorial Bridge.