High Wind Tips Mobile Home Load On Washington I-205 Bridge
A large load consisting of a mobile home tipped off of a tractor-trailer Thursday afternoon on an I-205 Glenn Jackson Bridge in Vancouver, Washington.
Vancouver – SB205 USE ALT! Backup is terrible! High winds causing more problems! pic.twitter.com/hGkw31GDLf
— Trooper Will Finn (@wspd5pio) January 23, 2014
The driver, Steve Nilson commented that he had been transporting the home when he heard the unmistakable sound of scraping metal, when he saw the load tipping in his mirror. Nilson said, “This one actually came out pretty good. I’ve seen them tip completely over and I’m thankful I locked my safety latch on the hitch this morning. Otherwise, it could have come off and gone over anyway.”
The I-205 bridge was officially closed at 12:30 p.m. to all oversized loads due to extremely high winds. For a period of time, the right lanes of the bridge were closed to all traffic as well.
Vancouver – SB 205 – right 3 blocked. Traffic stacking up! pic.twitter.com/iN7W8LaBwf
— Trooper Will Finn (@wspd5pio) January 23, 2014
According to the Washington Department of Transportation, motorists were advised to anticipate lengthy delays between Vancouver and Portland (southbound) Thursday afternoon.
The restrictions were lifted by the end of the day yesterday.
WDOT was unable to recall the last time and oversized loads had been banned in that area due to wind.
Great photos from @KATU_Chopper2 of the mobile home spill. #liveonk2 http://t.co/bH4T2jK7sF pic.twitter.com/60cGSK3URd
— Laura McVicker (@LauraAllisonMac) January 23, 2014
Fortunately no one was injured in the accident. Water traffic below the bridge was briefly halted, and a truck with a crane responded to remove the mobile home from the guardrail. The scene was cleared from the bridge by 1:00 p.m.
Sources
KATU
KGW
KPTV
The Columbian
Oregon Live