SkilletsUSMC
04-29-07, 09:40 PM
At least thats what Rosie says...
cbs11tv.com/national/topstories_story_119112227.html (http://cbs11tv.com/national/topstories_story_119112227.html)
Tanker Fire Causes Calif. Highway Collapse
(CBS News) SAN FRANCISCO A freeway interchange that funnels traffic off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed onto another highway ramp early Sunday after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire, authorities said.
Authorities said the accident, which closed two sections of road that carry cars through Oakland and then east and south of the city, would cause the worst disruption for Bay Area commuters since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge itself.
State transportation officials said it could take months to repair the damaged interchanges, and advised motorists to take public transportation into and out of San Francisco. They said that drivers who chose to take alternate routes on Monday would face nightmarish commutes.
Although heat from the fire was intense enough to weaken the freeway and cause the collapse, the truck's driver walked away from the scene and called a taxi, which took him to a nearby hospital with second-degree burns, Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said.
No other injuries were reported, and officials said a major public safety disaster only was averted because the crash happened so early on a Sunday.
"I've never seen anything like it," Cross said of the 250-foot chunk of the crumpled interchange that was twisted into a mass of steel and concrete. "I'm looking at this thinking, 'Wow, no one died — that's amazing. It's just very fortunate."
The crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. on one of a collection of interchanges on the edge of downtown Oakland about a half-mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza into San Francisco. Although the bridge itself was not damaged, the maze of converging freeways includes some of the Bay Area's most congested routes.
State transportation officials said 280,000 commuters take the Bay Bridge into San Francisco each day and predicted the fallout on traffic would be severe as drivers are forced to find ways around the wreckage.
"This will be one of the most problematic commutes in recent memory," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, speaking to reporters at the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego.
The tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline ignited around 3:45 a.m. after crashing into a guardrail on the interchange connecting westbound lanes of Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 880. A preliminary investigation indicates he may have been speeding as he navigated the curving road, Cross said.
Heat from the flames melted a second interchange from eastbound I-80 to eastbound Interstate 580 located above the first interchange, causing a 250-yard section of the roadway to collapse onto the crash scene below, according to the CHP. Witnesses reported flames from the blaze rose up to 200 feet into the air.
Late Sunday morning, the charred section of collapsed freeway was draped at a sharp angle onto the highway beneath, exposing a web of twisted metal beneath the concrete.
Newsom said the crash appeared to be an accident and that there was no evidence of foul play.
He said he had spoken to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration and said he was assured the state would fast-track repairs, much as it did after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. He did not speculate about how long it might take to replace the span but predicted massive disruption to San Francisco Bay area traffic.
"This will be one of the most problematic commutes in recent memory," he said.
Newsom also said the accident showed how fragile the Bay area's transportation network is, whether to an earthquake or terrorist attack. Sunday's freeway collapse has the potential to have a major economic effect on the city.
"It's another giant wakeup call," said Newsom, who was preparing to leave the convention and fly back to the Bay area.
He said he planned to tour the collapsed freeway section later Sunday.
Transportation officials said they already had added trains to the Bay Area Rapid Transit light rail system that takes commuters across San Francisco Bay ferry service and were urging people to telecommute if possible.
David Timmons, 44, a personal trainer from Oakland viewing the wreckage, said he was glad he didn't have to make the commute to San Francisco.
"If BART were a publicly traded stock, I would buy some right now," Timmons said.
cbs11tv.com/national/topstories_story_119112227.html (http://cbs11tv.com/national/topstories_story_119112227.html)
Tanker Fire Causes Calif. Highway Collapse
(CBS News) SAN FRANCISCO A freeway interchange that funnels traffic off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed onto another highway ramp early Sunday after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire, authorities said.
Authorities said the accident, which closed two sections of road that carry cars through Oakland and then east and south of the city, would cause the worst disruption for Bay Area commuters since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge itself.
State transportation officials said it could take months to repair the damaged interchanges, and advised motorists to take public transportation into and out of San Francisco. They said that drivers who chose to take alternate routes on Monday would face nightmarish commutes.
Although heat from the fire was intense enough to weaken the freeway and cause the collapse, the truck's driver walked away from the scene and called a taxi, which took him to a nearby hospital with second-degree burns, Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said.
No other injuries were reported, and officials said a major public safety disaster only was averted because the crash happened so early on a Sunday.
"I've never seen anything like it," Cross said of the 250-foot chunk of the crumpled interchange that was twisted into a mass of steel and concrete. "I'm looking at this thinking, 'Wow, no one died — that's amazing. It's just very fortunate."
The crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. on one of a collection of interchanges on the edge of downtown Oakland about a half-mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza into San Francisco. Although the bridge itself was not damaged, the maze of converging freeways includes some of the Bay Area's most congested routes.
State transportation officials said 280,000 commuters take the Bay Bridge into San Francisco each day and predicted the fallout on traffic would be severe as drivers are forced to find ways around the wreckage.
"This will be one of the most problematic commutes in recent memory," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, speaking to reporters at the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego.
The tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline ignited around 3:45 a.m. after crashing into a guardrail on the interchange connecting westbound lanes of Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 880. A preliminary investigation indicates he may have been speeding as he navigated the curving road, Cross said.
Heat from the flames melted a second interchange from eastbound I-80 to eastbound Interstate 580 located above the first interchange, causing a 250-yard section of the roadway to collapse onto the crash scene below, according to the CHP. Witnesses reported flames from the blaze rose up to 200 feet into the air.
Late Sunday morning, the charred section of collapsed freeway was draped at a sharp angle onto the highway beneath, exposing a web of twisted metal beneath the concrete.
Newsom said the crash appeared to be an accident and that there was no evidence of foul play.
He said he had spoken to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration and said he was assured the state would fast-track repairs, much as it did after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. He did not speculate about how long it might take to replace the span but predicted massive disruption to San Francisco Bay area traffic.
"This will be one of the most problematic commutes in recent memory," he said.
Newsom also said the accident showed how fragile the Bay area's transportation network is, whether to an earthquake or terrorist attack. Sunday's freeway collapse has the potential to have a major economic effect on the city.
"It's another giant wakeup call," said Newsom, who was preparing to leave the convention and fly back to the Bay area.
He said he planned to tour the collapsed freeway section later Sunday.
Transportation officials said they already had added trains to the Bay Area Rapid Transit light rail system that takes commuters across San Francisco Bay ferry service and were urging people to telecommute if possible.
David Timmons, 44, a personal trainer from Oakland viewing the wreckage, said he was glad he didn't have to make the commute to San Francisco.
"If BART were a publicly traded stock, I would buy some right now," Timmons said.