Thanks Ken. The problem is that so many reporters don’t know anything about the communities that they report from. It’s a no-brainer that the Interstate Bridge does not have large freighters going underneath it.
Good story. Too much of the media coverage out of Portland has focused on the Interstate Bridge (which sees no deepwater ship traffic). An incident similar to Baltimore on the Lewis & Clark Bridge would put all four upriver ports out of business, let alone the shallow draft ports on the upper Columbia and Snake rivers- with catastrophic impacts on the US grain trades. I'll look forward to seeing the NY Times coverage.
Interim precautions, such as tug escorts, should be enacted now. The shipping channel being further away from the approaches will take a while to achieve. Ultimately, between the larger ships and increased rail activity, especially on the Washington side, the bridge will need to be replaced. This will be a very heavy lift, but it should be on the horizon for the local public and private sector sponsors and the ball needs to get rolling soon. If this group waits for WSDOT to lead the effort, it will never happen. Leadership will be critical, as well as tenacity and courage, to get this done. I’ll be watching to see how this unfolds.
Thanks Ken. The problem is that so many reporters don’t know anything about the communities that they report from. It’s a no-brainer that the Interstate Bridge does not have large freighters going underneath it.
Good story. Too much of the media coverage out of Portland has focused on the Interstate Bridge (which sees no deepwater ship traffic). An incident similar to Baltimore on the Lewis & Clark Bridge would put all four upriver ports out of business, let alone the shallow draft ports on the upper Columbia and Snake rivers- with catastrophic impacts on the US grain trades. I'll look forward to seeing the NY Times coverage.
Interim precautions, such as tug escorts, should be enacted now. The shipping channel being further away from the approaches will take a while to achieve. Ultimately, between the larger ships and increased rail activity, especially on the Washington side, the bridge will need to be replaced. This will be a very heavy lift, but it should be on the horizon for the local public and private sector sponsors and the ball needs to get rolling soon. If this group waits for WSDOT to lead the effort, it will never happen. Leadership will be critical, as well as tenacity and courage, to get this done. I’ll be watching to see how this unfolds.
Hey Andre, a WSJ story listed the L&C Bridge as one of eight in the U.S. at risk of a disaster like Baltimore’s. You may already have seen this, but ICYMI: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/these-eight-u-s-bridges-are-vulnerable-to-a-repeat-of-the-baltimore-crash-f2a2a057?st=qfsdslu2y1m5zvp&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Yes. That is mentioned in the story, about halfway down. Not sure why Astoria bridge was not mentioned.