A pedestrian bridge collapsed over a highway in the nation's capital on Wednesday, sending five people to the hospital.
The collapse happened just before noon along Interstate 295 in Northeast Washington. The bridge was found to be in poor condition at an inspection just a few months earlier.
Investigators believe a truck struck the bridge, causing it to come loose and collapse, said Chris Geldart, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice. Several other vehicles were also involved in the collapse. He cautioned that the investigation was still in its preliminary stages.
People work on the scene of a collapsed pedestrian bridge along Kenilworth Avenue & Polk Street Northeast in Washington, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via AP)
The five people taken to the hospital had non-life-threatening injuries, Geldart said.
Chunks of concrete and other debris were strewn across the highway, and both directions of traffic were expected to be closed at least until late Friday. The bridge was lying atop the truck, which was leaking diesel fuel along the roadway, officials said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday afternoon that there were no recent reports of structural concerns about the bridge. But Geldart said in a statement later Wednesday that the mayor's statement was incorrect.
He said that the bridge was inspected in February and that a subsequent report issued May 25 rated the bridge as being in poor condition. He said the rating — a 4 on a scale of 9 to 0 — marked a threshold prompting a multiyear planning process to replace the bridge. The bridge had previously been rated a 5 — in fair condition — in April 2019.
The Metropolitan Police Department is leading the crash investigation, Geldart said.
Authorities work on the scene of a collapsed pedestrian bridge along Kenilworth Avenue & Polk Street Northeast in Washington, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via AP)
Women outnumber men in the largest urban counties east of the Mississippi River, along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Deep South, while the West skews male, according to data released last week from the 2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
With holiday shopping underway, people have to be aware of authentication when purchasing quality luxury gifts. Maya Ali, head of handbags at MyGemma, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to spot fake luxury bags.
You've never heard harmonica like this! Check out this group that gets together to jam out, picking out songs you don't typically think of when you think of the pocket instrument.
