Washington State Didn’t Flag Skagit Bridge Despite Repeated Truck Hit

Washington state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has known since the 1970s that the Interstate 5 bridge that recently collapsed after being clipped by a truck hauling an oversize load had been struck repeatedly in the past by similar big rigs.

Just last fall, a tall vehicle crossing the Skagit River Bridge hit the overhead structure, ripping a 3-inch gash in the steel and deforming three components.

Even knowing that history, state officials didn’t take precautions as they often do to prevent truckers from hitting overhead structures, raising questions about whether the state could have done more to prevent the collapse from happening.