USA: Morning commuters battle traffic jams in San Francisco after highway bridge collapse
- 00:02:04
- ITN Source
USA: Morning commuters battle traffic jams in San Francisco after highway bridge collapse
Commuters in San Francisco fought Monday (April 30) morning traffic or looked for alternative transportation after a stretch of vital highway collapsed on Sunday (April 29) when a gas tanker truck crashed and ignited flames that shot more than 200 feet high. Flames on a lower ramp melted the upper deck of a highway on the Oakland/Emeryville side leading to the double-decker Bay Bridge that connects the heavily populated East Bay to San Francisco. As the steel structure weakened, a concrete slab fell onto the ramp below. The driver of the truck, which an official said may have been speeding, was hospitalized with burns and was reported to be in stable condition. Officials said the scant traffic in the middle of the night prevented further injuries and accidents. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an emergency declaration streamlining public contracting and environmental codes so the difficult reconstruction process could start immediately. The two ramps are used by nearly 500,000 vehicles every day, the California Highway Patrol said. Many workers use the highway to get to work in San Francisco from their homes in the East Bay, although a subway system is also available.
ITN Source | May 1, 2007
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