Coast Transportation Route News

Global's Divers Cleared Collapsed Skagit River Bridge

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., under contract to Atkinson Construction, provided diving and salvage services throughout the investigation and debris recovery phase after the bridge collapse. On Thursday, May 23, 2013 while traveling in the southbound lane of Interstate 5, a truck hauling a heavy and oversized load struck the support structure of a bridge crossing the Skagit River in Mt. Vernon, WA. The damage inflicted by the truck caused the 160’ long four lane span to collapse into the river below, completely severing the interstate. While the truck cleared the bridge before it collapsed, two passenger vehicles caught up in the failure of the bridge were destroyed with the passengers emerging shocked and scared, but alive.