Foggy conditions are being blamed for a tugboat striking the concrete bridge abutments on the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge. The Tuesday morning incident occurred when the tugboat Cheyenne was pushing two barges with scrap metal and stone south on the river and could not see the abutment because of dense fog, according to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. Contact made with the Coast Guard indicated one barge was taking on water and that emergency pumps were deployed to keep it afloat. There were no reported injuries. The 90-foot tug, piloted by Capt. Denault Donovan, is owned by Albany Port Ventures in Albany. Preliminary investigation indicates the accident was caused by lack of visibility on the river. The Coast Guard is continuing its investigation.
