Eggners Ferry Bridge collapses!

radar and bridges

The bridge will show on radar but the bridge pilings or legs do not show. You just get a big fat line on the screen. It's up the the captain to find the space between the pilings!

DELTA MARINER

DELTA MARINER - Vessel's Details and Current Position - 9198501 - 338731000
Here's a pix of the vessel - it wasn't a towboat.

Apparently the lighting on the bridge was out, and due to be repaired today. I think its a moot point by now. Some reports are saying the rather large DELTA MARINER, which was on its way to Decatur, AL tried to navigate under the wrong span of the bridge and didn't have enough overhead clearance.

Shouldn't their AIS indicate if they are in the channel or not? I could see hitting a piling or something, but being in a completely different span would imply being out of the channel I would think. Again I am no pilot so I'm not about to make the job sound easy.

This vessel makes this run regularly, one would think something like this wouldn't happen.

Photos circulating show the highway Bridge resting on the boat over the bow and right up to the Pilothouse. The Pilot House is far forward, GL style. Almost the entire length of the vessel is past the piers with the bridge span riding on the bow.

I'm sure most on here have seen more recent photos than I saw late this afternoon.

HI Jim: There were some real good photos taken from an aircraft on the Paducah TV station and the Paducah paper. The vessel hit a span three over from the navigation span. If he had gone a little more to starboard he would have hit the right descending bank. The good news is as I see it the navigation span is wide open and clear so that the tow traffic can keep moving.