Story at a glance
- A pedestrian bridge in Northeast Washington, D.C., collapsed onto an interstate on Wednesday.
- Officials said a vehicle collision under the walkway led to the bridge’s collapse and, in turn, caused several other cars to crash.
- That area of DC-295 will be closed in both directions until at least 10 p.m. on Thursday.
A pedestrian bridge in Northeast Washington, D.C., collapsed onto an interstate on Wednesday as the result of a collision.
In a press briefing, Chris Geldart, the deputy mayor of public safety for Washington, D.C., said a vehicle collision under the walkway led to the bridge’s collapse, causing several other cars to crash around 11:50 a.m.
“Everything we see on the accident scene right now leads to this being a collision pulling the bridge off its mooring,” Geldart said.
Press Briefing @MayorBowser Kenilworth Road /295 Pedestrian Bridge Collapse https://t.co/XOxPuTcrKD
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) June 23, 2021
Five people from the various cars were transported to hospitals with injuries, but none were deemed life-threatening.
“Avoid the area,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “I’m very thankful for our first responders who got here very quickly.”
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A truck involved that was carrying hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel did leak about 25 gallons of fuel into nearby drains, according to NBC Washington, but a hazardous materials team was dispatched to diminish its risk to waterways.
The collapsed bridge had connected Polk Street NE to Kenilworth Avenue NW. It was reported as having been inspected in February and showed no signs of structural damage at that time.
D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management issued a statement reporting that area of DC-295 will be closed in both directions, offering “no access from US-50/New York Ave split to the 695 interchange” until at least 10 p.m. on Thursday.
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