On August 10, the Rio Vista bridge got stuck in a downwards position and the middle section has been closed down for traffic.
What happened?
The vehicle traffic across the Rio Vista Bridge centre section was unavailable for marine traffic as it was stuck in a downwards position.
The cargo vessels coming in from the Port of West Sacramento have been severely affected due to blocking of the centre section.
Economic impact
The Chairman of the Port Commission, Oscar Villegas is concerned about the economic impact of ships that are unable to load or unload two key products such as rice and cement for nearly a week.
He added, “For cement, it’s very critical because the port is the conduit for cement coming through for a lot of the construction that’s occurring in the Northern California region”.
Many of the large cargo vessels have been stranded inside the port with its crew members from the Philippines.
Repairs on to rectify the bridge
The Caltrans crews working on the bridge have identified the problem as a broken gearbox. The broken gearbox has been sent back to the contractor for getting it repaired within 30 days but for people connected to the port, 30 days is too long to wait.
Mr.Villegas said, “The likelihood of huge impacts occurring in the event we have to wait 30 days are very significant. It has the potential to have a trickle-down effect in the construction industry that we have not seen in quite some time”.
Caltrans is already feeling that pressure from the port and the Coast Guard. The agency is waiting eagerly for the parts to arrive to fix the bridge, which was built in 1944.
By law, marine traffic has priority over cars and trucks. The Coast Guard said it’s working closely with the port and with Caltrans to get the Rio Vista Bridge back on track as fast as possible.
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Source: KCRA
