Truck spills cargo, damaging and closing Tukwila bridge

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — A truck spilled its cargo onto a Duwamish River bridge south of Seattle in Tukwila, damaging beams and blocking direct access to a neighborhood and a BNSF Railway freight yard. The Seattle Times reports photos show at least two of the steel-truss members constructed in 1949 and a steel brace overhead were bent by the impact. The bridge — crossing the river at 42nd Avenue South, close to Highway 599 — has a “fracture critical” design, meaning a failure of one key beam or joint may trigger a chain reaction collapse. A similar thing occurred in 2013 when a tall load broke one span of the Interstate 5 Skagit River Bridge. Tukwila has plans to replace the crossing by 2025 for at least $22 million.