Could the Woodrow Wilson Bridge meet its demise sooner than expected in a confrontation with a barge? That all depends.
When a self propelled large river barge slammed into the I-40 bridge crossing the Arkansas River recently, it sent cars and tractor trailers plunging into the murky waters below. The collision virtually collapsed the pilings supporting the high span. Could that same scenario happen here and if it did, would the results be the same?
The answers to both questions depends on the circumstances and who is interpreting the question. But, the consensus is, it is highly unlikely, approaching the category of impossible.
For starters, few rivers in the eastern United States can support the type and size of barges that ply the waterways of the midwest and west. Most barges operating on eastern rivers are pushed, pulled, and maneuvered by tug boats. They are not self propelled.
Cargo barges on most eastern rivers are only a fraction of the size of the one that devastated the I-40 span. Therefore, they do not have the weight to cause such destruction.
"The existing Woodrow Wilson Bridge has large wooden fenders all the way around the pilings that are in or near the channel area," said John R. Undeland, public affairs director, Potomac Crossing Consultants. "The new bridge will have concrete fenders surrounding the pilings."
UNDELAND ALSO explained, "Where there are no fenders on the existing bridge the river is too shallow to carry a loaded barge. Any large ship, capable of doing that kind of damage here would have to be in the channel where the draw section is and where the fenders are located." He also noted that the I-40 bridge only had fenders on one side of the pilings.
But, Reed Winslow, liaison to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, doesn't entirely rule out such an occurrence and potential disaster. "If the conditions were just right and something got loose it could happen. But it's not very likely," he said.
"If something got loose and the water was flowing fast enough, like in a storm, it is possible that there could be a disaster here like out there," Winslow said. "Even so, a collision here would not
take out as much roadway as the I-40 crash. But there is a lot more traffic on this bridge, than out there, depending on the time of day."
Winslow said that the maximum number of spans that probably would collapse in such a collision with the Wilson bridge is two. The
reason more went down with the I-40 bridge is because of its increased height, he said.
IT WOULD BE more likely that a large ship might crash into the Potomac span than a barge, according to Winslow. However, he noted, if they were out of the channel they would probably run aground before reaching the span unless the river was unnaturally high.
The other factor working against such an event is that most watercraft, of any configuration, approaching the bridge from the south are usually going against the current, Winslow said. "Even during storms, the current is not that strong in this area thereby lessening the speed of a drifting watercraft," he said.
Finally, Winslow said, "The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge will be quite safe from this sort of thing due to its stronger construction and design."