A pedestrian bridge crossing over the westbound side of I-94 in Detroit collapsed this morning after a truck that was too tall struck the bridge while attempting to pass beneath the structure.
The structure known as the Townsend Street Pedestrian Bridge reportedly collapsed around 5:20 a.m. Friday. Local reports say that no one was injured as a result of the bridge's collapse.
The Michigan DOT (MDOT) Metro Detroit office has been posting updates on Twitter of its response to the collapse. The department has said that the entire bridge will need to be removed.
MDOT sent crews out to conduct an emergency bridge removal and closed down the westbound side of I-94 between Gratiot and Van Dyke. A video posted on the MDOT Metro Detroit Twitter page shows an excavator at work on the demolition of the bridge. The most recent updates show nearly the entire westbound side of the pedestrian bridge demolished, but the site has yet to be cleared of all the structural components of the bridge scattered across the highway.
Reports say that eastbound lanes will be shut down so crews can remove both sections of the bridge. The timeline for complete removal is yet to be determined. Right now, both directions of travel are closed down in the vicinity of the bridge.
MDOT told local news outlets that the demolition of the bridge will cost $86,000.
UPDATE: MDOT posted an image on Twitter Friday afternoon showing that the entire pedestrian bridge over both directions of travel on I-94 had been demolished.
-------
SOURCE: Michigan DOT / Click on Detroit / WXYZ-TV
