Posted on 04/29/2007 6:40:56 AM PDT by WSGilcrest
Perhaps JimR's efforts to clean this place up are having a good affect, and the incorrigible rascals were sent packing, leaving us with just the corrigible ones.
Good progress if that's so.
“That is probably due to local bay area governments pimping the feds for reconstruction funds for friends companies. They of course have to have the contracts distributed according to diversity and affirmative action standards. They drag it out as long as possible with retro fits that take decades or the next big earthquake,which ever comes first. Notice how soon Caltrans got the freeways up after up after the Northridge earthquake something like 6 to 12 mos.”
It is probably a safe bet that Je$$e Hi Jack$on will be pimping for his Ho’s to get the big bucks for for doing nothing. Those of us in our 60’s and mid 50’s will probably never see this get finished.
No ... not only can you do that ... that's what this doomed petro truck did.
Take a close look at the map Closeup of Maze. Notice the 580 sign, top center, and the two 880 signs middle center and bottom center. North is at the top on this map, and traveling that stretch of freeway south, from the 580 sign to the two 880 signs, is how you get from 580 West (which goes south at this point) to 880 South.
You get a split in the road (just above center in the above map), where you have to bear a little to the left to head off on 880 southbound, or bear stronger to the left to stay on 580 westbound.
The petro truck took that very route, going under two overpasses, first for westbound traffic to the Oakland Bay Bridge, and the second for eastbound coming from the Oakland Bay Bridge. It didn't make it all the way past that second overpass. That second overpass is now collapsed, destroyed by the heat of the burning truck beneath it.
The morning commute won't be too bad, but the evening commute, mostly of traffic leaving San Francisco going eastbound over that overpass to the East Bay, will suck for a few months.
To clarify, I saw a later report that said the guy went to a nearby gas station and called a cab. That would make it look less planned. So, someone reported wrong, but I’m not sure who. I guess it reinforces the danger of speculating based on early reports.
You would think he would call the cops or an ambulance, but maybe he only trusts cab drivers.
The Governor declared a state of emergency and will visit the scene. Just saw on a Channel 2 news update.
My son speculated that the cab was cheaper and the cabbie didn’t ask any questions.
There will be those that will be unaware of the events of the day today and will probably drive headlong into the traffic and be quite vocal on the noon and evening news.
"GEEZ, Why didn't anybody warn them of this!"
A coworker lives in Vallejo and will have drive through this. I’ll have to ask her how the commute was when I see her tomorrow morning. I know it takes her forever to get to work and she leaves early in the morning.
Where is that pick of the guy from New Orleans begging for money? I can see it know, people begging for money because of the inconvience.
Free BART, AC Transit, and MUNI tomorrow. (It isn’t really free because the taxpayers have to pay for it.)
Well, as is now the un-American custom in CA called "ballot box planning," his development for age restricted senior housing right next to an established age restricted existing development was forced to a ballot proposition and of course defeated by all the NIMBY's, BANANA's, EnvironMentalists and leftists in Sacramento County.
The same county that has voted to stop all nuclear and hydro power development or any other clean or sustainable energy source because "if you build it, they will come!!!"
So, even though Pete Wilson actually jumped up and did at least one thing right during his eight years, the guy that applied good old Yankee Inginuity and "Got 'er Done," got screwed in the end of his American Dream!!!
What a pathetic state the DemocratICKS are turning CA into!!!
Ask former Illinois governor/convicted felon George Ryan.
It looks to me like the fire caused the failure of one beam, which would be a logical consequence of a gas truck burning underneath it. The question in my mind would be whether there was any 'logical' reason for the truck to explode where it did [e.g. did it hit a post or something?]
Unlike skyscraper support structures which are extensively fireproofed, highway support structures generally are not. Skyscrapers generally house a considerable fuel load, take a significant amount of time to evacuate, and can suffer billions of dollars of damage if a support structure fails. A highway bridge like that generally won't have much of a fuel load under it, would generally take only a few seconds to get people away from, and can be repaired reasonably inexpensively. Fireproofing all such bridges would be an unreasonable expense, though perhaps in future it might make sense to fireproof some portions that extend over other roads.
If he was in the cab when the whole thing went kaboom, I wouldn't think he would have been able to walk away. Even if he was protected while in the cab, he'd be unprotected as soon as he left it.
The only scenario that I can figure that would make sense (other than malfeasance) would be if the truck had an engine fire and the driver attempted unsuccessfully to put it out, suffering some minor burns in the process. When it became clear that wasn't going to work, he left to summon help and then the whole thing blew up; if he saw a taxi at the gas station, he may have hailed it to the hospital as a faster alternative to calling and waiting for an ambulance.
Still leaves open the question of why the truck would be under the bridge, though.
I'm talking about being in Oakland on the actual 580, which lies east of the maze.
From www.chron.com:
...The driver, James Mosqueda, 51, of Woodland, was headed from a refinery in Benecia to a gas station near the Oakland Airport when the accident occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A preliminary investigation indicated he may have been speeding on the curving road, Cross said. Mosqueda was being treated in a hospital for burns Sunday; the hospital would not transfer media calls to his room...
I had east and west all screwed up. I guess I can blame it on the highway department, which has east bound 580 and west bound 80 combined into one road, going south as the crow flies. It's all their fault that I'm confused.
Along the lines of what you said, not only can one not get from 580 west bound to 880 south bound, but one cannot do the reverse either, from 880 north bound to 580 east bound.
Either way, one has to cut over to 980.
... hoping I haven't confused things again ;).
Best diagram yet - thanks.
Yes, On the area north of the accident you are on 80 westbound and 580 eastbound at the same time!
Thanks for posting this diagram CCC. It’s sooo much easier to understand how this accident will affect commuters when you can see the traffic flows.
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