hellwoman
12-29-2007, 08:17 PM
I was in a SCAT response agency meeting pertaining to the final phase of the oil spill cleanup at the Pillar Point Harbor department, when one of the agency personnel pulled up the picture of this bridge on their cell phone, much to the amazement of officials in attendance. Poplar beach landed the remnant of this disaster, many miles and days away from the bridge itself.
Bay Bridge debris washes up on Coastside beachBy David F. Smydra Jr. [ david@hmbreview.com ]
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed late this week that the large, black chunk of debris that washed ashore on Redondo Beach is indeed a section from the Bay Bridge broken off by the "Cosco Busan" commercial freighter on Nov. 7.
"Our guys are 98 percent sure that this is part of the fendering system (from the Bay Bridge)," said Maria Lee, spokeswoman for the Army Corps, after reviewing photos of the object taken by a Review photographer. Residents first reported seeing the object on the shore Wednesday morning.
Lee said that shortly after the accident, Army Corps workers picked up one 15-ton piece of the fendering system - the section that surrounds the bridge's footing - from local waters. But officials suspected there were at least two more pieces floating around, weighing a total of 30 tons.
"They were just so excited to see this photo. That piece to them looks like the same size as the piece that we already picked up," Lee said, describing conversations with the engineers. "They've been looking for this piece for weeks, it gives them a little peace of mind that one of these has been found."
By Thursday afternoon, Army Corps engineers were communicating with the Coast Guard about how to dismantle the fendering and remove it from the beach.
The fendering consists of rigid plastic slats bolted to steel beams. The object measures about 18 feet long and at least 12 feet wide, though much of it is now covered by sand. A clear water line is also visible along its side, below which the remains of white barnacles still cling.
"Our best guess, and it's only because our guys pick up a lot of debris, is that this piece weighs about 15 tons," Lee said.
Petty Officer Kevin Neff, Coast Guard spokesman, said that two officials from Cosco Busan Unified Command - the coalition of public agencies appointed to oversee the incident's fallout - visited the debris on Friday morning. Neff said the officials had not yet reported their findings to Unified Command as of noon on Friday.
The object remained on the beach Friday afternoon, unmoved and untouched since it presumably washed ashore on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning.
The Half Moon Bay Review
Bay Bridge debris washes up on Coastside beachBy David F. Smydra Jr. [ david@hmbreview.com ]
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed late this week that the large, black chunk of debris that washed ashore on Redondo Beach is indeed a section from the Bay Bridge broken off by the "Cosco Busan" commercial freighter on Nov. 7.
"Our guys are 98 percent sure that this is part of the fendering system (from the Bay Bridge)," said Maria Lee, spokeswoman for the Army Corps, after reviewing photos of the object taken by a Review photographer. Residents first reported seeing the object on the shore Wednesday morning.
Lee said that shortly after the accident, Army Corps workers picked up one 15-ton piece of the fendering system - the section that surrounds the bridge's footing - from local waters. But officials suspected there were at least two more pieces floating around, weighing a total of 30 tons.
"They were just so excited to see this photo. That piece to them looks like the same size as the piece that we already picked up," Lee said, describing conversations with the engineers. "They've been looking for this piece for weeks, it gives them a little peace of mind that one of these has been found."
By Thursday afternoon, Army Corps engineers were communicating with the Coast Guard about how to dismantle the fendering and remove it from the beach.
The fendering consists of rigid plastic slats bolted to steel beams. The object measures about 18 feet long and at least 12 feet wide, though much of it is now covered by sand. A clear water line is also visible along its side, below which the remains of white barnacles still cling.
"Our best guess, and it's only because our guys pick up a lot of debris, is that this piece weighs about 15 tons," Lee said.
Petty Officer Kevin Neff, Coast Guard spokesman, said that two officials from Cosco Busan Unified Command - the coalition of public agencies appointed to oversee the incident's fallout - visited the debris on Friday morning. Neff said the officials had not yet reported their findings to Unified Command as of noon on Friday.
The object remained on the beach Friday afternoon, unmoved and untouched since it presumably washed ashore on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning.
The Half Moon Bay Review