West Seattle Bridge collision

At 2:38 a.m. on June 11, 1978, the freighter Chavez rammed the West Seattle Bridge over the Duwamish West Waterway, thereby closing it to automobile traffic for the next six years. The pilot and master were both found negligent in causing the collision. The collision led to the opening of the current West Seattle Bridge in 1984.

West Seattle Bridge spans after being rammed by the Chavez on June 11, 1978

Background

The bridge was constructed in 1924. Increasing traffic over the years had made the bridge one of Seattle's worst chokepoints. Seattle planners had worked on a higher bridge to supplement it, and had multiple funding sources lined up, but these funding sources backed out due to a corruption scandal. By 1975, the project was widely considered dead. Federal highway administrator Norbert Tiemann remarked, "Short of a tug knocking it down (which could trigger special bridge replacement funds), there is nothing else. And you certainly wouldn't want to go that route."[1] Such a disaster would qualify the project for federal bridge replacement funds.

Collision
The Antonio Chavez, the ship that hit the old bridge.

On June 11, 1978, the Chavez struck the bridge. No one was hurt in the collision, but it resulted in the bridge being stuck open. The bridge was irreparably damaged.

Aftermath

A US Coast Guard inquiry found the ship's pilot, Rolf Neslund, and master, Gojko Gospodnetic, were negligent. Gospodnetic was fired and Neslund forced into retirement.[2]

In 1980, after several years of a deteriorating domestic relationship characterized by alcoholism and violent conflict, Neslund disappeared. Police alleged that in an argument over the pension money, Rolf's wife, Ruth Neslund, shot and killed her husband on August 8, 1980, burning his remains at their home on Lopez Island. The body was never found. However, with no sign of Rolf, Ruth was charged in 1983 for the murder and stood trial in 1985. Ruth died in prison of natural causes in February 1993.[3]

The proposed high span West Seattle Bridge, which had previously lost funding, had a new source of funding in federal bridge replacement funds. The federal funding allowed the new bridge to be constructed, opening in 1984.[2]

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See also

References
  1. Bob Royer (June 20, 2011). "When the Ship Hit the Span". Cascadia Courier. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  2. "Freighter Chavez rams West Seattle Bridge on June 11, 1978". HistoryLink.org.
  3. Daryl C McClary (April 9, 2007). "Ruth Neslund murders her husband, Rolf Neslund, on Lopez Island on August 8, 1980". Historylink. Retrieved May 26, 2014.

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