A construction barge carrying a crane on Wednesday evening failed to clear the underside of Juneau’s Douglas Bridge.
The Marine Exchange of Alaska logged the tug Columbia Layne at 7:41 p.m. transiting the narrows of Gastineau Channel. The tide was at an ebb, about two hours before it would reach its low mark for the evening.
A bystander with a cell phone caught the sights and sounds of a steel crane jutting up in the air as the barge failed to clear the underside of the steel and concrete span. The crane whip-sawed upward after it dragged along the underside of the bridge. The tug and barge continued on its southeastern track.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Ali Blackburn says state transportation engineers did a visual inspection.
“The impact was confirmed and there was no damage reported to the vessel or the bridge,” she told CoastAlaska.
The state’s Douglas Bridge is a 620-foot span that connects downtown Juneau with Douglas Island.
The Columbia Layne is a 189-ton tug owned by Channel Construction of Juneau. Vessel tracking showed the tug setting a course to return to port.
Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director in Juneau.
