On May 19, 1993, a tractor with bulk-cement-tank semitrailer was travelling south on Interstate 65 near Evergreen, Alabama, and collided with a supporting bridge column of the County Road 22 overpass. Two spans of the overpass collapsed onto the semitrailer and the southbound lanes of the interstate. An automobile and a tractor-semitrailer then collided with the collapsed bridge spans. The cement-tank truck driver was seriously injured; the drivers of the other vehicles were killed. The safety issues discussed in this report are the truck driver's possibly falling asleep, marijuana use, and the identification and evaluation of bridges that are vulnerable to high-speed heavy-vehicle collisions and subsequent collapse. As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board issued safety recommendations to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (A)
Abstract