THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 1996           TAG: 9602210418
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                         LENGTH: Medium:   65 lines

TOWER ON BARGE CRUNCHES UNDERBELLY OF HIGH-RISE BRIDGE NO ONE WAS HURT; TRAFFIC WAS TIED UP FOR 5 1/2 HOURS; SPAN HAD MINOR DAMAGE.

A 75-foot steel tower aboard a barge slammed into the high-rise bridge along Interstate 64 during rush hour Tuesday morning, causing minor damage to the bridge but shutting down the span for 5 1/2 hours.

Officials said the crash occurred about 8:20 a.m. when a tug boat owned by Ireland Marine Inc., with a barge from Tidewater Construction Corp., tried to pass under the drawbridge. The span, with a 65-foot clearance on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, was down and traffic was moving across it. No injuries were reported.

The collision happened close to the bridge's control tower near the center of the span. The tower on the barge scraped, bent and knocked loose parts of the bridge's steel underbelly. Althought the steel grating at the peak of the bridge was knocked slightly out of alignment, the bridge works fine.

Officials estimated the damage at about $60,000.

``The structure damage was relatively minor,'' said Bob Spieldenner, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

After the collision, the tug - which had been headed north - backed off and returned to Tidewater Construction with the barge, Spieldenner said. The tug captain's name was not released.

The bridge reopened about 2 p.m., just in time for the afternoon rush hour. Commuters today may notice one of the eastbound lanes across the bridge is a bit narrower to allow for repair barricades near the collision site.

About 50,000 vehicles cross the span every day, Spieldenner said.

Transportation Department officials said the crash was considered major because it disrupted the flow of traffic. Traffic was backed up, but police later said it moved smoothly onto detour roads such as Military Highway and Interstate 264.

Ed McLaughlin, president of Tidewater Construction Corp., said the steel tower was on its way to Norfolk International Terminals to be used in the widening of the Coleman Bridge across the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point. The barge had just left Tidewater Construction on South Dominion Boulevard in Chesapeake.

Tug-owner Ireland Marine, in Chesapeake, refused comment.

Lt. Kerstin Rhinehart, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard, said an investigation will be conducted.

Any fault ``. . . will be determined by the investigative officer once the facts are revealed,'' Rhinehart said.

Rhinehart said the high-rise bridge requires a 24-hour notice of any vessel traffic.

``In this case apparently the bridge wasn't contacted at all,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Virginia Department of Transportation authorities examine the

separation caused by barge tower hitting the high-rise bridge on

I-64 Tuesday morning. The bridge is open for auto and ship traffic.

Repairs are estimated at $60,000.

Map/VP

Area Shown: Section of I-64 affected.

KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT BOAT BRIDGE BARGE DRAWBRIDGE < by CNB