Fiery Crash Causes Highway Collapse

A gasoline tanker hauling nearly 9,000 lbs of fuel crashed into a pylon and burst into flames Sunday on a busy area of highway interchange near the San Francisco Bay Bridge not far from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza. According to the story as reported by AOL News Sunday afternoon, heat from the burning tanker was so intense it melted steel beams as well as the bolts holding the interchange together, leading to a collapse of the structure. Sunday afternoon traffic through the area crawled at less than half normal speed, even though many drivers diverted to alternate routes.

Because the collapse occurred at an interchange where three highways come together, there is expected to be a high impact on commuter traffic for drivers using the Bay Bridge. Authorities anticipate the collapse will cause some of the worst traffic problems seen in the area since the Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge in 1989. Commuters are being encouraged to take the light rail system or telecommute if possible. The damage is likely to take months to repair, and to carry a bill of tens of millions of dollars. Aid will be sought from the state to help cover costs, and the governor was expected to issue an emergency declaration Sunday afternoon to enable speedy repairs.

Witnesses saw flames rising up to 200ft into the air as the fuel from the wrecked tanker burned. The temperatures rose in excess of 2,750 degrees, melting the interchange's steel support structure. A 250-yard portion of the highway was damaged and will need to be replaced. In spite of the fiery drama and intense heat, the driver survived with 2nd degree burns. The burned section drooped down onto the highway beneath it, but probably due to light traffic at the time of the crash, no fatalities were reported. Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol expressed astonishment that there were no fatalities in the crash, saying, ""I'm looking at this thinking, 'Wow, no one died' - that's amazing. It's just very fortunate."

Authorities suspect the tanker's driver may have been speeding around the curved section of road when the crash occurred.

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom spoke of the crash to reporters at the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego. The Mayor indicated that the crash and subsequent collapse of the highway interchange showed how vulnerable the area's transportation network is, whether the threat may come from an accident, a terrorist act or a natural source such as an earthquake. He told reporters, "It's another giant wakeup call."