SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – The Coast Guard responded today when a tug and barge collided with the Queen Isabella Bridge in South Padre Island, Texas.A watch stander at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi, Texas, received a call from the fishing vessel Fishtales reporting that a tug and barge had collided with the Queen Isabella Bridge at 4:29 p.m. The watch stander dispatched a boat crew from Station South Padre Island and a jet crew from Air Station Corpus Christi to the bridge.
The Coast Guard crews reported seeing no visible signs of structural damage. The South Padre Island Police Department arrived on scene shortly afterwards and closed the bridge pending a structural assessment by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The tug lost two barges during the collision, which are now floating north along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Coast Guard has sent out a broadcast to all mariners warning them of the barges. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team South Padre Island is also doing a survey of the navigational buoys in the area.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident.
Technorati Tags: Coast Guard, Sector Corpus Christi, Queen Isabella Bridge, Station South Padre Island
