COMMENTARY | The Eggner’s Ferry Bridge collapsed last night after being hit by the Motor Vessel Delta Mariner. The 312-foot cargo vessel hit one section of the bridge around 8 p.m. Thursday night.
There are conflicting reports on whether there were or were not cars on the bridge at the time of the accident. Kentucky State Trooper Dean Patterson supposedly stated that there were cars on the bridge. However supposedly the captain of the cargo ship said that there were no cars on the bridge. I live only about 25 miles from the bridge and I can’t comprehend how on a rainy dark night any person would be able to really say how many cars were exactly on the bridge from the water, especially since the captain or someone obviously misjudged the route needed to maneuver the vessel under the bridge itself.
The captain of the Delta Mariner also stated to authorities that there were no injuries on board the vessel. The Delta Mariner is a very large vessel and is now floating alongside the bridge with a large steel portion of the bridge hanging from its deck.
The Coast Guard and the emergency crews worked all night long closing the traffic on both water and land. The Eggner’s Ferry Bridge is situated on U.S. Hwy 68 / Ky. Hwy 80 over KY Lake linking Marshall and Trigg County, as well as all surrounding areas.
People quickly jumped to blame the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet because some navigation lights were unoperational on the bridge but the Coast Guard was said to have notified all barge traffic of the problem and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet stated that the lights were functioning on that side of the bridge when the Delta Mariner struck the it.
After living in Murray, Ky., for quite sometime, I can tell you that most of the people in this area refer to the bridge as being scary to cross. The bridge was built back in the 1930’s and is only a two-lane bridge. I have crossed the bridge many times over the years and it can be frightening, especially when there is inclement weather or large trucks.