The Coast Guard says it got a call from the Department of Marine Resources in Mississippi around 7:40 a.m. reporting that a section of the Popps Ferry Bridge had collapsed after it was hit by the Cheryl Stegbauer, which was towing eight barges.
Coast Guard Station Gulfport and Station Pascagoula launched 25-foot smallboats and crews to the scene. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans sent a rescue helicopter and crew along with an HC-144A Ocean Sentry plane from the Aviation Training Center in Mobile to assist.
Glad I’m down here in Houma, not dealing with the hellacious traffic I am sure is being diverted to Pass Road from Popp’s Ferry Rd…man that’s nuts!
I just posted about this in the Tugboating forum, I don’t know how nobody (besides the bridgetender, Ms. Johnson) was on that bridge when this happened, especially at that time, right when people are usually trying to get to school and/or work! It’s one of the busiest roads we have on the MS gulf coast. shudders Lucky, lucky, lucky, that’s all that was…poor Ms. Johnson, she had to be scared out of her skin when the bridgehouse started shaking.