Mathews Bridge Breaking News

[Ralph W]

Looks like a certain ship's captain will be looking for work... soon.

It may have been a ship Pilot?

It appears it is a Navy ship and the Captain ALWAYS goes down with his ship.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Looks like a certain ship's captain will be looking for work... soon.

It may have been a ship Pilot?

It appears it is a Navy ship and the Captain ALWAYS goes down with his ship.

I'm not a 100% sure of that I have always heard that a Ship Pilot is the one that brings any good size ship up/down the St Johns River?

[If_I_Loved_you]

Here is the ship that hit the Mathews Bridge today 9/6/2013

[Ralph W]

Looks like a certain ship's captain will be looking for work... soon.

It may have been a ship Pilot?

It appears it is a Navy ship and the Captain ALWAYS goes down with his ship.

I'm not a 100% sure of that I have always heard that a Ship Pilot is the one that brings any good size ship up/down the St Johns River?

True, a pilot, familiar with local waters and waterway quirks would most likely be employed to guide a ship, but the Captain is still charged with knowing everything about his ship, including required clearances up, down and sideways. A competent Captain would know the height of a bridge span and the height of his vessel including any thing that might have changed the everyday height above water in relation to the overhead obstruction. That would also include tidal variations. I still think he's toast.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Laid down in 1980 as the German-flagged containership M/V Tarago, the USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin was acquired by the US Navy in 1995 and was converted for service as a prepositioning ro-ro/container ship in Jacksonville before entering service in April of 2000. Named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Harry L. Martin, the ship is operated by the Military Sealift Command as part of Maritime Prepositioning Squadron One.

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=30.400057&lon=-81.522782&z=17&m=b&show=/6061255/USNS-1st-Lt-Harry-L-Martin-%28T-AK-3015%29

[coredumped]

Why because the Jaguars are 0-3? People will just have to leave earlier to get to the stadium. Besides all the other bridges will be open. 

0-3? Season ticket holder here, I'll be there, will you?

You ever been to a game? The traffic is already very bad/backed up. Everyone leaves the game around the same time.
All other bridges are always open (including the Mathews) and traffic is pretty bad.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Why because the Jaguars are 0-3? People will just have to leave earlier to get to the stadium. Besides all the other bridges will be open. 

0-3? Season ticket holder here, I'll be there, will you?

You ever been to a game? The traffic is already very bad/backed up. Everyone leaves the game around the same time.
All other bridges are always open (including the Mathews) and traffic is pretty bad.

No I injured myself several years ago and getting around with crutches sucks! I find it funny how you can't take a joke you said "Gameday is going to be pretty bad" so I said "Why because the Jaguars are 0-3? People will just have to leave earlier to get to the stadium. Besides all the other bridges will be open." And yes I have been to several games over the years. A lot of times I would go by river taxi so I wouldn't have to pay $30.00 for parking.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Looks like a certain ship's captain will be looking for work... soon.

It may have been a ship Pilot?

It appears it is a Navy ship and the Captain ALWAYS goes down with his ship.

I'm not a 100% sure of that I have always heard that a Ship Pilot is the one that brings any good size ship up/down the St Johns River?

True, a pilot, familiar with local waters and waterway quirks would most likely be employed to guide a ship, but the Captain is still charged with knowing everything about his ship, including required clearances up, down and sideways. A competent Captain would know the height of a bridge span and the height of his vessel including any thing that might have changed the everyday height above water in relation to the overhead obstruction. That would also include tidal variations. I still think he's toast.

Capt. Tim McGill, president of the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association, said a number of tug boats were carrying the military supply ship from Blount Island to the shipyards so that Blount Island could be dredged. He said the ship was not under its own power.  http://www.news4jax.com/news/accident-closes-mathews-bridge/-/475880/22136666/-/30xdsc/-/index.html 

[If_I_Loved_you]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Naval vessel USNS Lt. Harry L. Martin, a Surge Sealift Ship, hit the Mathews Bridge, causing major damage to the bridge and shutting it down past Monday.

The USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin was being tugged by four civilian tugboats when the ship struck the bridge near the center span at 2:15 p.m. Thursday, according to a United States Coast Guard press release.

The port side stern ramp impacted the Matthews bridge when it was traveling to the North Florida Ship Yard Inc., in Jacksonville, Florida, according to LCDR Corey Barker, Fleet Public Affairs Officer.

The ship was empty of cargo at the time and there are no reported injuries on the ship or the civilians tugboats.

The ship belongs to the Military Sealift Command, however it is run and managed by civilians, Barker said.

"Damage is more than thought initially which is why we are saying 'indefinitely,'" Mike Goldman says. "The boat and/or insurance company will get the bill for this repair."

Jacksonville Transportation Authority tweeted that the bridge will be under repair for one month.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/329389/483/Ship-slams-into-Mathews-Bridge

[Ocklawaha]

MATTHEWS BREAKING BRIDGE NEWS... UM...

Hey, not to worry, people can just use the BRT, or Light Rail... Well okay, maybe not.  Anyone up for a 'Aerial Cable' system?

Whacking the weakest, lowest scoring bridge in town doesn't bode well for the next year or two.

[Cheshire Cat]

News4Jax just shared a overview photo shot of traffic right now.  Wow, looks pretty rough.  Patience everyone.

[If_I_Loved_you]

JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DETOURS DURING MATHEWS BRIDGE CLOSURE AND REPAIR:

■ Detours from downtown - The eastbound primary detour route is to the Hart Bridge via the Union St. Expressway to the Sports Complex exit. The westbound primary detour route is to the Hart Bridge via Cesery Boulevard to Atlantic Boulevard – motorists should be aware of possible added delays due to heavy construction.

■ Detours from the Southside - Interstate 95 South to Emerson Street and University Boulevard.

ROAD CLOSURES REGARDING MATHEWS BRIDGE CLOSURE

■ East Beaver Street entrance ramp to Mathews Bridge and both the Martin Luther King Boulevard Southbound Exit heading West into downtown and the Southbound at East Bound Mathew Bridge Exit.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-26/story/traffic-alert-jacksonvilles-mathews-bridge-shut-down-after-ship-hit-it#ixzz2g2YBegmQ

[simms3]

Wow.  Well if Arlington weren't deteriorating rapidly enough before...

A couple of weeks ago (each year) they shut down the Bay Bridge for about 5 days for maintenance, and that bridge typically brings about 280,000+  vehicles a day into the city from the East Bay (I think Matthews is around 67,000).  BART posted some of its highest ridership to date during this year's shut down with 450,000-500,000 riders each weekday and 250,000-300,000 riders each weekend day.  Negated of course by BART strikes 2 months ago and 1 coming up, when ridership of course goes to 0 and bridge traffic is stopped 24 hours a day in both directions.  Guess it helps to have alternatives  (SF has literally 2 - one bridge and one Transbay Tube), but at least Jax has lots of alternative roads and relatively minor traffic compared to lots of places.

She said the ship was 754 feet long and 116 feet wide. It displaces 51,531 tons of water when traveling, she said. It was on its way to the North Florida Ship Yard in Jacksonville, Morris said

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-26/story/traffic-alert-jacksonvilles-mathews-bridge-shut-down-after-ship-hit-it#ixzz2g2apl1Dz

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-26/story/traffic-alert-jacksonvilles-mathews-bridge-shut-down-after-ship-hit-it

Clearly a big ship for Jacksonville...but these kinds of ships used to park along that area and by the Hart Bridge all the time...I guess with the picture one can see that 150 ft clearance is not that high.

Bridge Clearances for Peer Shipping Channels

Jacksonville
Hart Bridge - 141 ft
Matthews Bridge - 152 ft
Dames Point Bridge - 175 ft

Brunswick, GA
Sidney Lanier Bridge - 185 ft

Savannah
Talmadge Memorial Bridge - 185 ft

Charleston
Arthur Ravenel Bridge - 185 ft

Tampa
Sunshine Skyway Bridge - 175 ft

New York
Verrazano Narrows Bridge (Hudson) - 228 ft
Lincoln Tunnel - depth of 97 ft
George Washington Bridge (Hudson) - 212 ft
Brooklyn Bridge (E River) - 135 ft

San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge - 220 ft
Bay Bridge (Port of Oakland) - 220 ft
Transbay Tube - depth of 135 ft
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (Port of Richmond) - 185 ft
Carqinez Bridge (Sacramento River Delta/port) - 148 ft

Houston
Fred Hartman Bridge - 262 ft
Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge - 175 ft
Sidney Sherman Bridge - 135 ft

New Orleans
Crescent City Connection (twin spans near DT that look like Matthews) - 170 ft

Baton Rouge
Horace Wilkinson Bridge (like Matthews) - 175 ft
Huey P Long Bridge (also like Matthews) - 113 ft

Mobile
George Wallace Tunnel - 40 ft depth

[Scrub Palmetto]

Guys, guys, it's fine! Everyone can just take the 20th St Bridge!

Oh.... wait.

[Captain Zissou]

Atlantic between 95 and Art Museum was a parking lot. Beach wasn't much better.