Green Bay's Nitschke Bridge struck by coal ship affected by 'unexpected, strong currents'
I have been over this bridge over a hundred times. I always find the draw bridge to be a marvel.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/16/green-bays-nitschke-bridge-stuck-open-after-being-struck-ship-today/483037001/
Green Bay's Nitschke Bridge struck by coal ship affected by 'unexpected, strong currents'
Doug Schneider , USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 4:58 p.m. ET July 16, 2017 | Updated 10:31 p.m. ET July 16, 2017
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A cargo ship runs against watercraft along CityDeck on the Fox River in downtown Green Bay. Courtesy Jason Ian Patrick and Curt Cornell of Hagemeister Park
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Main Street traffic in downtown Green Bay is detoured Sunday evening after a ship hit the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge at about 3:30 p.m.(Photo: Peter Frank/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
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GREEN BAY - Curt Cornell has worked at Green Bay's Hagemeister Park for six summers, but he'd never seen anything like what happened Sunday afternoon.
A coal ship more than 700 feet long flattened a small boat that was tied up on the edge of the Fox River outside his restaurant, then struck the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge, putting the span out of commission for more than three hours.
"The boat was coming in, we had a full patio, and everyone was taking pictures — the usual drill," said Cornell, Hagemeister's general manager. "We were in the piano bar and noticed the boat was really close. Then people just started screaming and yelling."
As Hagemeister's patio full of stunned patrons watched, the ship Kaye E. Barker struck the CityDeck, left a boat of 16 to 18 feet in pieces, and sent kayaks tumbling from the dock into the water. The Barker then smacked the Nitschke bridge.
The incident, which happened about 3:30 p.m., left the bridge stuck in the open position and forced city police to detour east-west traffic to the nearby Walnut Street Bridge. Crews were raising and lowering the Nitschke bridge as of 6 p.m., but did not allow traffic to cross until later.
The Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge is lowered Sunday evening after a ship hit it Sunday afternoon in downtown Green Bay. About 6 p.m. officials raised and lowered the bridge several times. The bridge, which carries Main Street traffic over the Fox River, was closed after the incident. (Photo: Peter Frank/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
............He said a woman told him, "We have a tab open, but we're going to take care of this first" before running to the river's edge to speak with the Coast Guard.
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The Nitschke bridge is stuck open after being struck by a cargo ship Sunday on the Fox River downtown. Courtesy of Elizabeth Feldhausen
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