30th Anniverary Of Thruway Bridge Tragedy

It was 30 years ago this week 10 people were killed in the Thruway Bridge disaster over the Schoharie Creek in Fort Hunter.

The weather on April 5th 1987, was eerily similar to our conditions this week in Upstate New York with heavy rains and local flooding.

The rushing waters of the swollen Schoharie Creek near Fonda were too much for the NYS Thruway span that crossed the river.  The already eroded concrete piers holding up the bridge began to shift, collapsing a 400-foot section of the Thruway into the raging river below.  A tractor trailer and 2 cars on the bridge plunged 70 feet into the water, killing 10 people.

Due to the fast-moving high waters of the creek, some of the victims bodies would not be recovered for weeks after the tragedy.  One body was not located until the summer of 1989, according to Wikipedia.

The rebuilt bridge over the Schoharie Creek was opened 13 months after the original collapsed.

BONUS VIDEO