Anchorage Pedestrian Bridge Collapses

A pedestrian bridge along Anchorage’s popular coastal trail collapsed Monday under the weight of heavy equipment.

Municipal parks superintendent Holly Spoth-Torres says a private tree company was using the bridge to get to an Alaska Railroad project site when the collapse occurred under the load of a truck and wood chipper with a total estimated weight of 14,000 pounds.

No one was injured in the incident just north of Westchester Lagoon. Spoth-Torres says an engineering firm will be looking at the damage Tuesday, but adds the problem appears to be the substructure of the wooden bridge, which is nearly three decades old.

She says replacing the bridge could cost as much as $500,000. Ideally, it would be replaced this summer, but is expected to take longer.