Cincinnati overpass collapses onto interstate; one person killed

A bridge undergoing demolition collapsed Monday night in Cincinnati, killing a construction worker and injuring a semi truck driver who was traveling on a busy interstate that runs through the city’s core.

The bridge that collapsed onto Interstate 75 was part of the old northbound off ramp to Hopple Street, the Cincinnati Fire Department said on Twitter.

The collapse occurred around 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Around midnight Eastern time, authorities said they were devising a plan to remove the body of the worker, which “will be a long operation,” the Fire Department tweeted. Authorities said they would use air bags to lift part of the structure off the victim.

“Our teams are surveying the situation and will stay here conducting the necessary investigations into how this occurred,” City Manager Harry Black told reporters early Tuesday morning. “We will work with the state Department of Transportation as this thing unfolds. We’re just trying to stabilize the situation.”

The victim who was killed has not been identified.

Photos shared on social media showed a large section of the bridge fallen and at least one semi truck smashed by debris.

The stability of the nation’s bridge system has been a concern of the U.S. Department of Transportation for much of the last decade.

In 2007, 13 people were killed and 145 were injured when a bridge on Interstate 35 in Minneapolis collapsed. And in 2013, a bridge in Washington state that ran along Interstate 5 collapsed into the Skagit River. No one was killed.

Staff writer Kurtis Lee contributed to this report.

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