Falling Steel Beam Stirs Investigation

Crews were trying to determine what caused a 15-foot-long steel beam to fall 45 feet from a pedestrian overpass under construction onto a street along Seattle’s waterfront.

No pedestrians or vehicles were underneath the span when the beam, weighing several hundred pounds, dropped 45 feet Sunday morning onto Alaskan Way. Nine blocks of Alaskan Way were closed for more than seven hours while crews replaced the beam and resecured other parts of the bridge.

The overpass forms an extension of Bell Street and is part of the rebuilding of Pier 66.

The beam had been temporarily spot-welded to the top edge of the span and was to be permanently welded and bolted into place once all the overpass components were in pace, said Paul Tsang, construction manager for PCL Construction of Denver.The beam gouged a hamburger-sized hole in the pavement, which city crews repaired.