I'm not a drawbridge operator but I used to sail through that bridge over a hundred times a year for a few years in the middle of the last decade. This is the Jefferson Street drawbridge, in the neighborhood of the Detroit Water Treatment Plant. It's the first road bridge you encounter of the 6 movable bridges going upbound from the main river to the Rouge Turning Basin [[Shortcut Canal, Jefferson, Conrail, NS, Fort Street, Dix Avenue).

The river is classified as a no-wake zone and if you've ever been down there to see one of the freighters navigate the Rouge you know they're not going all that fast. The Interlake fleet vessels have had the contracts to deliver taconite ore to the Rouge Plant for over 20 years and the crew would be well seasoned with a trip up this river. The sight of the bridge leaves closing right in front of the boat would be noticed instantly. Based on the reports I've read, the eastern leaf of the bridge took the brunt of the damage from the steamer Herbert C. Jackson. Damage to the boat appears to be minimal and my guess is they had almost stopped when the impact occurred. The bridge leaves took the brunt of the impact based on their weight balance and distribution, and of course, the force and weight of a fully loaded ore carrier would have a significant impact on the steel frame and latticework of a drawbridge.

I'm just glad this wasn't a Windoc 2.0. It was traveling through the Welland Canal 12 years ago approaching one of the vertical lift bridges which inexplicably began lowering as the front of the vessel came under the span. They tried to stop but the pilot house and after cabins were knocked off the superstructure and caught fire. The force of the impact tore them right off and was so great that the hull fractured in multiple places. The ship was considered a total loss and retired after the incident. If the Jefferson bridge leaves had come down only a minute later, this same result could have ensued, so happy it did not!

The Fort Street bascule bridge is due to be closed this summer while it is disassembled and a new bridge constructed on new footings. The Dix Avenue bridge would be a specified detour [[DDOT re-routes began over this route in late April), but motorists could also use I-75 via Dearborn Avenue. Now with Jefferson also out of service, more detours will be imposed.

As of Sunday afternoon, it looks like they've been able to raise the western leaf of the bridge successfully. The leaves can be operated independently, but standard practice is, of course, to have them both interlocked so they raise and lower together. It looks like the bridge operator may have been intoxicated.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013051...t-ship-damaged