![Remembering the NYS Thruway Collapse 35 Years Ago](http://townsquare.media/site/79/files/2022/04/attachment-thruway-collapse-1987-14.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Remembering the NYS Thruway Collapse 35 Years Ago
Days of heavy rain caused intense flooding and fast moving waters on the Schoharie Creek on April 5, 1987. The water was moving so fast that a few surrounding bridges had already been shut down for safety reasons.
The bridge thought to be able to stand up to the flood waters though, wasn't able to withstand the water's intensity. That was the Schoharie Creek Bridge, which carried the New York State Thruway over the Schoharie Creek near Fort Hunter in Montgomery County. The bridge is located about halfway between Amsterdam and Fultonville.
The flood was so powerful that the bridge foundation gave way, at first wiping out about half of the bridge over the river. Neighbors said it sounded like a massive rumble of thunder. Witnesses say a tractor trailer and as many as four cars were on the bridge when it collapsed.
Later in the day, news cameras were rolling when the rest of the bridge came crashing down, leaving nothing standing in the creek's way.
Because of the heavy flooding, rescue efforts were next to impossible. It would take days to recover those who were lost. Eventually all ten people were recovered.
A study afterward showed the extreme flooding and faults in the piers supporting the bridge are what caused it to collapse. Traffic problems persisted for months afterward due to detours.
It took over a year for the bridge to be replaced and the road to fully reopen to traffic.
35 Years Ago Tragedy on the New York State Thruway
[Daily Gazette] [NewsChannel 13] [Wikipedia]
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