1976 | The Manchac Bridge Collapses
Miraculously only one dead, two injured after barge hits Hwy 51 bridge
4 MINUTE READ | NUMBER 10
Originally published at https://lahistory.substack.com.
One day I drove two-hours with a single purpose in mind: to indulge in the renowned thin-fried catfish at Middendorf’s. I had heard about this culinary gem through friends, blog posts, and even a T.V. story or two. Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I had to experience it firsthand. I’m not ashamed to say I’ll drive great distances for food. As I savored a mess of catfish and hushpuppies, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation unfolding at the table next to me, centering around the Manchac Bridge. And, naturally, I had to ask about it. It wasn’t long before I knew that casual conversation would inspire this post.
1976 — Manchac Pass, Louisiana
On a tranquil Monday afternoon, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office received an unexpected phone call. “The Manchac Bridge just collapsed!” The young sheriff’s deputy who took the call skeptically responded, “Yeah, right!” However, moments later, his switchboard lit up with numerous similar calls.
On September 13, 1976, a towboat pushing two barges loaded with oyster shells approached the railroad drawbridge, which ran parallel to the Highway 51 bridge at Pass Manchac, approximately 25 miles northwest of New Orleans. According to a U.S. Coast Guard study released after the incident, the opening of the railroad’s drawbridge was delayed due to the presence of a northbound train. Sirens were activated to warn boat traffic in the Pass about the train’s presence on the tracks.
Unfortunately, the towboat with its two barges could not adjust its speed in time. It reached the drawbridge just as the train cleared the bridge, and the drawbridge began to open. The towboat lost control in its attempt to stop, striking the protective fenders beneath the train bridge. Maneuvering through the opening and emerging on the other side while still out of control, it collided with a pillar supporting the Highway 51 bridge, causing it to crumble.
As a result, the central section of the bridge’s top collapsed into the water. Witnesses reported that two cars may have fallen into the water. A pickup truck and an 18-wheeler plunged into the gap. The truck sank into the water while the 18-wheeler teetered on the edge.
On the scene, Tangipahoa Sheriff’s deputy Wayne Norwood observed that when this section of the bridge fell, one of the pilings under the bridge went through the bridge, coming to rest under the 18-wheeler and holding it in place. This piling held the large truck in place, stopping it from rolling back into the water and saving the driver’s life.
This truck was loaded with sugar. The back broke open from the weight, and tons of sugar fell into the water.
Mayday
The owner of Middendorf’s, Richard Smith, who operated the popular restaurant at the end of the bridge, told local media that he immediately sent word by C.B. radio that the bridge had collapsed.
“I got on with a mayday and said the top of Manchac Bridge had fallen in. When I did that, I could hear those trucks and cars relaying like mad. I’m sure there was some slamming of brakes.”
Emergency Response
Rescue teams swiftly sprang into action and managed to locate two survivors. Both individuals were hospitalized, one with a broken back and the other with a fractured ankle.
“That’s a hell of a lump in the road…,” recalled Mackenzie Robinson of Dayton, Ohio, as he drove the 18-wheeler up Manchac Bridge. “We dropped down with (the bridge) in about two seconds. All I could think was, I don’t want to die this way.”
Robinson recalls his co-driver helping him out of the cab of the truck, and he held onto to one of the pillars until a bot rescued them a few minutes later.
Due to hazardous conditions resulting from darkness and a swift current in the 50-foot-deep water, the Coast Guard discontinued the search at 9:30 p.m.
“We did not know this would be the most challenging and dangerous dive of our lives,” Norwood told the Hammond Daily Star. Norwood and John Hoover, a school teacher and diving expert, started rescue operations. “As we entered the water, it was black with zero visibility, and the current heading toward Lake Pontchartrain was the fastest I had ever known.”
The following day, divers discovered the sole fatality of the bridge collapse-a pickup truck driver who had fallen into the Pass. Despite their efforts, the divers on the scene could not locate the two cars believed to have gone over the edge.
Recovery
Debris cleanup operations commenced, and by the end of September, the Department of Transportation arranged for a passenger ferry service to facilitate crossings over Bayou Manchac while repairs on the bridge were being conducted. On November 11, the first replacement beams were installed on the bridge, covering the 257-foot gap created by the collision. The federal government covered the repair expenses, amounting to $600,000, through an emergency disaster program.
The bridge reopened in mid-December, and in 1977, the Coast Guard announced the results of their study of the wreck.
Investigation
During the investigation, the bridge attendant testified that he signaled the tug four times to warn it that the bridge would stay down. He thought the tug had slowed down and had heard his warnings. The attendant told the Coast Guard that he began opening the bridge when the train had passed, but by then, the first barge was almost under the bridge.
The tug boat crew testified that they had not heard the warnings, and the delayed opening of the bridge caused him to cut power and try to maneuver the boat through the fast current. A fisherman told investigators at the hearing that they heard the alarms, but were unsure if they came from the bridge or the boat.
In the end, Investigators blamed the towboat pilot, saying the boat operator passed his navigational point of no return without first being sure the way was clear. The study also recommended radio communication between the railroad bridge tender and towboats.
Sidebar
Two years later, in 1979, DOTD officially opened the I-55 section over Manchac Swamp, parallel to U.S. 51. The 23-mile span of I-55 over the swamp is considered one of the world’s longest bridges, only seven-tenths of a mile shorter than the nearby Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world’s longest continuous bridge over water. In 1974, a barge hit a section of the Causeway, causing a section to collapse. Two cars plunged into the water before traffic on the bridge could be stopped. ▪️
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Endnotes
- Hattiesburg American. “‘the Manchac Bridge Just Fell In!”.” September 14, 1976.
2. Norwood, Wayne. “The Day a Barge Hit the Manchac Bridge.” The Daily Star, January 29, 2021. https://www.hammondstar.com/news/the-day-a-barge-hit-the-manchac-bridge/article_e30b0619-b068-5939-9892-bb88dd610536.html._
3. “Pass Manchac Bridge, Historic American Engineering Record.” U.S. Department of Interior, 2016.
4. Salassi, Stan. “Manchac Bridge to Re-Open.” Tangi Talk, December 22, 1976.
5. Sawe, Benjamin. “Longest Bridges in North America.” WorldAtlas, August 1, 2017. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/longest-bridges-in-north-america.html.
6. The Daily Review. “Coast Guard Continues Bridge Accident Probe.” September 20, 1976.
7. The Hammond Vindicator. “Replacement of Manchac Bridge given Top Priority by State.” September 23, 1976.
8. The New York Times. “Barge Hits Bridge; Truck and Car Fall in Louisiana Channel.” September 14, 1976, sec. Archives. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/14/archives/barge-hits-bridge-truck-and-car-fall-in-louisiana-channel.html.
9. “Bridge Fall Ordeal Is Recalled,” The Times, September 15, 1976.
10. Vicknair, Edith. “Aftermath of Tragedy.” L’Observateur, September 23, 1976.
Originally published at https://lahistory.substack.com.
