The Day the Ship Hit the Span

High wind advisory issued

The 70-foot fishing vessel that crashed into the San Mateo-Hayward  Bridge on Tuesday evening is expected to remain grounded at the crash site  until sometime Thursday.

A multi-agency briefing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday to  continue discussions on a plan to salvage the boat, which struck the bridge  at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Petty Officer Erik Swanson said.

The man who owns the boat had just purchased it at an auction and planned to turn it into a pleasure boat. He said the transmition failed and the high winds on Tuesday pushed it into the bridge.

Call it the day the ship hit the span.

The Coast Guard monitored the Dandy Bill throughout the day and  removed an estimated 1,300 gallons of diesel from the vessel. The vessel's owner said it had some 4,000 gallons on board.  It is possible some of that fuel leaked into the bay.

Crews conducted environmental assessments of shore areas and  did not see any signs of pollution.

Oil sheens were seen drifting west from within one to two miles of  the crash site, the Coast Guard reported earlier today, but authorities are  still investigating the source of the sheens.

Two people and a dog were rescued from the 70-foot fishing vessel  by a Coast Guard crew after the crash, while a third person was able to climb  onto the bridge. No injuries were reported.

All lanes of the bridge were open for traffic Thursday.

California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lauren Wonder  said the crash did not cause structural damage to the bridge, but concrete  chips were ripped from the span as the boat banged into the side of it in the  heavy winds.

Three light poles will also need to be replaced, she said. One  fell into the water, another bent and a third fell onto the roadway.

The cost of repairing the bridge is not expected to be expensive,  according to Wonder. Caltrans will make the repairs, then likely seek reimbursement

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