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Commuters on Interstate 880 Tuesday said they remain concerned about the stability of the 23rd Avenue overpass, which had a collapse of fencing that sent tons of metal falling onto rush hour traffic Monday night.
Ian Steplowski was driving home from work Monday and saw it happen right in front of him.
"The fencing for the side of that overpass just started peeling lose. It started on one section and then the rest just kind of came out like a zipper," said Ian Steplowski of Alameda.
Steplowski's car stopped just feet short of the falling debris. He shot photos and video of emergency crews who had to cut the debris in order to clear the road.
Two people had minor injuries in an incident that some say could have been deadly.
"If the timing was a little bit different, someone certainly could have been seriously injured or killed," Steplowski said.
Caltrans engineers inspected the 23rd Avenue overpass Tuesday and put white concrete barriers near the raw edge of the overpass where the fencing gave way on the south side.
Tons of metal fencing remained on the ground, a grim reminder of the close call many commuters faced when the fencing fell 25 feet onto eight lanes of traffic
The overpass failure caused a backup that started about 6:30 p.m. Monday and lasted more than one hour.
Caltrans says the bridge was built in 1947 and undergoes inspections every 2 years.
"This overcrossing was last inspected in February of this year," said Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus.
KTVU asked what the inspection report said, but Caltrans officials say they are trying to locate the report and their structural engineers are reviewing the overpass now to determine what caused the fencing failure. Inspectors closed the pedestrian sidewalk.
"Once we find out from them what caused it, then we're in a better position to talk about repairs," said Haus.
KTVU's cameras got video of the fallen fence Tuesday. One view clearly shows rust at the base of the fence where it detached.
Neighbors and regular commuters say that for several months, they'd had concerns about the fencing and stability of the 23rd Avenue overpass. Many say the fence had appeared bowed. The fence on the north side of the overpass is also bent after a car hit it last July.
One neighbor, who only wanted to be identified as Bill, said it was just a matter of time before that bridge fell. He says he'd called the Caltrans contractor two months ago because the fence seemed unstable.
"I called RGW Construction. I called to them and told them the fence was falling. No calls back, No response," Bill said.
Now some commuters are nervous that the infrastructure they depend on might not be dependable.
"It was a scary thing to know that it's possible out there that some of our infrastructure is maybe decayed to the level where something like that could happen," Steplowski said.
KTVU asked for a copy of the Caltrans inspection records. Caltrans says the overpass was already scheduled for a complete replacement in 2018. The Caltrans spokesman says there is no indication yet, whether the project might be given higher priority and started sooner due to Monday's incident.