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Progress made on collapsed Skagit River I-5 bridge: transport officials

A boat cruises past the scene of a bridge collapse on Interstate 5 on May 23, 2013 near Mt. Vernon, Washington. 1-5 connects Seattle, Washington to Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Washington state officials are reporting progress at the collapsed Interstate 5 bridge on the Skagit River that has detoured traffic at Mount Vernon.

Transportation Department spokesman Bart Treece says about three-fourths of the wreckage that fell into the water last Thursday has been removed.

The other quarter includes the bridge deck and pieces that have to be kept intact for the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

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Bridge piers will have to be inspected for damage before the department will know whether it can meet the governor’s challenge to install a temporary bridge by mid-June.

Treece says two of 10 truckloads of temporary bridge parts have arrived.

The bridge collapsed after a semi-truck with an oversize load clipped a steel truss on the span. On Wednesday, the NTSB plans to interview the driver of the pilot car that was leading the truck to find out why it happened.

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READ MORE: Could the I-5 Skagit River Bridge collapse happen in B.C.?

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