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

April 5, 1987 the bridge carrying the Thruway over the Schoharie Creek collapsed in Montgomery County. Ten people were killed after immense rain caused the foundation of the bridge to buckle.

[Daily Gazette] [NewsChannel 13] [Wikipedia]

Abandoned Rensselaer County Burger King is Surprisingly In Tact

This Burger King was located on Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush. After a near 40 year run, the restaurant closed its doors in 2017, long before the pandemic. These photos/video were taken nearly 2 years later in 2019. The inside remained in relatively good shape. You can see the old school swivel chairs and booths were all still there. Pictures and paintings remained on the wall and for the most part, inside looked pretty clean.

It's more common to find abandoned buildings covered in graffiti, windows broken, raided for copper and ceiling tiles left decaying on the floor. There's a little bit of that here, but the restaurant for the most part - at least on the inside looks ok. There is a door boarded up and the back loading dock has some ceiling tiles down. And yes, somebody did break one of the windows of the drive thru, but that could've been an angry customer from when they were still open.

Outside is a bit of a different story. As the interior photos were taken in 2019, the exterior was starting to have a tough time. Photos from 2021 do show some additional wear and tear, including more broken windows, pieces of the roof coming down and a serious absence of landscaping.

Although not independently verified, records show this property was sold at auction back in February of 2020.

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Source: Remembering the NYS Thruway Collapse 35 Years Ago

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