Potential effects of recent transportation accident on transportation of radioactive materials in USA

Abstract

In 2007, two severe transportation accidents, involving primarily long haul tractor trailers, occurred in the State of California. In the first, which occurred in Oakland in what is commonly known as the 'MacArthur Maze' section of Interstate 580 (I-580), a tractor trailer carrying gasoline impacted an overpass support column and burst into flames. The subsequent fire burned for over 2 h and led to the collapse of the overpass due to the loss of strength in the structural steel that supported the overpass. The second incident was a chain reaction accident involving several tractor trailers in the I-5 'Newhall Pass' truck bypass tunnel in Santa Clarita. This accident also involved an intense fire that damaged the tunnel and required the closing of the tunnel for repairs to the concrete walls. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is studying both these accidents to examine any potential regulatory implications related to the safe transport of radioactive materials including spent nuclear fuel in the United States. This paper will discuss the details of the MacArthur Maze fire investigation. The NRC's investigation of the Newhall Pass fire is ongoing and the results are not available for publication.

Keywords:

• NEWHALL PASS
• MACARTHUR MAZE
• OVERPASS
• COLLAPSE
• FIRE
• ACCIDENT
• GASOLINE
• RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS