Update (9/23/2019 7:39am) : Public Notice
Update (9/20/2019 3:18pm) : Public Notice – Ferry Service in place as Closure Continues
Update (9/19/2019 12:18pm) : Police Issues Warning
Officials on the island of Eleuthera wish to inform motorists and other road users that the Glass Window Bridge is officially CLOSED as the weather conditions have worsened. Police wish to warn the public that motorists who breach the police barricade at the bridge, will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. The bridge will reopen only when the weather permits. Please avoid travelling in the area of the Bridge until the all clear is given.
Original Article: (Glass Window Bridge Closed after Truck Tossed Over)
(Eleuthera, The Bahamas) The Glass Window Bridge with connects Central and North Eleuthera, was officially closed by authorities on Wednesday afternoon, September 18th, 2019 at 2pm, following an incident which occurred a short time earlier, at about 1:30pm – where battering waves from the Atlantic ocean, crashing over the renown Eleuthera landmark, tossed a truck, over the side of the newly built revetment wall toward the calmer, Bight of Eleuthera.
The occupants of the tossed vehicle, two men and one dog, according to eyewitness accounts, escaped without serious injury. However, the occurrence brought immediate attention to the dangerous wave action happening at the famous crossing, dubbed, the ‘Rage’ by local residents.
At 5pm on Wednesday, September 18th, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology issued a ‘Special Marine Warning’, saying, that large and dangerous sea swells of 10 to 15 feet were affecting the north and east coastlines of The Bahamas, which were being generated by Hurricane Humberto, then a category three storm, swirling away in the Atlantic near Bermuda – forecast to pass just to the north of that island on Wednesday night.
Small craft operators were asked to remain in port and beach-goers were advised to remain on shore due to the rough surf and rip currents. Residents were told to exercise extreme caution while driving along coastal roads, as water, sand and possible large boulders could overrun sea walls and docks.
Both residents and visitors of Eleuthera were advised to avoid the Glass Window Bridge, until an ‘All Clear’ was given by authorities.
A vital causeway, connecting the Central and North areas of Eleuthera, Police had to advise a consistent stream of drivers approaching the bridge from both sides throughout the afternoon on Wednesday, following the closure, to return at 6pm when lower tides were expected, anticipating a possible drop off in the dangerous waves. Vehicular traffic returning to the bridge at 6pm, saw a significant traffic jam build up, according to witness accounts, as waves had not abated enough for authorities to lift the closure order.
Shortly after 7pm, against the advice of authorities on-site, motorists who were lined up, seeing a small abatement in the waves across the bridge, risked the short crossing, clearing up the backlog of vehicles headed both north and south. Police were clear, commented an eyewitness, that anyone crossing at that time, were doing so at their own risk.
An area near the Glass Window bridge, just south of Daddy Joes Restaurant, was reported to also be experiencing flooding later on Wednesday evening, with Police and personnel from Ministry of Works erecting a road block for the safety of road users, shortly after 9pm.
Police confirmed that as of Wednesday night, September 18th, the Glass Window bridge remained closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
That’s my truck, but my friend and I were not inside at the time it was hit by a wave. When I parked my truck at the side of the road at 1:45pm, rage-like conditions did not exist. There was no ocean water on the road, only salt spray in the air. The wave which swept my truck over the concrete barrier picked it up like a piece of styrofoam.It was the onset of the Rage. When a Policeman arrived moments later, his Jeep was almost swept off the Bridge. He exited his vehicle praising Jesus!
Please note that the wave which carried my vehicle was swept over at precisely 1:47pm and a Special Marine Advisory was not issued until 5pm. Let’s all share information as quickly as possible. It can save lives!
Thank you all for your concern. Edgar Seligman. PS My dog, Harry Houdini, is fine