From the SF Chronicle
[Actually, this is not at all uncommon]


A tug and a sand barge ran into the Northwestern Pacific Railroad bridge over the Petaluma River at Black Point near Novato early Wednesday, causing an unknown amount of damage to the bridge, the Coast Guard reported.

The accident was the third time in a little over two months that a bridge on San Francisco Bay or its tributaries has been hit by a vessel. On Nov. 7, a cargo ship ran into the Bay Bridge, causing a 58,000-gallon oil spill, and last week, an oil barge being towed by an ocean-going tug hit the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

No oil was spilled in the Richmond-San Rafael accident, and neither the tug nor the barge spilled any cargo in the Petaluma River incident.

The Coast Guard said Wednesday's accident occurred about 2 a.m. when the 71.5-foot tug, accompanying a 206-foot sand barge, hit the bridge. The river bridge, which swings to allow vessels to pass through, is normally kept in an open position.

No trains have operated over the bridge in several years. The bridge is located on the Marin-Sonoma county line near where State Highway 37 crosses the Petaluma River.