Following the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has urged that 68 bridges across 19 states undergo vulnerability assessments to evaluate their risk of collapse in the event of a vessel collision. According to CBS News, the NTSB has identified 68 bridges, built before 1991, lacking current vulnerability assessments. These recommendations have been sent to the 30 owners of these bridges. Among the bridges listed are the Golden Gate Bridge in California, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City as well as the George Washington Bridge, and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District stated that the Golden Gate Bridge is “in full compliance with all state and federal regulations” and that the district hired a consultant this year to “conduct an assessment of the South Tower fender system’s structural capacity for ship collisions,” CBS News reports.
The NTSB emphasizes that this recommendation does not mean these bridges are guaranteed to collapse. Instead, it advises owners to determine if their bridges exceed the acceptable risk level set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The 68 bridges are categorized as either “critical/essential” (serving as “important links,” like the Key Bridge) or “typical.”
The recommendation follows the release of new information from the NTSB regarding the Key Bridge collapse investigation. On March 26, 2024, a cargo ship, having lost electrical power, collided with the Key Bridge, resulting in its collapse and the devastating deaths of six roadworkers who fell into the Patapsco River.
The NTSB stated on Thursday that “Had the Key Bridge’s owner, the Maryland Transportation Authority, or MDTA, conducted a vulnerability assessment based on recent vessel traffic as recommended by AASHTO, MDTA would have been aware that the Key Bridge was above the acceptable risk and would have had information to proactively reduce the bridge’s risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge.”
The NTSB determined that the Key Bridge’s risk level was nearly 30 times greater than the acceptable threshold for critical or essential bridges. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy announced that the final report on the Baltimore incident is expected in the fall.
According to CBS News, the bridges that have been recommended to undergo a risk of collapse evaluation include the following:
In California: Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge, Antioch Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, Coronado Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge
In Delaware: Summit Bridge, Saint Georges Bridge, Reedy Point Bridge
In Florida: Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge (Dames Point Bridge)
In Georgia: Talmadge Bridge
In Illinois: Chicago Skyway Calumet River Bridge
In Louisiana: Huey P. Long Bridge, Greater New Orleans Bridge, Israel LaFleur Bridge, Crescent City Connection Bridge, Hale Boggs (Luling) Bridge, Horace Wilkinson Bridge, Gramercy (Veterans Memorial) Bridge, Sunshine Bridge
In Maryland: William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (eastbound), William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (westbound), Chesapeake City Bridge
In Massachusetts: Tobin Bridge (southbound upper), Tobin Bridge (northbound lower), Bourne Bridge, Sagamore Bridge
In Michigan: Mackinac Bridge Mackinac Bridge
In New Hampshire: Memorial Bridge
In New Jersey: Commodore Barry Bridge, Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge
In New York: Verrazano Narrows Bridge (eastbound), Verrazano Narrows Bridge (westbound), Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (eastbound), Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (westbound), Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, George Washington Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing Bridge, Seaway International Bridge, Thousand Islands Bridge
In Ohio: CUY-00002-1441 (Main Avenue) Bridge, CUY-00006-1456 (Detroit Avenue) Bridge, CUY-00010-1613 (Carnegie Avenue) Bridge, LUC-01W02-0002 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial) Bridge, LUC-00002-1862 (Anthony Wayne) Bridge
In Oregon: Astoria-Megler Bridge, St. Johns Bridge
In Pennsylvania: Walt Whitman Bridge, Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, Delaware River Turnpike Bridge
In Rhode Island: Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
In Texas: Buffalo Bayou Toll Bridge, Sidney Sherman Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, Veterans Memorial Bridge, Hartman Bridge (eastbound), Hartman Bridge (westbound), GulfGate Bridge
In Washington: Lewis and Clark Bridge
In Wisconsin: Leo Frigo Bridge