Could a vessel strike cause the Newport Bridge to collapse? What a federal report says
A year after the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, federal officials are warning that dozens of bridges around the country – including one in Rhode Island – could face a similar risk.
National Transportation Safety Board officials investigating the Baltimore bridge catastrophe issued a new report this week saying that 68 bridges in 19 states haven't been properly evaluated to determine their risk of collapsing.
Some of the bridges included in the report are among the nation's most popular and heavily-trafficked, like California's Golden Gate Bridge and New York's Brooklyn Bridge.
One bridge in Rhode Island made the list.
According to the NTSB report, the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge could be at risk of collapsing because it hasn't been properly evaluated.
The bridge, which is named after late Sen. Claiborne Pell, connects Newport to Jamestown, carrying Route 138 over Narragansett Bay. The span first opened in 1969 and is the longest suspension bridge in New England.
The ramps to the bridge were reconstructed in 2023 to demolish the so-called "highway to nowhere" overpass, The bridge has also recently undergone a multi-phase road deck rehabilitation project.
The bridge is also Rhode Island's only toll bridge, and the physical toll booths were recently demolished to convert to all-electronic tolling through E-ZPass.
NTSB officials said the new report indicates where authorities haven't properly assessed bridges to see if they are at risk of collapsing.
'Frankly we've been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred,' NTSB Chair Jennifer L. Homendy said during a press conference. 'We need action. Public safety depends on it.'
The agency said the 68 bridges in the report are not certain to collapse. Rather, they need to be evaluated to determine whether they meet the acceptable risk threshold based on guidance from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The NTSB said the Key Bridge was found to be almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold. It collapsed after being struck by a container ship on March 26, 2024, killing six people.
This story was updated to correct an inaccuracy.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network - New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Feds say Pell Bridge needs to be assessed for risk of collapse
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