Urgent warning for 9 NYC-area bridges in Baltimore collapse report
The Brief
A new NTSB report highlights nine NYC-area bridges, including the Brooklyn Bridge, as potentially at risk of collapse from vessel collisions due to unknown vulnerability levels.
The report lists 68 bridges across 19 states that have not undergone vulnerability assessments, leaving their risk levels unknown.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy urges bridge owners to complete assessments to ensure public safety, following the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.
NEW YORK - Nine NYC-area bridges, including the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, could be at significant risk of collapse from a ship strike like the one that led to the deadly demise of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a new report.
Federal investigators with the National Transportation Board found that Maryland Transportation Authority failed to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment, which would have shown the Francis Scott Key was almost 30 times worse than the acceptable risk threshold.
In the report released Thursday, the board also issued urgent recommendations and a report that lists 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states.
Local perspective
These New York and New Jersey bridges "have an unknown level of risk of collapse from a vessel collision," according to the NTSB.
Commodore Barry Bridge - Chester, Pennsylvania / Bridgeport, New Jersey
Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge - Newark Bay, New Jersey
Verrazano Narrows Bridge - Staten Island / Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn Bridge - New York City, New York
Manhattan Bridge - New York City, New York
Williamsburg Bridge - New York City, New York
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge - Newburgh / Beacon, New York
Rip Van Winkle Bridge - Catskill / Hudson, New York
Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge - Ogdensburg, New York / Prescott, Ontario, Canada
George Washington Bridge - New York City, New York / Fort Lee, New Jersey
Outerbridge Crossing Bridge - Perth Amboy, New Jersey / Staten Island, New York
Seaway International Bridge - Massena, New York / Cornwall, Ontario, Canada
Thousand Islands Bridge - Alexandria Bay, New York / Ontario, Canada
Dig deeper
In 1991, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials published guidance on how to calculate bridge vulnerability assessments.
All bridges designed afterward were required to be evaluated, and in 2009, the group reiterated its recommendation to also conduct assessments for older bridges.
The 68 bridges listed in the NTSB report are "frequented by ocean-going vessels," were constructed before the AASHTO guidance was issued and have not undergone an assessment.
Therefore, the level of risk is unknown and bridge owners are "likely unaware of their bridges' risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision and the potential need to implement countermeasures to reduce the bridges' vulnerability."
What they're saying
At a media briefing Thursday, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy urged these bridge owners to complete their assessment as her board has "been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred."
"There's no excuse," she said.
"We need action. Public safety depends on it," she added.
The backstory
Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a massive cargo ship, the Dali, lost power and veered off course, striking one of its support piers. Six construction workers were killed.
The board update comes almost a year after the bridge collapse, which temporarily halted ship traffic through the Port of Baltimore and snarled traffic across the region. Plans to rebuild the bridge are underway and officials have said the new design will be much better protected.
What's next
There is no set timeline for these inspections. If and when they happen, traffic should not be impacted.
The Source
This article uses information from the NTBS report referenced and the Associated Press.
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