NTSB issues safety recommendations for area bridges in report on Key Bridge collapse

PHILADELPHIA - Nearly a year after a container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board is urging owners of dozens of other bridges to asses their vulnerability.

NTSB officials held a press conference on Thursday where they provided an update on the collision and collapse that claimed the lives of six construction workers who were working on the bridge when it was struck. 

Next Wednesday, March 26, will mark one year since the Denali container ship lost power and slammed into a pier of the bridge as it headed out of the Port of Baltimore. 

What they're saying:

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy says the Key Bridge Collapse could have been prevented if the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) had conducted the correct vulnerability and risk assessments and studied recent vessel traffic as recommended by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or AASHTO.

"The MDTA would have been aware that the bridge was almost 30 times greater than the risk threshold that AASHTO sets for critical essential bridges. Thirty times greater," Homendy said.

NTSB issues safety recommendations to other bridge owners

Big picture view:

The NTSB also made four urgent safety recommendations to bridge owners, urging them to assess their risk of a collapse if they were struck by a vessel. 

Their recommendation specifically targeted 30 owners of 68 bridges in 19 states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and other bridges in Maryland. 

"Frankly, we've been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred and in testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure last April," Homendy said. "We need action. Public safety depends on it."

The NTSB’s report does not suggest that the 68 bridges are certain to collapse, but that they need to be assessed.

"So what we are trying to do is prevent something in the future. That is always what we're trying to do," she said. "They need to know risk and take action.. we just don't know right now."

Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania bridge risk assessments

Local perspective:

The NTSB shared a list of 68 bridges across the country that have unknown levels of risk of collapse from a vessel collision. 

Below is a list of bridges in the tri-state area that were included in the report. The owners include the US Army Corps of Engineers, Delaware River Port Authority, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Delaware Bridges

• Summit Bridge
• Saint Georges Bridge
• Reedy Point Bridge

New Jersey Bridges

• Commodore Barry Bridge
• Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge

Pennsylvania Bridges

• Walt Whitman Bridge
• Benjamin Franklin Bridge
• Betsy Ross Bridge
• Delaware River Turnpike Bridge

What makes these bridges vulnerable?

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's next:

The NTSB also released 1,000 pages of their investigation, including interviews, into the collapse. They will release audio transcripts and data recorder details in the coming weeks with a final report expected this fall.

The replacement bridge will cost about $2 billion and be completed by 2028

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