this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) An alert was issued at a press conference Thursday warning owners of 30 bridges in 30 states to conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the risk of bridge collapse due to a ship crash.
The NTSB also cites the lack of assessment by the Maryland government, which may have prevented the fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
984-foot Singapore cargo ship Dali moved out Port of Baltimore On March 26, 2024, when it experienced losses of electricity and propulsion and hit the dock in the south, supporting the central truss span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Papusco River.
this The bridge collapsedkill six construction team members and injured two other people.
The cargo ship Dali stuck the Dali ship under part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after hitting the bridge on March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FAA ‘permanent restricts’ Washington helicopters after deadly air clash near DC airport
According to guidance from the American State Highway Association and the Association of Transportation Officials (AASHTO), NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said Thursday that the “acceptable risk threshold” for critical or basic bridges is almost 30 times higher.
While the unevaluated bridge is uncertain about crashing, the NTSB said: Maryland Transportation Administration (MDTA) A vulnerability assessment of the key bridge based on recent ship traffic, MDTA will realize that the key bridge exceeds acceptable risks and that there will be information that can proactively reduce the risk of bridge collapse and loss of life associated with bridge collisions. ”
“Frankly, we’ve been alerting this since the tragedy,” Hogney said. “We need action. Public safety depends on it.”
In this bird’s-eye view, steel trusses from Francis Scott’s key bridge secure the container ship Dali on May 13, 2024 on the Patapsco River in Baltimore. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Last year, the NTSB identified 68 bridges designed before AASHTO guidance, which did not have current vulnerability assessments.
The NTSB recommends that 30 bridge owners assess whether their bridges are above the risk levels acceptable to AASHTO and, if so, develop and implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.
AASHTO developed and released a calculation of vulnerability assessment of new bridges on national highway systems in 1991 in response to NTSB’s investigation into NTSB Florida’s Sunshine Sky Bridge collapses.
The explosion fee was detonated to lower the section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore on May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
NTSB: Black Hawk flew too high when colliding with passenger plane in Washington, D.C., kills 67
At the time, AASHTO also recommended that all bridge owners conduct vulnerability assessments on existing bridges to “assess the risk of their catastrophic collapse in the event of a ship collision.”
Decades later in 2009, Aashto reiterated this suggestion.
According to the NTSB, since 1994, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) needs to design new bridges to minimize the risk of catastrophic bridge collapse in ship collisions, “Given the size, speed and other characteristics of the NTSB,” the NTSB said.
The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is located on the container ship Dali, President Joe Biden conducted an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore on April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce CNETA)
HOMENDY added that NTSB also recommends FHWA, U.S. Coast Guard The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has established an “interdisciplinary team” to provide guidance and assistance for bridge owners to assess and reduce risks.
NTSB said risk reduction could mean improvements in infrastructure or operational changes.
The NTSB will also release more than 1,000 pages of investigation materials on public case files on Thursday, including bridge reports and some interviews.
This 3D image shows the wreckage of Francis Scott Key Bridge located at the bottom of the Patapsco River. (U.S. Navy Naval Maritime System Rescue and Diving Commander)
Next week, NTSB intends to release factual reports on hazardous materials, weather and survival factors and its engineering offices to increase research on vessel sizes and associated safety risks.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Voyage Data Recorder Audio Transcripts and related data will then cause NTSB to release its final report, which may occur in the fall.
MDTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Thursday afternoon.
