Two bridges in New Jersey are among dozens the NTSB wants to review to make sure they’d hold up to a collision by a ship. The agency wants testing done following the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. The NTSB says Maryland authorities failed to do a risk assessment on that bridge before the catastrophe, and the supports on one of the NJ bridges are very similar. Adam Harding reports.
The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that 15 New York and New Jersey bridges be inspected for levels of risk collapse from a vessel collision as part of a nationwide call to safeguard bridges from vessel strikes following last year's fatal collapse of Baltimore's Scott Key Bridge.
The call for safety inspections on bridges does not indicate that the bridges are under imminent risk of collapse, but rather that the agencies managing them don't know the risk of a collapse from a vessel collision, the agency said in a press conference on Thursday.
"What we are telling bridge owners is that they need to know the risk and determine what actions they need to take to ensure safety," NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said.
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WATCH HEREHomendy's call for new vulnerability inspections comes after a preliminary report found that the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to conduct a vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge, which according to the safety officials "could have been prevented" the collapse of the bridge.
According to the agency's list, 13 bridges in New York are in need of the vulnerability assessment, as recommended by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official (AASHTO). In New Jersey, only two bridges have unknown levels of collapse risk from a vessel collision.
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SIGN UP The bridges included in the list include:
- Commodore Barry Bridge in New Jersey
- Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge in New Jersey
- Verrazano Narrows Bridge (eastbound and westbound) in New York
- Brooklyn Bridge in New York
- Manhattan Bridge in New York
- Williamsburg Bridge in New York
- Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (eastbound and westbound) in New York
- Rip Van Winkle Bridge in New York
- Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge in New York
- George Washington Bridge in New York
- Outerbridge Crossing Bridge in New York
- Seaway International Bridge in New York
- Thousand Islands Bridge in New York
Seven of the bridges are classified as "Critical/Essential" and one of them was built before the 20th century.
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However, according to the MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan, all of its vehicular bridges are "routinely inspected" and have been evaluated based on current AASHTO guides.
Meanwhile, the New York City Department of Transportation said it was reviewing the NTSB's request, but noted none of the bridges over the East River accommodate large vessels like the Dali.
In addition to the tri-state bridges, the NTSB recommended that a total of 68 bridged constructed before 1991 and are frequented by vessels undergo the vulnerability assessment for the level of risk of collapse from a vessel collision.
