NTSB calls for risk assessment on 7 Texas bridges after Baltimore collapse

The National Transportation Safety Board is urging the Harris County Toll Road Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation to take a look at several bridges in the state to assess their probability of collapse in the event one is hit by a ship.

What we know:

The recommendations come after federal investigators released their report on the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The bridge collapsed after a massive cargo ship lost power and veered off course, striking one of the bridge's support piers in March 2024. Six construction workers were killed.

In the report, the agency identified 68 bridges around the United States with an unknown risk of collapse from a ship strike. Seven of those bridges are located in Texas.

The bridges were identified as being designed and built before an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials vulnerability assessment was published.

Those bridges are:

• Buffalo Bayou Toll Bridge (Harris County), built in 1980
• Sidney Sherman Bridge (Harris County), built in 1973
• Rainbow Bridge(Jefferson and Orange counties), built in 1939
• Veterans Memorial Bridge (Jefferson and Orange counties), built in 1991
• Hartman Bridge (Harris County), eastbound and westbound, built in1995
• GulfGate Bridge (Jefferson County), built in 1970

The risk assessment considers the way a bridge is built and the frequency of ship traffic and their average speed to determine a bridge's risk of collapse.

The NTSB is calling on the bridge owners to conduct a risk assessment on the bridges to determine the risk level. If the assessment exceeds the AASHTO's threshold, then the NTSB is urging the bridges' owners to take corrective actions.

The agency urges the bridge owners to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Highway Administration to develop a short and long-term plan.

What we don't know:

It is unclear when TxDot and the Harris County Toll Road Authority might conduct a risk assessment and if those assessments will classify the bridges as high risk.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

The AASHTO is a nonprofit organization that represents transportation departments across the nation to foster the development, operation and maintenance of a national transportation system.

The group published the vulnerability assessment calculation in 1991, and all bridges designed afterward were required to be evaluated. In 2009, the group reiterated its recommendation to also conduct assessments for older bridges.

Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

On the morning of March 26, 2024, a 985-foot cargo ship named Dali lost power before ramming into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, collapsing a span of the bridge and killing six construction workers who were on the bridge.

The board is still investigating what caused the Dali to lose power as it approached the Key Bridge. In an earlier update, investigators said they discovered a loose cable that could have caused electrical issues on the Dali. The ship experienced blackouts twice in the hours before it left the Port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka.

Justice Department attorneys later alleged its mechanical and electrical systems had been "jury-rigged" and improperly maintained. They pointed to "excessive vibrations" that could have loosened electrical connections. The agency’s lawsuit was later settled after the Dali’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and its manager, Synergy Marine Group, agreed to pay over $100 million in cleanup costs.

The Singapore-based companies filed a court petition just days after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability in what could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history.