The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday called for urgent safety assessments of 68 bridges nationwide, including the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the board wants bridge owners in 19 states to perform vulnerability assessments and determine the risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision “and if warranted, implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.”
The NTSB is making the recommendation after the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by a cargo ship, killing six people.
The review focuses on bridges built before 1991 and frequented by ocean-going vessels that have not undergone vulnerability assessments. The Coronado Bridge opened in 1969.
“There is a potential safety risk and you need to take immediate action,” Homendy said, noting ocean cargo vessels are much bigger and heavier today. “It doesn’t mean there is a risk there. They just don’t know right now, so they need to determine that.”
Other California bridges that need urgent reviews include the Golden Gate Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and San Mateo-Hayward Bridge.
Bridge owners need to calculate whether the probability of collapse is above a risk threshold and if so “develop and implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan,” the NTSB said.
Bridge owners should seek guidance and assistance from the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and explore “short- and long-term strategies to reduce the probability of a potential bridge collapse from a vessel collision,” the NTSB said.
The Golden Gate Bridge District said the California span is in full compliance with all federal and state regulations, including federal evaluation requirements and “has arguably one of the most robust ship collision protection systems of any bridge on the West Coast.”
Reuters contributed to this article.
