More than a dozen bridges in New York and New Jersey are among 68 US crossings that need to be checked for risk of collapse if struck by a vessel, the National Transit Safety Board said.
The Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and George Washington Bridge — the most heavily trafficked bridge in the world — were named in NTSB’s new report as in need of assessment and risk-reduction plans following the stunning Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last year.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing — which link Brooklyn and New Jersey to Staten Island, respectively — also made the list.
In New Jersey, the Newark Bay Bridge and Commodore Barry Bridge were named as in need of inspection.
While not certain to collapse in ship collision, the bridges were identified by the agency as being over waterways frequented by vessels that were designed before current safety standards were established — first in 1991 and then revised in 2009.
Other Hudson River crossings north of the city included the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.
Three bridges connecting New York State to Canada were also named in the report: the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, the Seaway International Bridge and the Thousand Islands Bridge.
The 26-page report published Thursday comes in wake of the Key Bridge disaster in Baltimore in which a containership named Dali smashed into the span, sending it crumbling into the Patapsco River. Eight construction workers plummeted into the freezing cold waters — six were killed.
The NTSB noted that its report “does not suggest that the 68 bridges are certain to collapse.” Instead, it recommends that 30 of the bridge owners need to examine whether the spans are “above the acceptable risk threshold established by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials).”
“If so, we urge them to develop and implement a risk reduction plan that includes input from the interdisciplinary team, identifies short- and long-term strategies to reduce risk, and considers the safety of the vessels and structures in the waterways,” the agency said.
The NTSB requested the Federal Highway Administration, US Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers develop a team to guide bridge owners on evaluating their risk.
Other bridges listed by the agency were located in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington state, California — including the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
The 980-foot Dali, which was carrying nearly 130,000 tons of cargo, lost power around 1:30 am on March 26 shortly after leaving port in Baltimore, destined to sail to Sri Lanka when it struck the bridge.
The NTSB did not provide any updates on the crash in its report.
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