The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore in March, when a Sri Lanka-bound container ship collided with the structure and fell into the city’s harbor, killing six construction workers. In response, the agency said it was assessing whether bridges across the country were at risk. Worker.
Coast Guard Lt. Gen. Peter Gauthier convened a national panel to evaluate current risk management tools and recommend steps to “reduce the risk of serious accidents,” at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Wednesday. He said he is doing so.
He said the size and complexity of ships has increased over the years, placing greater demands on maritime transport infrastructure.
Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse: Body Camera Video Captures Moments of Law Enforcement Chaos After Disaster
Lt. Gen. Peter Gauthier, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Operations, appears at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. A container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March lost multiple power supplies. Three times, both on the day of the fatal accident and the day before. (Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gauthier said the country’s infrastructure may not be able to keep up with the increased risk these ships pose.
In April, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the collapse. Maryland estimates that rebuilding the bridge will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, and expects it to be completed by fall 2028. It is still unclear why the massive 985-foot cargo ship apparently lost control and crashed into a pier, also known as a pylon. It is an important part of the structure that keeps the bridge deck in place.
Some bridges, such as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, have some barriers in place for protection.
A series of recent accidents involving barges has highlighted the vulnerability of bridges to collisions.
Body of 6th victim of Baltimore Key Bridge collapse pulled from water
A cargo ship navigates the newly opened deep-sea waterway in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A barge crashed into the Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, causing part of the bridge, including the railroad tracks, to collide with the barge.
Just last Thursday, a barge crashed into the Fort Madison Bridge in Iowa and subsequently sank in the Mississippi River.
In the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard told Fox News Digital that 15 barges were being moved by tugboats when one of them broke free and crashed into the nearly 100-year-old bridge.
Last month, more than 20 river barges broke loose from their moorings and drifted down the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, hitting one of the bridges that had already been pre-emptively closed and damaging a marina, officials said. .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
On Wednesday, the Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston was hit by a barge and partially collapsed. (KRIV)
The boats eventually became anchored to the riverbank or crossed a dam downstream.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at the hearing that since 1988, the agency has provided guidance to the Coast Guard and Federal Highway Administration regarding the adequacy of piers protection for bridges spanning navigable waters, U.S. ports and waterways. He said he had recommended that the situation be reviewed.
He praised the release of the Coast Guard’s review plan, but said states, the federal government and bridge owners also need to review bridges that could be at risk, and urged them not to wait.
“Do your risk assessment. You can do it now,” Homendy said.
He said a final report on the Baltimore disaster will take about 18 months, but urged officials to issue urgent safety recommendations sooner.
Reuters contributed to this report.
