Andy Herman, former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, provides expert analysis of the Baltimore Bridge disaster and its potential impact on the U.S. supply chain.
The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland drew attention to other past cases of bridge accidents caused by ship strikes.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River near Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a large container ship.
On March 27, 2024, the cargo ship Dali sits underwater after colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and collapsing. | Getty Images
Six people are believed to have died in the incident, and the economy is expected to be affected.
Examples of past bridge accidents
sunshine skyway bridge
The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge experienced a partial collapse more than 43 years ago, killing nearly 30 people. Their ages reportedly range from 7 months old to 92 years old.
Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse: Breaking News About the Port of Baltimore
The incident occurred after a large ship crashed into part of a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, during a severe storm, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
On May 9, 1980, debris from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge lands on the bow of the cargo ship Summit Venture after the cargo ship Summit Venture collides with the bridge during a thunderstorm in Tampa Bay, Florida, killing 34 people. It’s stopped. (Keystone/Getty Images)
The ship involved in the collision was the Summit Venture. The newspaper said the conditions the Summit Venture was traveling in when it hit the bridge included fog, rain and high-speed winds.
About 1,200 feet of the bridge was submerged in water, the newspaper reported.
Officials replaced the damaged Sunshine Skyway Bridge nearly seven years after the accident.
Interstate 40 Bridge
Another accident occurred in 2002 when an Interstate 40 bridge collapsed near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.
In a report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) linked the collapse to the towboat “veering off course and plowing into the bridge.” The approximately 100-foot tug was manning a pair of barges.
The collapse killed 14 people and affected approximately 500 feet of the bridge. Nearly 60 local, state, and federal agencies were involved in the response to this incident.
Refinery owner sounds alarm over contaminated fuel as Baltimore bridge collapse investigation continues
The Interstate 40 bridge suffered approximately $30.1 million worth of damage, “including detour operations,” according to the NTSB. Meanwhile, damages to the barge amounted to $276,000.
Big Bayou Canot
Forty-seven people died in the Big Bayou Canot Bridge incident. It happened in 1993.
The people were all on an Amtrak train that partially submerged off a bridge near Mobile, Alabama, according to the Associated Press.
The railway bridge was dislocated due to a collision with a barge being transported by a towboat called Mauvilla. The report said fog and other factors contributed to the crash. NTSB report Published online by Wikimedia.
According to the report, several cars derailed in the accident, including two passenger cars and one baggage/sleeper car. The accident is said to be one of the worst rail accidents in Amtrak history in terms of fatalities, according to the Associated Press.
Baltimore Bridge Collapses Port Shutters Indefinitely, Impacting Supply Chains
The accident caused more than $19.08 million in damages and rerouting costs, according to the NTSB.
Collapses not related to ships also occurred.
In 2008, a National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that a 40-year-old design flaw was the primary cause of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007. (Shelly LaRose Chiglo/MediaNews Group/St. Paul Pioneer Press/via Getty Images)
There were other major bridge collapses. For example, the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis had an accident in 2007 due to “insufficient load carrying capacity” and heavy loads on the bridge.
