The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that 68 bridges across 19 states should be evaluated after the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year.
The move follows an investigation by the board that found the Francis Scott Key Bridge was almost 30 times over an acceptable risk threshold, as set out by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The NTSB suggests that a further 68 bridges may also be above the acceptable level of risk and should be investigated by an interdisciplinary team made up of the Federal Highway Administration, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. The team would help owners to evaluate and mitigate risks.
Six people lost their lives when the Francis Scott Key was hit by a freighter in March last year. It was built before 1994, the year that vulnerability assessments were required.
The NTSB said that if the Maryland Transportation Authority had conducted a vulnerability assessment, it would have found the bridge was vulnerable and could have acted in time to prevent the tragedy.
The board’s report, “Safeguarding Bridges from Vessel Strikes”, is available to read online.
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