US agency calls for urgent safety assessments of iconic bridges

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday called for urgent safety assessments of 68 bridges including iconic crossings like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, George Washington Bridge and the Chicago Skyway 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.

"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 bridges that need urgent reviews include the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges across the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and Mateo-Hayward Bridge in California, Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida, Memorial Bridge in New Hampshire and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge in New York.

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."

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge exceeds guidelines and is further protected by rock islands.

The Mackinac Bridge authority said it is reviewing the NTSB report.

Other authorities did not immediately comment.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul, Cynthia Osterman and Chris Reese)