The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has come under fire from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jennifer Homendy for failing to conduct necessary risk assessments that could have potentially prevented the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, which resulted in the deaths of six construction workers. Homendy emphasized that the MDTA had ample time over the decades to conduct these assessments, particularly regarding the vulnerability of bridges to ship collisions, yet failed to do so.
The NTSB found that a vulnerability assessment would have shown the risk of catastrophic collapse due to vessel strikes was nearly 30 times higher than the acceptable levels set by industry standards. Furthermore, concerns were raised about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and other Maryland bridges, which also have “unknown levels of risk” regarding potential collisions.
Despite having established standards for such evaluations since the 1990s, the MDTA has not recently assessed these risks. Homendy remarked that it was unacceptable for Maryland officials to ignore such vital assessments, and there have been indications of a lack of data collection concerning vessel traffic that could inform future evaluations. The NTSB has called for bridge owners nationwide, including several in Maryland, to perform risk assessments.
As a response to the collapse, pre-construction efforts for a new bridge are underway, expected to cost up to $1.9 billion, with completion anticipated by fall 2028. The investigation into the incident continues, with over 1,000 documents expected to be released by the NTSB in the coming months, and separate inquiries from the FBI and state safety officials are ongoing.
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