The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued recommendations Thursday afternoon to 19 states, including Massachusetts, while discussing their findings in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore almost a year ago.
The recommendation involved the reexamination of 68 bridges over major waterways due to their vulnerability to a vessel strike.
The Tobin, Sagamore, and Bourne Bridges were all identified as being varying degrees vulnerable.
The NTSB recommended these bridges be evaluated to see whether they’re above the acceptable level of risk set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
States are urged to contact the NTSB if they find the recommended bridges probability of collapse are above the AASHTO’s threshold, although a bridge’s name being on the list does not necessarily constitute concern for certain collapse.
Wednesday will mark the 1-year anniversary of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that killed 6 people, all part of a road maintenance team working on the bridge when it was hit by a ship.
The NTSB said the collapse may have been prevented had state authorities conducted a review.
“We concluded in our report that had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment report of the Key bridge, based on recent vessel traffic, the MDTA would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge,” Chairman of the NTSB Jennifer Homendy said.
MassDOT has released a statement, stating that they are actively reviewing the NTSB’s recommendation and also said that they would be enacting safety measures that ensure the safety the bridges of the Commonwealth.
Marshall Hook, a spokesperson from MassDOT, said “After the Keys Bridge collapse in Maryland in March 2024, Governor Healey immediately convened experts from MassDOT, the U.S. Coast Guard, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and the Boston Harbor Pilots to discuss the potential for similar risks to the Tobin Bridge and other Massachusetts bridges. The group confirmed that Massachusetts uses more robust maritime safety practices and that the risk of a similar incident in Massachusetts at the Tobin and other bridges is very low.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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