BRIDGE SAFETYMajor Bridge Accidents Caused by Ships and Barges
Experts say there is much to be done in improving bridges which were built for smaller vessels in a different era, even with modern regulations and design codes in place. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed in 2021, which includes $110 billion for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects, was a step in the right direction, but that it is far from the $4.5 trillion that studies have suggested are needed to upgrade American infrastructure to the target level of safety and efficiency.
A container ship struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to plunge into the river below. From 1960 to 2015, there have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. Eighteen of those collapses happened in the United States.
There are ways to prevent these kinds of disasters – or at least to minimize the damage. Additional structures such as bumpers can be added to bridges, under the water and out of sight, deflecting ships that veer too close, Bassem O. Andrawes, a professor of structural engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an expert on bridge collapses, told CNN.
Andrawes said.
Many ports and waterways also use “dolphins” – structures rooted in the seabed or riverbed, extending above the water, typically made from timber or steel. While these are often used as a mooring point for vessels, they can also protect bridges from being hit by ships. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, connecting St. Petersburg, Florida, to Terra Ceia, has many “dolphins” built around each pier.
Andrawes added that bridges should be built with “redundancies” in their design, so that when one element fails, like a pier that’s been hit, other features can bear the load.
Experts say there is much to be done in improving bridges which were built for smaller vessels in a different era, even with modern regulations and design codes in place.
Andrawes told CNN that the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed in 2021, which includes $110 billion for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects, was a step in the right direction, but that it is far from the $4.5 trillion that studies have suggested are needed to upgrade American infrastructure to the target level of safety and efficiency, he said.
Here is a list of notable disasters involving ships or barges hitting bridges in the U.S.:
Lixinsha Bridge, Guangzhou province, China
22 February 2024: A cargo ship rammed into the Lixinsha Bridge, splitting it in two. The accident paralyzed the Pearl River Delta, a major international shipping hub and the country’s industrial heartland, for nearly a month now.
Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge, Argentina
30 January 2024: The Liberian-flagged En May hit a pillar of the Zárate Brazo Largo bridge en route to the port of San Lorenzo in the province of Santa Fe. Both the bridge and the vessel sustained some damage. Argentina’s national road authority Vialidad Nacional (VN) announced that because of the structural damage to the bridge, traffic across the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge would from now on be off limits for vehicles weighing over 50,000 kilograms.
Popp’s Ferry Bridge, Biloxi, Mississippi
20 March 2009: A vessel pushing eight barges rammed into the Popp’s Ferry Bridge in Biloxi, Mississippi, causing a 150-foot section of the bridge to collapse into the bay.
Queen Isabella Causeway, Port Isabel, Texas
15 September 2001: A tugboat and barge struck the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas, causing a midsection of the bridge to tumble 80 feet into the bay below. Eight people died after motorists drove into the hole.
Eads Bridge, St. Louis
14 April 1998: The Anne Holly tow traveling through the St. Louis Harbor rammed into the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away. Three of them hit a permanently moored gambling vessel below the bridge. Fifty people suffered injuries.
Big Bayou Canot, Mobile, Alabama
22 September 1993: Barges being pushed by a towboat in dense fog hit and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people aboard reached the displaced bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103 people.
Seeber Bridge, New Orleans
28 May 1993: The towboat Chris, pushing the empty hopper barge DM3021, hit a support tier of the Judge William Seeber Bridge in New Orleans. Two spans and the two-column bent collapsed onto the barge. Two cars carrying three people fell with the four-lane bridge deck into a canal. One person died and two people were seriously injured.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay
9 May 1980: The 609-foot freighter Summit Venture was navigating through the narrow, winding shipping channel of Florida’s Tampa Bay when a sudden squall knocked out the ship’s radar. The ship sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 aboard, fell 150 feet into the water. Thirty-five people died.
Some of the information in this report is based on stories in VOA News, CNN.
