The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that 30 owners of 68 bridges in 19 states conduct vulnerability assessments to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a ship strike.
The recommendation is part of an ongoing investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The NTSB found that the Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by the container ship Dali on March 26, 2024, was nearly 30 times the acceptable risk threshold for critical or vital bridges, according to guidelines from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
Over the past year, the NTSB identified 68 bridges that were designed before AASHTO guidelines were established — such as the Key Bridge — that do not have a current vulnerability assessment. The recommendations are for bridge owners to calculate the annualized failure rate for their bridges using AASHTO’s Method II calculation.
