Maryland officials failed to assess vulnerability of Francis Scott Key Bridge before collapse, NTSB says
Federal officials are urging risk assessments for dozens of bridges across 19 states, saying the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to perform such an evaluation before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed nearly a year ago.
Federal officials are urging risk assessments for dozens of bridges across 19 states, saying the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to perform such an evaluation before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed nearly a year ago.
Baltimore’s Key Bridge fell apart on March 26, 2024, after a cargo ship passing underneath in the night struck a pillar. The accident killed six construction workers, and it took three months to remove the ship, the Dali, from the water.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters the Maryland Transportation Authority, or MDTA, "never ran" the recommended vulnerability assessment for the bridge.
"Had they ran the calculation on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the MDTA would have been aware that the bridge was almost 30 times greater than the risk threshold AASHTO sets for essential bridges," Homendy said, using the acronym for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
AASHTO developed the assessment in 1991, after the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida, collapsed.
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