NTSB report: Bridges connecting N.J., Philly need to review ship strike safety standards. DRPA says they are all very safe

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A year ago in March, the cargo ship Dali was leaving Baltimore Harbor when it lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A portion of the bridge collapsed into the river, killing six members of a road maintenance crew working on the bridge.

As a result of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report urging people who own bridges that go over navigable waterways used by ocean-going vessels to work with the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to assess the risk of their bridges collapsing from similar accidents.

The report says that there are 68 bridges nationwide spanning waterways frequented by ocean-going ships with unknown levels of risk of collapse from a vessel collision. All of these bridges were constructed before American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials guidance on safety standards was updated in 1991. Five of the 68 bridges listed by NTSB are in or lead into New Jersey and Philadelphia.

New Jersey, Pennsylvania bridges with an unknown risk

The Vincent R. Casciano Bridge spans a section of Newark Bay. It was built in 1955. It is classified by the NTSB as a critical and essential bridge.

The Walt Whitman Bridge was built in 1957. This bridge is classified as critical and essential by the NTSB.

The Commodore Barry Bridge, built in 1974, is classified by the NTSB as a typical bridge.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, built in 1926, is classified as critical and essential by the NTSB.

The Betsy Ross Bridge, built in 1975, is classified by the NTSB as a typical bridge.

The Vincent Casciano Bridge is owned by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The Walt Whitman, the Commodore Barry, the Ben Franklin and the Betsy Ross bridges are all owned by the Delaware River Port Authority.

Are these bridges safe?

John Hanson, the CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority, said all of the DRPA-controlled bridges are “very safe”.

“We have continually been evaluating them for risks, hazards, threats, vulnerabilities, and continually making improvements to minimize the risk,” he said.

He cited a 2003 study that resulted in several safety upgrades, including building rock islands around the piers at the Commodore Barry Bridge that are designed to stop ships from crashing into the bridge. The rocks support by absorbing the force of an incoming vessel, and crushing the hull of the ship.

“As a result of that study we hardened various parts of the [other] bridges, we fixed other pieces of the bridges and we installed cameras,” he said. “We have also done several other studies since to improve safety at all of the bridges.”

Minimizing the risks

Hanson said despite multiple steps taken to prevent accidents at any of the DRPA bridges, these efforts do not address the root cause of the problem, which is how the ships operate.

He said large ships that approach a bridge should have either a river pilot, a tug assist or both.

“Those things are immensely important in guaranteeing the safety of the bridges, the ships, the cargo, the crew and everybody else,” he said.

He said when the Dali hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, there was no tugboat leading the ship out to sea, which could have prevented the accident.

“We can only build protections around the piers [of the bridges] so big, before finally we clog up the channel and the ships can’t get through,” he said. “There’s a limit to what we can do.”

Should the public be concerned about the safety of Pennsylvania and New Jersey bridges?

Hanson said it’s impossible to completely guarantee 100% safety of any bridge at any given time, under every possible circumstance, but he wants to assure the public that all efforts are being made to keep the spans safe.

“Our bridges are as safe as any bridges you will find in the United States, we are among the safest, and I am confident in the safety of these bridges,” Hanson said.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which owns the Vincent R. Casciano Bridge, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.