NTSB warns 2 bridges in Washington could have similar fate to Francis Scott Key Bridge
Andre ByikFederal officials are warning that two important bridges connecting Washington state to Oregon could be at risk of collapsing in a ship strike like the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster in Maryland last year.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that state officials in Washington and Oregon should evaluate the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which spans the Columbia River between Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon, and the Astoria-Megler Bridge to determine their vulnerability to collapse from ocean-going vessel collisions.
What bridge in Baltimore collapsed?
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, partially collapsed on March 26, 2024.
NTSB report reveals 68 potentially unsafe bridges across the U.S.
New safety recommendations are included in a report the NTSB released as part of its ongoing investigation into Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse, which killed six construction workers. The Lewis and Clark and Astoria-Megler bridges are two of 68 bridges across the U.S. — including the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — that federal officials say have an "unknown level of risk of collapse" because they haven't undergone a vulnerability assessment under guidelines issued in 1991 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
"The NTSB found that the Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by the containership Dali on March 26, 2024, was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges, according to guidance established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials," the NTSB said in a statement.
The Maryland Transportation Authority could have "proactively" taken measures to protect the Key Bridge from collapse had it conducted such a vulnerability assessment and known the structure's risk profile, the NTSB found. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore blamed the collapse on the ship and its operators, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The NTSB noted that its report is not meant to suggest that the bridges connecting Washington and Oregon are "certain to collapse." The report recommends that bridge owners conduct assessments based on recent vessel traffic and make plans to reduce the possibility of collapse if the risk rises above acceptable levels.
The Washington State Department of Transportation co-owns the Lewis and Clark and Astoria-Megler bridges with the Oregon Department of Transportation. In an emailed statement Monday, WSDOT said the two agencies started working with "maritime organizations and river pilot associations to discuss the risks associated with large cargo ship traffic along the Columbia River" following the Key Bridge collapse in 2024.
Over the past 12 months, WSDOT and ODOT have been working with federal, state, and local agencies to "evaluate short- and long-term strategies to reduce strike risk," the statement said.
"WSDOT and ODOT have been following NTSB’s investigation closely and take all recommendations seriously," the statement reads. "While it’s too soon to know when a risk assessment, which is a sophisticated mathematical analysis, or other protection strategies may take place, we are committed to working with ODOT and other partners into the future to ensure bridge safety."
This publication also reached out to ODOT for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
When was Francis Scott Key Bridge built?
Construction on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore began in 1972, and the bridge opened to traffic on March 23, 1977, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. It was named for the author of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
When was Lewis and Clark Bridge built?
The Lewis and Clark Bridge between Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon, is a cantilever bridge that was completed in 1930 and designed by Joseph Strauss, the famed chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, according to History Link.
In 2023, it served more than 20,000 vehicles per day traveling between Longview and Rainier. Its commercial freight traffic makes it a "vital connection route for interstate and local economies and communities," according to WSDOT.
When was Astoria-Megler Bridge built?
The Astoria-Megler Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the mouth of the Columbia River and was opened in 1966, according to the Encylopedia Britannica. The bridge connects Astoria, Oregon, to Point Ellice, Washington.
It completed U.S. Route 101 between Washington and Southern California, according to History Link.
Why haven't the bridges been assessed?
Bridges that haven’t been assessed share something in common — they’re old, dating as far back as 1883 in the case of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
New bridges have to undergo assessments. Federal Highway Administration officials have required authorities to do so since 1994, according to the NTSB.
But many older bridges have not been held to the same standard though the NTSB has recommended multiple times that authorities perform assessments.
"When we issue urgent recommendations, we’re saying there’s an immediate risk," said Jennifer L. Homendy, National Transportation Safety Board chair. "You need to take action."
What are the 68 bridges NTSB recommended for risk assessments?
The NTSB recommended that these 68 bridges undergo a "vulnerability assessment to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision."
- California, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
- California, Carquinez Bridge
- California, Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- California, Antioch Bridge
- California San Mateo-Hayward Bridge
- California, Coronado Bridge
- California, Golden Gate Bridge
- Delaware, Summit Bridge
- Delaware, Saint Georges Bridge
- Delaware, Reedy Point Bridge
- Florida, Sunshine Skyway Bridge
- Florida, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge (Dames Point Bridge)
- Georgia, Talmadge Bridge
- Illinois, Chicago Skyway Calumet River Bridge
- Louisiana, Huey P. Long Bridge
- Louisiana, Greater New Orleans Bridge
- Louisiana, Israel LaFleur Bridge
- Louisiana, Crescent City Connection Bridge
- Louisiana, Hale Boggs (Luling) Bridge
- Louisiana, Horace Wilkinson Bridge
- Louisiana, Gramercy (Veterans Memorial) Bridge
- Louisiana, Sunshine Bridge
- Maryland, William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (westbound)
- Maryland, William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (eastbound)
- Maryland, Chesapeake City Bridge
- Massachusetts, Tobin Bridge (southbound upper)
- Massachusetts, Tobin Bridge (northbound lower)
- Massachusetts, Bourne Bridge
- Massachusetts, Sagamore Bridge
- Michigan, Mackinac Bridge
- New Hampshire, Memorial Bridge
- New Jersey, Commodore Barry Bridge
- New Jersey, Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay Bridge)
- New York, Verrazano Narrows Bridge (eastbound)
- New York, Verrazano Narrows Bridge (westbound)
- New York, Brooklyn Bridge
- New York, Manhattan Bridge
- New York, Williamsburg Bridge
- New York, Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (eastbound)
- New York, Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (westbound)
- New York, Rip Van Winkle Bridge
- New York, Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge
- New York, George Washington Bridge
- New York, Outerbridge Crossing
Bridge - New York, Seaway International Bridge
- New York, Thousand Islands Bridge
- Ohio, CUY-00490-0010 (I-490) Bridge
- Ohio, CUY-00002-1441 (Main Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio, CUY-00006-1456 (Detroit Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio, CUY-00010-1613 (Carnegie Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio, LUC-01W02-0002 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial) Bridge
- Ohio, LUC-00002-1862 (Anthony Wayne) Bridge
- Oregon, Astoria-Megler Bridge
- Oregon, St. Johns Bridge
- Pennsylvania, Walt Whitman Bridge
- Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin Bridge
- Pennsylvania, Betsy Ross Bridge
- Pennsylvania, Delaware River Turnpike Bridge
- Rhode Island, Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
- Texas, Buffalo Bayou Toll Bridge
- Texas, Sidney Sherman Bridge
- Texas, Rainbow Bridge
- Texas, Veterans Memorial Bridge
- Texas, Hartman Bridge (eastbound)
- Texas, Hartman Bridge (westbound)
- Texas, Gulfgate Bridge
- Washington, Lewis and Clark Bridge
- Wisconsin, Leo Frigo Bridge
Contributing: Michael Loria, USA TODAY