The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Maryland neglected to perform a vital risk assessment on the Francis Scott Key bridge before its collapse. Board chairwoman, Jennifer L. Homendy, emphasized that the assessment could have indicated the bridge's vulnerability to a ship strike, which ultimately led to the tragic deaths of six workers. The incident raised alarms about similar bridges nationwide, with many, including iconic structures like the Brooklyn Bridge, lacking necessary assessments for potential risks posed by increasing vessel traffic. The N.T.S.B. urges states to prioritize these evaluations promptly.
"If Maryland officials had conducted the assessment, they would have found that the bridge was at serious risk of collapse from a strike by a large ship."
"Dozens of bridges in 19 states had not been assessed for risk of collapse, even though the volume of vessel traffic suggested a strike by a ship was a distinct possibility."
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