Are US bridges safe? Researchers hope to find answers after Baltimore collapse

[JACK AYLMER]

ARE BRIDGES AT U.S. PORTS SAFE?

THAT’S WHAT RESEARCHERS AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY WANT TO KNOW FOLLOWING THE DEADLY FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN LATE MARCH.

THEY WANT TO FIGURE OUT IF OTHER PORT BRIDGES COULD FACE A SIMILAR FATE.

THE TEAM OF FACULTY AND STUDENTS WANT THEIR RESEARCH TO BE USED TO PRIORITIZE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE.

JOHNS HOPKINS IS LOOKING PARTICULARLY AT LARGE BRIDGES NEAR MAJOR PORTS OF ENTRY.

RESEARCHERS WILL BUILD MODELS TO SEE WHETHER A COLLISION WITH A LARGE VESSEL COULD DISMANTLE OTHER BRIDGES.

EXPERTS SAY AS SHIPS HAVE GOTTEN MUCH BIGGER, BRIDGES HAVE FAILED TO ADAPT. THIS STUDY IS LOOKING AT WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS TO CHANGE. 

THE TEAM WILL RELEASE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS BY THE END OF SUMMER.

THESE RESEARCHERS AREN’T THE ONLY ONES LOOKING INTO BRIDGE SAFETY. FEDERAL OFFICIALS ARE DETERMINING WHETHER MORE PIER PROTECTION IS NEEDED FOR OTHER CRITICAL BRIDGES.

THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE HAD MINIMAL PIER PROTECTION AND HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED FOR DECADES. THOUGH, IT’S STILL UNKNOWN WHETHER ADDED PROTECTIONS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE DISASTER. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE SHIP THAT SLAMMED INTO THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE SAILED RIGHT PAST A PROTECTIVE CONCRETE PILING.

A REPORT WEDNESDAY BY THE MARYLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REVEALED THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE COLLAPSE…. CALLING FOR INCREASED INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE.

PLANS TO REPLACE THE FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE ARE UNDERWAY. 

IT’S EXPECTED TO COST TWO-BILLION DOLLARS AND BE FINISHED IN 2028. 

OFFICIALS EXPECT THE MAIN CHANNEL AT THE PORT OF BALTIMORE TO REOPEN BY JUNE 10TH. 

FOR MORE STORIES ON THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE AND OTHER NEWS– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE– SAN-DOT-COM.