The vulnerability assessment is to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford has more.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for a vulnerability assessment of 68 bridges across 19 states, including the Coronado Bridge, a year after a massive vessel hit and caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.
The NTSB identified bridges built before the safety guidance was established in the 90s that did not have a current vulnerability assessment, and the Coronado Bridge is one of them. It was built in the 1960s.
Today, the NTSB issued four urgent safety recommendations to select bridge owners, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the US Coast Guard, and the US Army Corps of Engineers to safeguard bridges from vessel strikes. Read the interim report: https://t.co/eFlrP2gkR9 pic.twitter.com/N5oFala38t
— NTSB (@NTSB) March 20, 2025
The vulnerability assessment is to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision, the NTSB said in a release.
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In California, seven bridges, most of them in San Francisco, are recommended for vulnerability assessments.
Here is a list:
- Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
- Carquinez Bridge
- Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- Antioch Bridge
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge
- Coronado Bridge
- Golden Gate Bridge
The NTSB says the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) had failed to perform recommended risk assessments.
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“Had they ran the calculation on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the MDOT would have been aware that the bridge was almost 30 times greater than the risk threshold set for critical, essential bridges,” said Jennifer Homendy with the NTSB.
Caltrans owns the Coronado Bridge. The agency said it's evaluating the report and declined to comment until it has had time to assess the NTSB recommendations.
