(SRN NEWS/REUTERS) – The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday called for urgent safety assessments of 68 bridges including Georgia’s Talmadge Bridge and iconic crossings like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, George Washington Bridge and the Chicago Skyway Bridge.
The Talmadge Bridge (pictured), which opened in 1991, spans the Savannah River between downtown Savannah and Hutchinson Island.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the board wants bridge owners in 19 states to perform vulnerability assessments and determine the risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision “and if warranted, implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.”
The NTSB is making the recommendation after the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by a cargo ship, killing six people.
The review focuses on bridges built before 1991 and frequented by ocean-going vessels that have not undergone vulnerability assessments.
“There is a potential safety risk and you need to take immediate action,” Homendy said, noting ocean cargo vessels are much bigger and heavier today. “It doesn’t mean there is a risk there. They just don’t know right now, so they need to determine that.”