BALTIMORE (AP) — The Maryland Transportation Authority failed to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment that would have shown the Francis Scott Key Bridge was at significant risk of collapse from a ship strike long before its demise last year, according to federal investigators.
The after a massive cargo ship, the Dali, lost power and veered off course, striking one of its support piers. Six construction workers were killed.
Maryland leaders could have done more to prevent the deadly disaster, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Transportation Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said during a media briefing Thursday afternoon.
The board update comes almost a year after the bridge collapse, which temporarily halted ship traffic through the Port of Baltimore and snarled traffic across the region. Plans to are underway and officials have said the new design will be much better protected.
When board investigators performed the vulnerability assessment for Baltimore’s Key Bridge, they found it was almost 30 times worse than the acceptable risk threshold, according to guidance established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The group published the vulnerability assessment calculation in 1991, and all bridges designed afterward were required to be evaluated. In 2009, the group reiterated its recommendation to also conduct assessments for older bridges.
Had Maryland officials completed the assessment at any time since then, they “would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge,†Homendy said.
She said as of October, they still hadn’t assessed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge even after the Key Bridge collapse.
“There’s no excuse,†she said.
The board also issued urgent recommendations and a report that lists 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states. Homendy said they should learn from Maryland’s mistake and perform the assessments to determine whether they need more protection.
The Key Bridge opened to traffic in 1977, when the ships visiting Baltimore’s port were significantly smaller and standards for pier protection were much less robust.
In 1980, a container ship struck the bridge’s pier protection and was stopped by a concrete and timber fendering system. But that ship weighed about one-tenth the Dali, which plowed through similar fenders, according to a report documenting the board’s findings.
“Although some factors are challenging to modify for existing bridges, the process of calculating vulnerability assessments enables owners to make informed decisions to manage their assets, identify their bridges that may be susceptible to damage from a vessel collision, and appraise and prioritize vessel collision protection projects alongside other projects addressing highway asset needs and risks,†the report says.
Homendy said this isn’t the first time she’s called for the assessments to be completed on some of the nation’s older bridges. She said the board has “been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred,†including in testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April 2024.
“We need action,†she said. “Public safety depends on it.â€
The board is still investigating what caused the Dali to lose power as it approached the Key Bridge. In an earlier update, investigators said they discovered a loose cable that could have caused electrical issues on the Dali. The ship experienced blackouts twice in the hours before it left the Port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka.
Justice Department attorneys later alleged its mechanical and electrical systems had been “jury-rigged†and improperly maintained. They pointed to “excessive vibrations†that could have loosened electrical connections. The agency’s lawsuit was later settled after the Dali’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and its manager, Synergy Marine Group, agreed to pay over $100 million in cleanup costs.
The Singapore-based companies filed a court petition just days after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability in what could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history.
Homendy said the board plans to release more information from its investigation in the coming weeks and months.
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Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland.
