The San Diego-Coronado Bridge is one of dozens of bridges nationwide that federal safety officials say should be evaluated for risk of collapse in the event of a vessel crash like the one that toppled a major bridge in Baltimore one year ago, killing six people.
The National Transportation Safety Board last week released a list of 68 bridges it recommends for such a vulnerability assessment in light of its ongoing investigation into the container ship crash in Baltimore that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last year.
Such an assessment would involve running a mathematical risk model on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge to find out how susceptible it is to collapse in the event of a vessel crash, based on factors such as the bridge’s span, design, geometry and pier protection, as well as surrounding vessel traffic, according to the safety board’s report.
The Key Bridge was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges as established in guidelines from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the safety board found.
The board said its recommendations don’t necessarily mean the 68 bridges it identified are at risk of collapse.
Rather, their potential risk is unknown, because they have not undergone a vulnerability assessment based on recent vessel traffic. All 68 bridges were designed before national guidelines issued in 1991 established an acceptable risk threshold and began requiring vulnerability assessments.
The national board also recommends that the 30 owners of the 68 bridges write and implement a risk reduction plan if they find that the bridge’s risk level exceeds the threshold.
The San Diego-Coronado Bridge opened on Aug. 2, 1969. It extends 2.12 miles across San Diego Bay, connecting Coronado to downtown San Diego, and has a vertical clearance of about 200 feet.
The bridge is overseen by Caltrans, which is responsible for ensuring the safety and integrity of more than 13,300 state highway bridges and more than 13,400 bridges owned by local government agencies.
Caltrans said it is reviewing the NTSB’s recommendations and will later issue a response.
“Caltrans prioritizes the safety of all Californians by ensuring its bridges meet rigorous and strict seismic and safety standards,” Caltrans said in a statement. “California’s bridges are safe for travel, and Caltrans has installed fender systems on all major bridges, further protecting bridge piers from the unlikely and rare event of being struck by marine traffic. All state-owned bridges are regularly inspected to ensure strict structural safety and have been seismically retrofitted to the highest national standards.”
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