NY, NJ bridges named in safety report warning of possible ship collisions
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NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York and New Jersey bridges were named in a report warning of potential ship collisions following the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland last year.
The National Transportation Safety Board urged officials across the U.S. to inspect 68 crossings for safety in the report published on Thursday. The bridges mentioned in the report are not in imminent danger of being struck or collapsing, but should still be inspected to see if they’re up to new safety standards, the NTSB said.
These bridges were listed in the report:
New York
- Verrazano Narrows Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Manhattan Bridge
- Williamsburg Bridge
- George Washington Bridge
- Outerbridge Crossing Bridge
- Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
- Seaway International Bridge
- Thousand Islands Bridge
- Rip Van Winkle Bridge
- Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge
New Jersey
- Commodore Barry Bridge
- Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge
The owners of the Francis Scott Key Bridge were previously warned to do a safety evaluation, but failed to do so, according to the report. That bridge will take around four years to rebuild, NTSB officials said.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told PIX11 News in a statement that it holds the crossings, "to the highest safety standards with industry-leading protection systems in place. Container ships like the Dali do not pass under the Outerbridge Crossing, Goethals, or George Washington bridges, and the vessels that do pass underneath are one-third the tonnage and 400 feet shorter than the Dali."
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.