NTSB calls for safety review of 68 bridges for risk of collapse

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday recommended that 68 bridges be evaluated for their risk of collapse, after a vessel crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse last year. 

The recommendation comes the same day the board released a report that found the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore held a risk assessment that was 30 times greater than the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges, CBS News reported.

The new call for a "vulnerability assessment" includes the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida. The total list includes bridges in 19 states.

"Today’s report does not suggest that the 68 bridges are certain to collapse," the report said. "The NTSB is recommending that these 30 bridge owners evaluate whether the bridges are above the [American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials'] acceptable level of risk."

The recommendation comes a year after the Baltimore bridge collapsed when a vessel crashed into it. The collapse killed six roadworkers after they fell into the Patapsco River.

The NTSB did not give a specific deadline for the assessments, but NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the final report on the Baltimore bridge collapse will be released in the fall.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.