WVU expert speaks on Baltimore bridge collapse, how to increase future safety

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — After the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday morning, questions have been raised about the state of the 47-year-old bridge prior to the accident and what can be done to potentially prevent another tragedy in the future.

12 News spoke with Hota GangaRao, WVU’s Director of the Constructed Facilities Center, on what features can be added to bridges to protect them in the future.

GangaRao mentioned that crews should assess the internal redundancy of a bridge, which basically refers to how much one part of the bridge can fail before the entire structure goes down with it. He also emphasized the role of bumper systems made of high-grade material for the shell of the structure attached to a high shock-absorbing material for the core.

“I’m not implying somehow a bumper will take care of this but that would provide a good amount of resistance against shock,” said GangaRao.

Due to the bridge’s age, GangaRao pointed out that it was most likely designed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, meaning some design aspects of it may have been outdated.

In the case of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, GangaRao has three infrastructure questions about it.

• Was there adequate tie-down of the superstructure with the pier?
• How much of an internal redundancy did the structure have?
• Was there any consideration of the amount of impact force that an object like the ship may exert on the outer structure?

The cargo ship that hit the bridge weighed around 100,000 tons and was traveling at eight knots, which is equivalent to around nine miles an hour.

GangaRao estimated that building a new 1.6-mile bridge to replace the destroyed one could take a minimum of two years and a maximum of five with a price tag of around $400 million.

The Baltimore port is one of the biggest on the East Coast and is frequently used to transport things like coal, lumber, agriculture equipment, and vehicles all across the country including West Virginia. The collapse of this bridge has the potential to impact import and export times related to these products and others.

If you are an individual or a business that has been directly impacted by the bridge collapse, contact us at news@wboy.com .

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