Northeast
NTSB says lack of 'vulnerability assessment' by Maryland officials preceded deadly Key Bridge collapse
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sounded an alarm during a news conference Thursday, warning 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states to conduct vulnerability assessments to determine the risk of a bridge collapsing due to being struck by a ship.
The NTSB also cited a Maryland state authority’s lack of an assessment that may have prevented the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The 984-foot Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Dali was moving out of Baltimore Harbor March 26, 2024, when it experienced a loss of electrical power and propulsion and struck the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Patapsco River.
The bridge collapsed, killing six construction crew members and injuring two other people.
The cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship struck the bridge March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FAA ‘PERMANENTLY RESTRICTING’ WASHINGTON HELICOPTER TRAFFIC AFTER FATAL MIDAIR COLLISION NEAR DC AIRPORT
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday the Key Bridge was almost 30 times above the “acceptable risk threshold” for critical or essential bridges, according to guidance from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
While the bridges that have not been evaluated are not certain to collapse, the NTSB said “had the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) conducted a vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic, MDTA would have been aware that the Key Bridge was beyond the acceptable risk and would have had information to proactively reduce the bridge’s risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge.”
“Frankly, we’ve been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred,” Homendy said. “We need action. Public safety depends on it.”
In this aerial view, a steel truss from the destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge pinned the container ship Dali in place in the Patapsco River May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The NTSB over the last year identified 68 bridges designed before AASHTO guidance was established that do not have a current vulnerability assessment.
The NTSB is recommending that the 30 bridge owners evaluate whether their bridges are above the AASHTO acceptable level of risk, and, if so, develop and implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.
AASHTO developed and published the vulnerability assessment calculation for new bridges on the National Highway System in 1991 in response to the NTSB’s investigation of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in Florida.
Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
NTSB: BLACK HAWK WAS FLYING TOO HIGH WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH PASSENGER PLANE OVER WASHINGTON DC, KILLING 67
At the time, AASHTO also recommended that all bridge owners conduct a vulnerability assessment on existing bridges to “evaluate their risk of catastrophic collapse in the event of a vessel collision.”
Decades later, in 2009, AASHTO reiterated that recommendation again.
Since 1994, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has required new bridges be designed to minimize the risk of a catastrophic bridge collapse from a vessel collision, “given the size, speed and other characteristics of vessels navigating the channel under the bridge,” according to the NTSB.
Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali as President Joe Biden takes an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Homendy added that the NTSB is also recommending the FHWA, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers establish an “interdisciplinary team” to provide guidance and assistance to bridge owners in evaluating and reducing the risk.
Reducing the risk could mean infrastructure improvements or operational changes, according to the NTSB.
The NTSB will also be releasing more than 1,000 pages of investigative material on the public docket Thursday, including the bridge report and some interviews.
This 3D imagery shows the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge resting at the bottom of the Patapsco River. (U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command Supervisor of Salvage and Diving )
Next week, the NTSB intends to release the hazardous materials, meteorological and survival factors factual reports and a study conducted by its office of engineering on vessel size increases and associated safety risk.
Voyage data recorder audio transcripts and associated data will follow, leading up to the NTSB releasing its final report, which will likely happen in the fall.
The MDTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Read the full article from Here
Boston police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in connection to a series of vandalism incidents targeting Tesla vehicles.
They released two photos of the suspect on Saturday, saying the individual is believed to be connected to multiple incidents of vandalism and harassment in the area of Hemenway and Gainsborough streets. The incidents have primarily targeted Tesla vehicles, they said, and have occurred between 5-7 a.m. from March 11-19.
No further details about the incidents were released.
BPD Community Alert: District D-4 Detectives Seek Public’s Assistance in Identifying Individual Linked to Multiple Vandalism Incidents https://t.co/PpbcSyC1Il pic.twitter.com/34dTBIETvv
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) March 29, 2025
Boston police are asking anyone with information to call detectives at 617-343-9540. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the CrimeStoppers Tip Line by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, texting the word “TIP” to 27463 or online. Photos and videos related to the investigation can also be submitted anonymously via CrimeStoppers.
Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers officially went their separate ways this week after he signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants.
The agreement effectively removed New York from the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, leaving the Steelers as the only true suitor for his services at the moment.
Wilson met with the Giants during the opening week of free agency, though it took an extended period of time before the two sides came to terms.
Multiple reports indicated that the contract guaranteed the 36-year-old $10.5 million with a maximum value of $21 million. The full details were unknown, however, until Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer revealed the specifics of the pact.
Wilson will receive an $8 million signing bonus in tandem with a $2 million base salary and a $500,000 workout bonus, making up the entirety of his guarantees.
As for incentives based upon his time spent behind center, he would earn an additional $500,000 for playing 65 percent of the team’s snaps, $1 million for 75 percent and $1.5 million for 85 percent.
There’s also plenty of performance-based payouts involved, as Wilson would net $500,000 for reaching each of the following benchmarks: a passer rating above 96.0, a 64.0 percent completion rate, 20 or more passing touchdowns with a passer rating above 88.0, and 2,500 or more passing yards with at least an 88.0 passer rating.
Furthermore, he’d pocket $250,000 for accomplishing each of the following: 30 or more touchdowns alongside an 88.0 passer rating or above, as well as throwing for at least 3,500 yards to go with an 88.0 or above passer rating.
If the Giants turn their whole operation around and make the playoffs, Wilson would make $750,000 if he logs 55 percent of the reps and $1.5 million if he plays 75 percent.
In a world where New York wins a postseason game and he sees the field for 55 percent of the snaps, he’d net $500,000. If it were to capture a second victory, Wilson would make an additional $500,000.
Finally, in any game he plays at least 50 percent of the snaps and the Giants emerge victorious, Wilson would gain $176,470.59.
The Steelers and Wilson seemingly ended their relationship on rocky terms following a five-game losing streak to end the 2024 campaign, but he now has a chance to make his mark in the Big Apple.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
A backdoor cold front is set to move across Connecticut today from northeast to southwest.
Temperatures should be able to warm well into the 70s in Fairfield County, but the Northeast Hills will only top out in the lower 50s.
We’ll cool through the afternoon from northeast to southwest, but we’ll all be in the 40s this evening as rain chances return.
Temperatures will drop into the 30s and lower 40s overnight with scattered rain showers and the chance for fog to develop into Sunday morning.
Sunday will be cooler and cloudier for all of the state with highs near 50 degrees.
Monday should warm back into the 60s with more rain chances to end March.
Detroit Tigers Star ‘An Ace in Any Era’ Rightfully Atop Starting Pitcher Rankings
Hurricane Helene survivor endorses Trump admin's plan to nix FEMA after storm devastated Southeast
Summit County’s median home price eclipses San Francisco, Honolulu
How a Former Dolphins Coach Helped Davis Become a Ball Hawk
Cowboys draft polls: 5 draft questions for Dallas on Day 2
-
News1 week agoTrump’s Ending of Hunter Biden’s Security Detail Raises Questions About Who Gets Protection
-
Technology1 week agoStreaming services keep getting more expensive: all the latest price increases
-
Sports1 week agoThe BookKeeper – Exploring Manchester City’s finances during a season of change
-
Business1 week agoTrump Administration Lifts Ban on Sugar Company Central Romana Over Forced Labor
-
News1 week agoNASA Astronauts Don’t Receive Overtime Pay for Space Mission But Get $5 a Day
-
Culture1 week ago‘Can’t-miss’ Men’s NCAA Tournament games on Thursday and Friday: truTV FTW?
-
World1 week ago
Vatican says Pope Francis no longer needs mechanical help to breathe as his health improves
-
Politics1 week agoJD Vance recalls his wife texting him under table at Silicon Valley dinner: 'These people are f—ing crazy'