By Adam Swift
In the wake of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year after it was struck by a container ship, the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) released a report last week recommending the Tobin Bridge undergo a vulnerability assessment.
The Tobin Bridge was one of 68 bridges across the country, including the Sagamore and Bourne bridges on Cape Cod, identified for a vulnerability assessment.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that the agency issued urgent safety recommendations to 30 owners of 68 bridges in 19 states to assess the structures’ vulnerability from a collision with ocean-going vessels.
The report does not indicate that the bridges are in imminent danger of collapse, but did state that evaluations should be done to determine if they are above the acceptable level of risk set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
In a statement, MassDOT officials stated that they received the letter and report from the NTSB and intend to take any applicable safety measures the NTSB recommends to make sure the bridges are safe.
“After the Keys Bridge collapse in Maryland in March 2024, Governor Healey immediately convened experts from MassDOT, the U.S. Coast Guard, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and the Boston Harbor Pilots to discuss the potential for similar risks to the Tobin Bridge and other Massachusetts bridges,” the MassDOT statement read. “The group confirmed that Massachusetts uses more robust maritime safety practices and that the risk of a similar incident in Massachusetts at the Tobin and other bridges is very low.”
Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez said that the report looked like it indicated that there is less risk of an incident at the Tobin Bridge than there was in Baltimore because of the location of the piers near the bridge.
Maltez also noted that MassDOT is looking at the long-term vision for the Tobin, and that the plan could include replacing the Tobin Bridge with a tunnel.