All articles tagged with #bridge safety
Israel has withdrawn some troops from the southern Gaza Strip as the conflict with Hamas reaches its six-month mark, while concerns arise over the lack of protective shields on dozens of major bridges in the US to prevent ship collisions. Additionally, researchers sent out 80,000 fake résumés to U.S. jobs and found evidence of discrimination, and a total solar eclipse is approaching.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the concrete dolphins meant to protect it. Experts suggest that the dolphins, built in the 1970s, were insufficient to prevent such a collision, especially given the increase in size and weight of modern cargo ships. While newer bridges are required to have robust collision prevention structures, older bridges like the Key Bridge are not strictly required to be fortified or replaced. The lack of investment in infrastructure maintenance and upgrades poses dangerous consequences, highlighting the need for prioritizing and addressing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
A portion of U.S. Highway 59 in Oklahoma was closed for a few hours after a barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River, but no injuries were reported. The highway reopened after engineers inspected the structure and deemed it safe. The cause of the barge collision is still under investigation. This incident coincided with engineers working to lift a section of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland after a cargo ship crashed into one of its main supports.