After the devastating collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, last year, federal officials are calling for safety evaluations of 68 bridges across the country, including three major bridges in Massachusetts and two others in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The NTSB identified the Tobin, Sagamore and Bourne bridges as needing vulnerability assessments concerning their risk for collapse in the event of a collision. The recommendation comes as a result of the investigation into the collapse of the Baltimore bridge last year.
The Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by a container ship on March 24, 2024, killing six people and causing massive disruptions at the Port of Baltimore. An NTSB investigation found that the bridge was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges, as determined by guidance from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or AASHTO…