NTSB Says Maryland Could Have Found Key Bridge Vulnerability

[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]

The Maryland Transportation Authority did not conduct a risk assessment that, if acted upon, could have allowed the state to protect the Francis Scott Key Bridge from collapsing, the National Transportation Safety Board’s chair said March 20.

Such a vulnerability assessment would have found the bridge was highly vulnerable to a vessel collision, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.

Homendy said the federal board had to conduct its own vulnerability assessment of the Key Bridge while investigating its collapse nearly a year ago. The state had decades to conduct such a study based on national standards, but never did, she said. It also had not conducted a similar study of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, leaving it as one of dozens that the NTSB has identified as still having an “unknown level of risk” if struck by a vessel.

“This is not new, MDTA could have done this evaluation numerous times over the past several decades,” Homendy said.

This report was issued as part of our ongoing investigation of the March 26, 2024, containership Dali’s contact with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, & the bridge’s subsequent collapse. A final report with safety recommendations & the probable cause, will be released in late 2025. — NTSB (@NTSB) March 20, 2025

Had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment based on recent vessel traffic, the agency would have been aware that the risk of a “catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision” was nearly 30 times higher than standards set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The March 26, 2024, collapse could have been prevented if the MDTA had done the study and took action to protect the bridge,