3 Pacific Northwest bridges identified in federal report as potentially vulnerable to ship collisions

The Astoria-Megler and St. Johns bridges were among the dozens of spans across the country recommended to undergo “vulnerability assessments” by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB released its recommendations Thursday as part of its ongoing investigation into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed last March after being struck by a container ship. The collision killed six construction workers and hobbled transportation routes in the port city.

In their report, investigators found the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment that would have shown how susceptible the Key Bridge was to collapse from a vessel collision.

The report also identified 68 bridges across 19 states that frequently see ocean-going vessels but had not been evaluated for risk of collapse related to ship collisions.

According to the NTSB, these bridges were likely not designed and built with current risk standards that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials established in 1991.

The Oregon Department of Transportation owns and maintains more than 2,000 bridges across the state, including the Astoria-Megler and St. Johns bridges.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge, which spans the lower Columbia River, connects portions of Highway 101 between Oregon and Washington state. The bridge was built in 1966.

The St. Johns Bridge, which was built in 1931, spans the Willamette River and connects Northwest and North Portland.

Ray Bottenberg, a state bridge engineer with ODOT, said commuters shouldn’t worry about the bridges’ safety because the department performs routine maintenance and inspections. The department also evaluates the conditions of its bridges and summarizes those findings in a yearly report, he added.

“As far as the ship collision, I’d look at its history. I would look at the condition of the protection out at Astoria and know that we are taking the recommendations seriously,” Bottenburg said. “[We’re] moving ahead and acting on them and doing the right thing.”

The latest report of the Astoria-Megler and St. Johns bridges both show them currently in fair condition, according to Bottenberg.

ODOT co-owns the Astoria-Megler Bridge with Washington state. Bottenberg said they’re currently in talks with Washington road officials on the next steps to implement NTSB’s recommendations.

The Washington State Department of Transportation also co-owns the Lewis and Clark Bridge with Oregon. The bridge, which was built in 1929, was also identified in NTSB’s list. It crosses the Columbia River, connecting Longview, Washington, with Rainier, Oregon.

Evan Grimm, Washington State’s bridge and structural engineer, said since last year’s tragic Baltimore crash, their department has been taking a closer look at its bridges.

“Our bridge inspectors are highly trained, each team has a professional engineer on it and we are committed to keeping the bridges safe,” Grimm said. “These bridges, like all our other structures, are inspected on a regular basis”

The Lewis and Clark Bridge is considered to be in fair condition, which means all primary structural elements are sound but may have deficiencies from aging, Grimm said.

The NTSB noted in its report that a recommendation does not mean a collapse from a vessel collision is guaranteed. However, since the risk level is unknown, the agency is asking bridge owners to perform the assessments to determine if additional safeguards are needed.

The report urged the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “to form a dedicated, interdisciplinary team that provides guidance and assistance to bridge owners on evaluating and reducing the risk of a bridge collapse from a vessel collision.”