Barge Slams Into Texas Bridge, Causing Partial Collapse

By FrumNews.com

A barge slammed into the Pelican Island Bridge, partially collapsing the only connector between Galveston, Texas and Pelican Island.

Pelican Island, home to Texas A&M University at Galveston, is located between Houston and Galveston, which is along the Gulf of Mexico.

The barge struck the bridge around 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday morning. David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District, told the Associated Press that a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, lost control of two barges it was pushing.

Respondents to the scene included the United States Coast Guard, local emergency management crews, Galveston City Fire and EMS, Texas DOT, Port Police, and other local, state and federal agencies.

Officials said no injuries were reported, and vehicle and vessel traffic has been halted. The crash also caused a large oil spill into the surrounding water. They added that power was temporarily interrupted on Pelican Island. Secondary power has been restored to Pelican Island.

Officials allowed vehicles to exit Pelican Island, but the bridge remained closed to all other vehicular traffic.

Galveston City officials said, “Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation are also en route to inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage. The bridge will remain closed until it is deemed safe to use.”

The Pelican Island Causeway Bridge was recently rated “Poor” by the Federal Highway Administration. The Texas Department of Transportation was slated to replace the Pelican Bridge.

The story resembles the Baltimore Bridge collapse, which collapsed nearly two months ago, killing six construction workers, after a Singapore-flagged cargo ship struck a pilar of Baltimore’s Key Bridge.

However, only the rail line (which reportedly has never been used) over the bridge collapsed in the crash. Unlike the Baltimore Bridge, which carried over 9,000 vehicles daily, this bridge isn’t a significant causeway.