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After dramatic Baltimore bridge collapse, Healey meets with experts to discuss bridge safety in Massachusetts
More than 600 bridges in Massachusetts are structurally deficient, which does not necessarily mean unsafe.
After a major bridge collapsed in Baltimore, devastating one of the nation’s largest ports, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is convening state leaders to discuss bridge safety protocols for the more than 7,000 bridges in the Commonwealth.
Early Tuesday morning, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crosses the Port of Baltimore, dramatically collapsed after a cargo ship lost power and struck one of the bridge’s supports. Six people are missing as of Tuesday evening and presumed dead.
Healey said she initially planned to meet with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Tuesday, but he flew back “in the middle of the night” to address the collapse.
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“It’s devastating, it’s shocking, we’ve all seen the image now of the immediate collapse on impact,” Healey said about the Francis Scott Key Bridge. “We want to make sure we have the very best protocols in place. Our inspections are up to date, and if we identify any issues, we’re going to address them.”
In response to the “devastating” event, Healey said she would be heading to the State House Tuesday afternoon to meet with representatives from the Coast Guard, MassPort, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, she told Boston Public Radio.
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“I want to make sure that we’re having a conversation to make sure that all of our protocols are where they need to be and that we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our ports and our bridges,” Healey said.
1 in 12 bridges in Massachusetts are structurally deficient
More than 600 bridges in Massachusetts are structurally deficient, according to a 2022 report by the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center. Multiple bridges were mentioned during GBH News’s Ask the Governor segment, including the pair of Cape Cod bridges that are nearly 90 years old.
“Structurally deficient” means that at least one major weight-bearing part of a bridge is in need of serious repair or replacement.
The Sagamore Bridge replacement project, which the Healey Administration is prioritizing before replacing the Bourne Bridge, has already won millions in federal funding.
Healey said on Boston Public Radio that her administration has been “chasing federal dollars to get those Cape Cod bridges to where they need to be. They need to be replaced,” she said. “Infrastructure, state of good repair, it’s really really important, and we just haven’t done it for too long.”
Healey said the Tobin Bridge, which officials also want to replace, was inspected just a few months ago amid ongoing construction.
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The Long Island Bridge in Boston was closed in 2014 due to structural issues and has still not been repaired. In Rhode Island, the Washington Bridge westbound will be demolished next year due to critical issues after it was suddenly closed in December.
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