We protect bridge users from vessel collision using real-time transponder (AIS) tracking and computer vision.
We combine vessel trajectory forecasting with AASHTO bridge impact analysis to continuously assign a threat level to each vessel within 30 nautical miles of the site.
Bridges are unattended 99.9% of the time. Vessel strikes happen fast. By the time anyone could notice an errant ship, it is likely too late.
When the containership Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, police had only two minutes warning to close the roadway. Six people died and the collapse cost society an estimated $5 Billion. The Port of Baltimore was closed for months and 8,000 workers lost their jobs.
Photo: The containership Dali with portions of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge across its forward deck on March 28, 2024. (Source: NTSB)
After an intensive investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified 68 bridges across the U.S. that are potentially vulnerable to vessel collision risk.
The NTSB recommends that owners of vulnerable bridges install a warning system to protect against vessel collision risk. NTSB has flagged 68 bridges, owned by 30 different agencies across the U.S., as vulnerable to vessel collision risk.
Roebling Labs LLC has developed Smart Bridge in a Box™ so that owners can comply with these NTSB recommendations to protect your bridge users.
We synthesize the data for each detected vessel into a single threat assessment rating.
This highest threat level initiates urgent action to evacuate the bridge. Only vessels that imminently threaten the structural integrity of your bridge will result in this highest threat rating. We understand how costly and disruptive false alarms can be. The expected time to evacuate the bridge is site specific and will inform the threshold setting between Orange - ELEVATED MONITORING and Red - ALARM.
This threat category occurs when a high-consequence vessel is approaching the bridge at near range. This is a routine occurrence. Most such vessels safely pass under the bridge within the navigable channel. However, if such a vessel deviates from the navigable channel, has excessive speed, or violates a geo-fenced area, it will be elevated to Red - ALARM status. Our computer-vision system supplements the AIS transponder data when distinguishing the threat level of these high-consequence vessels between Orange - ELEVATED MONITORING and Red - ALARM as they approach. This minimizes the number of false alarms when compared to relying on the AIS transponder data alone.
This threat category is for a high-consequence vessel that is not approaching the bridge at near range. Vessels in this threat category are sufficiently far from the bridge or headed away from the bridge such that they pose a very low probability of impact. However, they would endanger the structural integrity of the bridge if they did collide at their current speed.
This category is for low-consequence vessels that are either stationary, including ships anchored in port, or so small or slow moving that they aren't expected to endanger the structural integrity of the bridge even if they did collide.
Your Smart Bridge in a Box™ hardware unit is mounted on your bridge site in a waterproof enclosure and is networked using a wireless modem. It operates remotely and autonomously. It includes an AIS transponder, computer vision system, and wireless modem.
Figure: Screenshot of an Example Vessel Collision Warning System by Roebling Labs
Contact scott@roeblinglabs.com to create a demonstration vessel collision warning system for your bridge.
Our demonstration warning systems are now deployed to 7 of the 68 NTSB-flagged bridges. Your bridge could be next.
| State | Bridge Name with Link to Demo |
Bridge Owner | Classification | Year Built | Status of AASHTO Vessel Collision Analysis as of 21 Nov 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Francis Scott Key Bridge | Maryland Transportation Authority | Collapsed from Vessel Impact with containership Dali on 26 March 2024 | 1972 | Not Applicable |
| Maryland | William Preston Lane Jr. / Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Eastbound | Maryland Transportation Authority | Critical/Essential | 1951 | Analysis completed. Risk is beyond threshold. |
| Maryland | William Preston Lane Jr. / Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Westbound | Maryland Transportation Authority | Critical/Essential | 1973 | Analysis completed. Risk is beyond threshold. |
| Massachusetts | Tobin Bridge | Massachusetts DOT | Typical | 1950 | Vessel collision risk analysis not yet completed. |
| Massachusetts | Bourne Bridge | US Army Corps of Engineers | Critical/Essential | 1935 | Vessel collision risk analysis not yet completed. |
| New Jersey | Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge | New Jersey Turnpike Authority | Critical/Essential | 1955 | Analysis completed. Risk is beyond threshold. |
| New York | Brooklyn Bridge | New York City DOT | Typical | 1883 | Vessel collision risk analysis not yet completed. |
Scott Snelling, PE, MBA is the CEO of Roebling Labs, LLC. He has 20+ years of bridge engineering experience having led complex bridge projects across the U.S. and abroad. Scott co-authored a portion of the Bridge Engineering Handbook. He led projects to revise AASHTO bridge design standards, as well as AASHTO bridge maintenance, evaluation, and inspection standards. With Roebling Labs, Scott has developed and field tested numerous emerging bridge assessment technologies.
Prior to founding Roebling Labs, Scott began his career at WSP, U.S. Army Corps, and Hardesty & Hanover. He has degrees from Columbia University in the City of New York (M.S. Structural Eng.), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (B.S. Mechanical Eng.), and Boston University (M.B.A.).
Roebling Labs received start-up funding from Bentley Systems and the Boston University BUild Lab. Roebling Labs is a resident company at The Engine "Tough Tech" startup community in Cambridge, MA where we also benefitted from participating in the Blueprint accelerator program.
Email scott@roeblinglabs.com to protect your bridge users today.
Pilot program available - deploy at your site with no upfront commitment. Pay only after successful validation.
Get updates on NTSB recommendations, new vessel collision monitoring system deployments, and best practices for using computer vision to help manage your bridges.