Safety experts question why the Baltimore bridge didn’t have a simple system to warn motorists.
“The technology to do that is out there.”
“Why don’t they have systems that track ships, and if it’s clear that a ship is not in the shipping channel, it automatically puts alarms on the bridge and some actual gates to close it.”
“Protective systems are not just a good idea, they should be mandatory.”
That’s Virginia Tech professor Roberto Leon, quoted in Politico, just four days after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in 2024.
He was right. Roebling Labs built it.
Today, our Vessel Collision Warning System is on four of the 68 bridges NTSB flagged for vessel collision risk: Newburgh-Beacon (N&S), Rip Van Winkle, and Newport Pell.
It is an information system, not a construction project.
NTSB Safety Recommendation H-25-30 asks twenty bridge owners to evaluate and incorporate warning systems for their bridges. We provide agencies with the data required to complete their evaluation: a pilot system installed in one day, 90 days of real-time risk assessment from your channel, a report at the end. A purchase, not a procurement.
If your agency owns a bridge over a navigable channel, give us a call.