BATON ROUGE — The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Thursday that eight bridges across Louisiana be evaluated for their risk of collapse if hit by a vessel.
These eight bridges were part of a group of 68 bridges across 19 states added to a vulnerability assessment following last year’s deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Louisiana had the second most bridges listed in the report.
The Louisiana bridges identified include the Huey P. Long Bridge, Crescent City Connection Bridge, Hale Boggs Bridge, Sunshine Bridge, and the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, better known as the New Mississippi River Bridge.
| Bridge Name | City | Classification | Year Built |
| Huey P. Long Bridge | New Orleans | Typical | 1936 |
| Greater New Orleans Bridge | New Orleans | Critical/Essential | 1957 |
| Israel LaFleur Bridge | Lake Charles | Critical/Essential | 1964 |
| Crescent City Connection Bridge | New Orleans | Critical/Essential | 1985 |
| Halle Boggs Bridge | Luling | Critical/Essential | 1983 |
| Horace Wilkinson Bridge | Baton Rouge | Critical/Essential | 1968 |
| Gramercy Veterans Memorial Bridge | Gramercy | Typical | 1989 |
| Sunshine Bridge | Donaldsonville | Typical | 1963 |
Five of the eight bridges, including the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, were classified as critical or essential due to their role as major transportation links. Two of the bridges, including the Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville, were categorized as typical.
The report clarified that the inclusion of these bridges does not indicate an immediate risk of collapse. However, the agency recommended further evaluation since the bridges exceed the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ acceptable level of risk.
All of the listed bridges were built before 1991, a time when vulnerability assessments were not required.
“Although some factors are challenging to modify for existing bridges, the process of calculating vulnerability assessments enables owners to make informed decisions to manage their assets, identify their bridges that may be susceptible to damage from a vessel collision, and appraise and prioritize vessel collision protection projects alongside other projects addressing highway asset needs and risks,” the report said.
UWK reached out to LaDOTD about the report. A spokesperson said they are reviewing it.
The 68 bridges the NTSB recommended for risk of collapse evaluation
- California: Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
- California: Carquinez Bridge
- California: Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- California: Antioch Bridge
- California: San Mateo-Hayward Bridge
- California: Coronado Bridge
- California: Golden Gate Bridge
- Delaware: Summit Bridge
- Delaware: Saint Georges Bridge
- Delaware: Reedy Point Bridge
- Florida: Sunshine Skyway Bridge
- Florida: Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge (Dames Point Bridge)
- Georgia: Talmadge Bridge
- Illinois: Chicago Skyway Calumet River Bridge
- Louisiana: Huey P. Long Bridge
- Louisiana: Greater New Orleans Bridge
- Louisiana: Israel LaFleur Bridge
- Louisiana: Crescent City Connection Bridge
- Louisiana: Hale Boggs (Luling) Bridge
- Louisiana: Horace Wilkinson Bridge
- Louisiana: Gramercy (Veterans Memorial) Bridge
- Louisiana: Sunshine Bridge
- Maryland: William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (eastbound)
- Maryland: William Preston Lane Jr. (Bay) Bridge (westbound)
- Maryland: Chesapeake City Bridge
- Massachusetts: Tobin Bridge (southbound upper)
- Massachusetts: Tobin Bridge (northbound lower)
- Massachusetts: Bourne Bridge
- Massachusetts: Sagamore Bridge
- Michigan: Mackinac Bridge Mackinac Bridge
- New Hampshire: Memorial Bridge
- New Jersey: Commodore Barry Bridge
- New Jersey: Vincent R. Casciano (Newark Bay) Bridge
- New York: Verrazano Narrows Bridge (eastbound)
- New York: Verrazano Narrows Bridge (westbound)
- New York: Brooklyn Bridge
- New York: Manhattan Bridge
- New York: Williamsburg Bridge
- New York: Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (eastbound)
- New York: Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (westbound)
- New York: Rip Van Winkle Bridge
- New York: Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge
- New York: George Washington Bridge
- New York: Outerbridge Crossing Bridge
- New York: Seaway International Bridge
- New York: Thousand Islands Bridge
- Ohio: CUY-00490-0010 (I-490) Bridge
- Ohio: CUY-00002-1441 (Main Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio: CUY-00006-1456 (Detroit Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio: CUY-00010-1613 (Carnegie Avenue) Bridge
- Ohio: LUC-01W02-0002 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial) Bridge
- Ohio: LUC-00002-1862 (Anthony Wayne) Bridge
- Oregon: Astoria-Megler Bridge
- Oregon: St. Johns Bridge
- Pennsylvania: Walt Whitman Bridge
- Pennsylvania: Benjamin Franklin Bridge
- Pennsylvania: Betsy Ross Bridge
- Pennsylvania: Delaware River Turnpike Bridge
- Rhode Island: Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
- Texas: Buffalo Bayou Toll Bridge
- Texas: Sidney Sherman Bridge
- Texas: Rainbow Bridge
- Texas: Veterans Memorial Bridge
- Texas: Hartman Bridge (eastbound)
- Texas: Hartman Bridge (westbound)
- Texas: GulfGate Bridge
- Washington: Lewis and Clark Bridge
- Wisconsin: Leo Frigo Bridge
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