MDTA missed critical Key Bridge vulnerability assessment prior to collapse, NTSB says

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) failed to conduct a critical vulnerability assessment that would have allowed them to identify previously known structural risks with the Francis Scott Key Bridge before it collapsed in March 2024, the NTSB said on Thursday.

The NTSB told 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states to conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the risk of a bridge collapse from a vessel collision. 

"We conclude in our report that had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic, the MDTA would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge," NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said. 

The NTSB says had the state conducted these assessments based on recent ship traffic, the MDTA would've been able to reduce the risk of collapse and loss of life. The assessment and vulnerability calculation would have also made the state aware that the bridge was above the American Association of State Highway and Transportation risk standards.

The agency also says 30 bridge owners, who operate dozens of bridges coast to coast, are likely unaware of the bridge's risk of collapse from a vessel collision and need to implement countermeasures.

"We've been sounding the alarm since this tragedy," Homendy said.

The NTSB emphasizes that this assessment would not have prevented the collapse, but other safety measures could've been put in place to avoid the tragedy.

The NTSB also issued urgent safety measures, including creating an interdisciplinary team with the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Coast Guard to provide guidance on preventing collapse as a result of a vessel collision. It also says the owners of the bridges who have not completed the assessment need to do so and provide the data to NTSB. This will further prevention strategies.

The agency released more than 1,000 pages of investigative documents on Thursday including interviews and the bridge factual report. 

The NTSB says it will release more reports in the coming weeks with the final report expected in the fall.

Safety recommendations not executed

According to the NTSB, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation issued safety recommendations for the Key Bridge in 1991 and 2009 but those recommendations were never executed.

"Had MDTA conducted the assessment based on recent vessel traffic, the MDTA would've been able to reduce the risk of collapse and loss of life," Homendy said.

Based on the NTSB's findings, Homendy says the level of risk for a catastrophic collapse was nearly 30 times higher than acceptable risk levels for the Key Bridge and 15 times higher, specifically for Pier 17, one of the bridge's main pillars that was struck by the cargo ship.

Homendy said it was surprising that MDTA officials failed to conduct proper tests and data on vessel traffic. 

"It's something MDTA could've known and should've known,"  she said. 

What happened to the Key Bridge?

On March 26, 2024, the container ship Dali lost power before crashing into the bridge, killing six construction workers who were knocked into the Patapsco River. 

The NTSB's investigation to this point has focused on a series of power failures on Dali as it departed the Port of Baltimore. The report revealed the ship experienced four outages in a span of less than 12  which left the ship unable to maneuver and avoid the bridge.

NTSB's initial report from the Dali crash

The preliminary NTSB report outlined the events leading up to the Dali striking the Key Bridge.

The report revealed that the Dali initially lost power on March 25, 2024, during in-port maintenance, about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore. Vessel power was restored before a second blackout in-port followed, according to the NTSB report.

The vessel departed from the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore shortly after 12:30 a.m. en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying 4,680 containers.

The captain reported that the ship was in "good working order" and was assisted by two tugboats. 

The ship then lost electrical power and experienced another blackout. The main propulsion diesel engine shut down automatically after the pumps lost electrical power, meaning the vessel's propeller stopped.

The Dali crew again restored electrical power.

The ship's crew called for tug assistance and the senior pilot ordered the anchor to be dropped. Then, a fourth blackout happened, according to the report.

A marine radio call was made to warn all waterborne traffic before the cargo vessel crashed into the central truss spans of the Key Bridge around 1:29 a.m.

No Bay Bridge assessment? 

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Annapolis was among the 68 bridges listed in the NTSB report that was told to have a vulnerability assessment. The NTSB says the MDTA has yet to conduct a vulnerability assessment and calculation on this bridge, which has similar vessel traffic to the Key Bridge.

"As for the existing bridge, we know that they have not done that," Homendy said. "That vulnerability assessment takes a long time. There's no reason why they shouldn't have done it before now. It shouldn't take an urgent safety recommendation to take action and we expect that to be done now."

MDTA responds

MDTA said it is reviewing the recommendations made by the NTSB.

However, they maintain the Key Bridge collapse was solely the Dali cargo ship's fault, caused by its owners' negligence.

"Over the past 50 years, hundreds of thousands of vessels transited under the Key Bridge without incident," MDTA said. "The Key Bridge, like other bridges in America, was approved and permitted by the federal government and in compliance with those permits."

MDTA says it will provide an update to NTSB within 30 days to detail any action it will take regarding the Bay Bridge after an evaluation of the pier protection systems, operational changes, and vessel transit procedures.

"The evaluation is being conducted using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials methodology and was underway when the NTSB requested its results last fall," MDTA said. MDTA is committed to evaluating and implementing operational changes and vessel transit procedures for both the new Key Bridge and the Bay Bridge "

U.S. Army of Engineers issues permit for reconstruction

Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its permit decisions which granted the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) permission to rebuild the Key Bridge.

Some of the permissions include specific parameters for dredging in the water, modifications and discharging any dredged or fill material.

In-water construction of the new bridge, which will connect the I-695 Baltimore Beltway, is expected to begin in the fall of 2024, but that will also require similar permit verification from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The rebuild is expected to be completed by fall 2028. Kiewit Infrastructure estimated that the project will cost about $2 billion.

"Less than one year after the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore District is proud to have provided fair and efficient permitting efforts to enable the construction of a new bridge," Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera said. "To have both removed the bridge wreckage and issued relevant permits for its reconstruction on this timetable is a testament to our dedicated Regulatory Branch and our mission to support an energetic economy across the Mid-Atlantic."

For about two months, the MDTA has been working on pre-construction activities around the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which involves gathering data about the riverbed and soil sampling. 

MDTA authorizes construction contracts

In February 2025, the MDTA authorized three contracts for the Key Bridge reconstruction, which are for construction management and inspection services worth $20 million each.

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved contracts with Greenman-Pederson, Inc./Gannett Fleming, Inc.; Michael Baker International, Inc./STV, Inc.; and AECOM Technical Services, Inc.

The consulting teams will oversee various aspects of the reconstruction, including constructability reviews, inspections of erosion control, traffic maintenance, materials testing, and scheduling. They will work alongside MDTA's General Engineering Consultant and Kiewit Infrastructure Co., the project's design builder.

Key Bridge design

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the MDTA unveiled the design for the new Key Bridge. The latest build will visually mimic the original bridge's architecture while having structural improvements.   

Plans for the new Key Bridge reveal significant changes to accommodate larger vessels, with the shipping channel expanding from 700 to 1,000 feet wide under a cable stay design.

The bridge's clearance will increase by 45 feet, reaching a height of 230 feet above the water, to allow for greater ship traffic. 

How will the bridge be funded?

After the collapse, former President Joe Biden said he would push the federal government to pay for the cost of the bridge's reconstruction, later approving $60 million in emergency relief funding to recover debris from the Patapsco River. 

In November 2024, money for the rebuild was included in a  $100 billion disaster fund request sent to Congress. 

In December 2024, lawmakers announced that federal funding would cover the full cost of the rebuild.