Maryland residents unsettled over missed vulnerability assessment of Key Bridge

Maryland residents are unsettled after learning the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) missed a critical assessment that may have reduced the risk of the Key Bridge collapse in 2024, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

On Thursday, March 20, the NTSB revealed the MDTA failed to conduct a Key Bridge vulnerability assessment over the years leading up to the collapse. 

"I was absolutely shocked. It just seemed unimaginable," a Maryland resident told WJZ.

"Terrible, I mean frightening. Who would have thought that the bridge would come down like that?" said Raymond Welzel, another resident. 

Just days shy of one year since the Key Bridge collapsed, and six construction workers were killed, the NTSB said the critical assessment would have allowed them to identify structural risks with the bridge.

"It's one of the heaviest ports on the East Coast, so you would think that would be looked into," said Welzel. "It's somebody's job to ensure that doesn't happen."

"People died, and now what it's going to cost to rebuild it and the inconvenience we're going through, hopefully, people are up in arms about it and will do something about it," said Bob DiMartino, an Anne Arundel County business owner. 

Senator Chris Van Hollen said these findings need to be taken seriously, not just for the Key Bridge, but the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which has yet to undergo a recommended vulnerability assessment.

"The analysis showed that probably preventative measures need to be taken," Van Hollen said.

Missed assessments

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. 

They claimed that 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. 

According to the NTSB, the safety recommendations for the bridge were issued in 1991 and 2009 but were never executed. It was also found that the risk of catastrophic collapse was nearly 30 times higher than acceptable for the Key Bridge and 15 times higher for Pier 17, the pillar struck by the cargo ship.

Statement from MDTA

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

The statement goes on to say the authority maintains that the catastrophe and the tragic loss of life were the sole fault of the DALI and the gross negligence of its owners and operators who put profits above safety.