Mackinac Bridge is among 68 U.S. bridges NTSB recommends for risk-of-collapse evaluation
Michigan's Mackinac Bridge is among 68 bridges nationwide the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended be evaluated to assess its risk of collapse.
The NTSB issued its full list of bridges recommended to undergo a "vulnerability assessment" to determine their overall risk of collapse if involved in a vessel collision. This list arrives in the wake of last year's deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The 68 bridges on the NTSB list were divided into categories of either "critical/essential" or "typical." Those deemed critical/essential are those that serve as "important links." The Key Bridge had this classification.
The NTSB says their recommendation does not mean that any of the 68 bridges cited are certain to collapse. It clarified that those bridge owners should evaluate whether the bridges are above the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' acceptable level of risk.
Among the other bridges cited by NTSB's list are the Golden Gate Bridge in California, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and the Chicago Skyway.
The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957 and is a major connection between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. It spans five miles long, making it the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world.
Last year, the Mackinac Bridge Authority approved credit card convenience fees for toll payments.
