The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, after its support column was struck by a container ship, sent shockwaves through the United States as rescue efforts continued into evening to find six construction workers who fell into the Patapsco River around 1:30 a.m.
It also prompted a question: Could something like it happen in Western New York, which has several major bridges and its own history as a commercial port?
Several experts said a similar incident is virtually impossible here.
“I don’t think people need to have any concerns about a collision putting them in danger in our part of the world,” said Darrell Kaminski, an assistant professor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, who previously worked in the state Department of Transportation for more than three decades.
Rescuers are searching for survivors after a ship hit the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore and caused it to collapse. CNN’s Gabe Cohen re…
Kaminski emphasized that the Peace Bridge’s five concrete piers, part of the bridge substructure, have several purposes: structural soundness for the 5,800-foot-long bridge and a deterrent to damage from collisions and natural disasters, but also to withstand the Niagara River’s strong current and ice chunks.
“The piers are really robust,” Kaminski said.
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