WASHINGTON — The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Key Bridge Tuesday triggered a substantial, widespread investigation and search for answers.
“Big weight doesn't need a lot of speed to create a big force,” said renowned Structural Engineer Allyn Kilsheimer whose resume includes assessing buildings and bridges after disasters like the 911 attacks on the Pentagon, the Washington Monument after the 2011 earthquake, and the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in 2021.
“It’s a huge puzzle,” explained Kilsheimer discussing the investigation surrounding the collapse of the Francis Key Bridge and the possible scenarios authorities will have to consider.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened to the public on March 23, 1977. To date, more than 30,000 commuters use the bridge daily. No recent safety issues were documented with the bridge, a review of state safety showed. A 2018 review of bridges throughout the region also did not show any documented hazards with the Key bridge either.
Kilsheimer said the way the bridge was constructed resulted in the total collapse of the bridge.
“It's a truss bridge,” he said. “It means all the structure that you see above the level of the deck is what holds it up. And so those trusses span horizontally. They are supported by piers that go down into the water and go into foundations.”
He added, “It's designed as one whole thing.”
If one of the piers of the bridge is compromised, it affects the integrity of the entire bridge resulting in complete failure.
Federal, state, and local agencies are currently investigating including the NTSB. Familiar with those investigations, Kilsheimer said authorities will take a comprehensive look at the events and all possible variables that contributed to the bridge collapse.
“You would want to know the mass of the ship and the speed of the ship and the angle that it hit whatever it hit,” said Kilsheimer. “Then you need to get the original design drawings of the bridge and look at what the elements are that the ship hit.”
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