After the horrific collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday, many in Louisiana are concerned if it could happen here.
State Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallet said bridges in Louisiana with large vessel traffic have a fender system around the supports to prevent a ship from knocking down the bridge.
“And what it’s designed to do is deflect. Kind of like a guard rail does. When you hit that it’s supposed to deflect you, so you don’t hit the bridge head-on,” said Mallet.
And while not every bridge has a fender system in Louisiana, Mallet said for those waterways where cargo ships and other large vessels travel, a fender system is in place.
“The Mississippi River Bridge, has a very robust fender system and it gets hit about once every couple of years, and we have to repair the fender system. But nothing to the pier,” said Mallet.
And until the investigation of the bridge collapse in Baltimore is completed Mallet said it’s hard to answer if exactly what happened there could happen here.
