NC State engineer reflects on Baltimore bridge collapse, NC Ports offer help with supply chain network

Triangle-area engineers are playing a major role in bridge safety, though in the case of the Baltimore bridge collapse, it likely wouldn't have made a difference.

At the constructed facilities lab on NC State’s Centennial Campus, engineers are looking at ways to make bridges safer and more effective.

Dr. Greg Lucier said engineers design bridges to absorb or deflect impact but not from something as large as a cargo ship.

"A cargo ship impacting a bridge would be an incredibly rare and incredibly extreme event that would not be expected under normal circumstances," said Lucier. "You’re talking about an impact load, the ship being the load impacting the bridge, that ship is weighing on the order that the bridge is weighing."

Lucier said they are looking at ways to make bridges safer and more effective and will look to learn from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

One piece is from a bridge in Sampson County that was replaced just a few months ago.

Lucier said they will test it to find out if it was replaced too early, too late or right on time.

“We want these structures to be cost effective, to be designed in a way that is efficient but also they must be safe," he said. "And they must be safe over their intended lifetime so the safety is not a negotiable part of the design.”

Part of that safety is considering how something might impact a bridge.

“Loads on the structure would be something factored in and also ways to protect or deflect a vehicle or a ship from critical components would be considered in the design as well,” he said.

Lucier said something like what happened in Baltimore is a catastrophic and rare event. Engineers design for bridges to absorb and take on heavy hits but not at the large scale of a cargo ship.

“You’re talking about an impact load, the ship being the load impacting the bridge, that ship is weighing on the order that the bridge is weighing,” Lucier said.

Lucier said they are learning from the bridge collapse as well. That and other data they collect from tests is used by North Carolina Department of Transportation engineers along with other state agencies and private developers.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority, which operates seaports out of Morehead City and Wilmington, offered a statement to WRAL News in light of the tragedy.

"Our thoughts are with the Port of Baltimore, the community, those directly impacted, and the first responders still engaged in the important search and rescue work," said NC Ports Executive Director Brian Clark. "We are monitoring the situation and are in close communication with our various partners, customers and port users as the situation continues to develop."

"For our host communities, in response to many inquiries we’ve received this morning regarding safe navigation of vessels it is important to note that commercial vessels do not need to navigate under bridges to access either of our deep water ports," said Clark. "We, along with our federal and state agency partners are committed to continually evaluating the safe movement of goods and vessels in and out of our facilities."

"Customers are now evaluating their supply chain options and NC Ports stands ready to assist and support the larger supply chain network as needed."