CLEVELAND — A new report from the National Transportation Safety Board is urging immediate risk assessments for several Ohio bridges, citing potential vulnerabilities to vessel collisions. The recommendation comes nearly a year after a cargo ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to both its collapse and the deaths of six construction workers.

The report, released earlier this week, highlights bridges across Ohio and 17 other states that could be at risk of catastrophic collapse in the event of a similar impact.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the urgency of bridge owners evaluating their structures for potential weaknesses.

“What we are telling bridge owners is that they need to know the risk and determine what actions they need to take to ensure safety,” Homendy said during a Thursday press conference.

In Cleveland alone, four bridges were identified in the report:

• I-490 bridge (classified as a critical-essential bridge for travel)
• Main Avenue bridge
• Detroit-Superior bridge
• Hope Memorial bridge

Additionally, two bridges in Toledo were flagged for assessments.

The report underscores that while a risk level above the acceptable threshold does not guarantee collapse, it does increase the likelihood of a severe incident. The NTSB stressed that bridge owners must conduct risk evaluations immediately.

The March 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge prompted a national review of bridge vulnerabilities. The NTSB found that had the Maryland Transportation Authority conducted the necessary calculations, it would have recognized that the bridge’s risk was nearly 30 times greater than the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ acceptable threshold, as Homendy shared.

The Ohio Department of Transportation shared the following statement with 3News regarding the NTSB’s report:

“Ships that navigate Ohio’s waterways are much smaller than the international container vessel that struck the Baltimore bridge. Immediately following the incident in Baltimore, ODOT reviewed key bridges and determined protections were in place. ODOT will take a second look at state-owned bridges identified in the NTSB report and follow all recommendations made for those bridges. We are also awaiting additional guidance from the Federal Highway Administration.”

According to the Port of Cleveland, approximately 13 million tons of cargo move through Cleveland Harbor each year, underscoring the importance of maintaining safe and secure bridge infrastructure in the region.