Baltimore bridge collapse prompts questions to port experts and engineers on Houston's bridges

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge over their ship channel, ABC13 is checking in with Port Houston and the safety measures in place to prevent a similar tragedy.

Port Houston is the fifth largest port in the country, handling 73% of containerships in the Gulf of Mexico and driving much of Houston's economy.

It's a series of events bridge experts say you can't engineer your way out of.

"This was the perfect storm of events," Rice University professor of civil and mechanical engineering Satish Nagarajaiah said.

A large cargo ship appeared to lose power, making a direct hit with a bridge support beam, sending the structure, equipment, and people into the frigid water below.

RELATED: What to know about the massive ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge

Nagarajaiah said it would be near impossible for the situation in Baltimore to play out at the Port of Houston bridges. The Francis Scott Key Bridge support beams are in 20- to 30-foot water, deep enough for a large cargo ship to stay afloat.

In Houston, bridge pylons are in two to three feet of water, which is shallow enough that a ship would run aground before hitting the bridge.

"A vessel that size, 900 feet in length - and by the way, we can take vessels up to 1,100 feet in the Houston Ship Channel - but a vessel that size, depending on the cargo, is going to be drafting somewhere between 10, 15, 20 feet, right? I mentioned those pylons are in two to three feet of water. It's going to be almost impossible for a vessel in our area to hit those pylons," Greater Houston Port Bureau president, Capt. Eric Carrero, said.

The Baltimore support beams were properly protected with large barriers to deflect a ship that gets too close, but a direct hit from a charging ship is a different matter.

"He was trying to steer away from the pier, most likely, but you know ships are huge. They don't steer instantly. They need time to steer, and we'll have to see the investigation to see what really happened," Nagarajaiah said.

RELATED: Here's what surprised a structural engineering professor about the Baltimore bridge collapse

Project 11, a Port Houston ship channel widening project, will allow larger ships into the port, but it's also touted as a safety improvement project. In the works since 2010, the $1 billion project is set to ease congestion in waterways and allow more space for ships to move.

TxDOT reports bridges have to be inspected every 24 months, though bridges like those in ship channels are often inspected continuously. ABC13 is told the biggest threat to bridges in our area is natural disasters like hurricanes. ABC13 has requested the latest safety reports for port bridges in our area.

Engineers Eyewitness News heard from say they're more interested in learning what an investigation will discover about the failure of the ship.

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