National Transportation Safety Board flags bridges in Houston area that need assessment

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new report by the National Transportation Safety Board highlights a couple of bridges in the Houston area that need to be assessed.

The information came to light as the NTSB released the report one year after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which federal regulators say could have been avoided.

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

The NTSB identified 68 bridges in its report that span waterways frequented by vessels like cargo ships built before 1991, and not currently vulnerable. In Houston, that includes the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge, the Fred Hartman Bridge, and the Sidney Sherman Bridge.

The Harris County Toll Road owns the Ship Chanel Bridge, while TxDOT owns the other two. With its report, the NTSB wants them to assess whether the bridges are vulnerable to being hit by a ship and, if the risk is above acceptable levels, create a plan to reduce that risk.

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Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Eyewitness News looked into the risks for bridges in our area. The Port of Houston is the fifth largest port in the country and handles 73% of container ships in the Gulf. Experts say it's unlikely that what happened in Baltimore could happen in Houston.

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