Following Baltimore’s incident, the Galveston Bridge collapsed after a large barge struck it. Concerns over bridge safety intensify amid infrastructure challenges across the US.
![After Baltimore, Now Galveston Bridge Collapses Due To A Large Barge Slamming Into it 1](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-13.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1)
America’s infrastructure is still failing while the Biden administration keeps sending billions of dollars to Ukraine and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is nowhere to be seen. A big barge struck a bridge in Galveston, Texas, earlier today, partially collapsing it.
At approximately 10:00am, a barge owned by Martin Petroleum collided with the Pelican Island Bridge that connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island. Power was temporarily interrupted to Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M Galveston. Secondary power has been restored. pic.twitter.com/5zTOs2ODIb
— Galveston County OEM (@galvcountyoem) May 15, 2024
A portion of the Pelican Island Bridge collapsed as a result of a barge colliding with it, according to Fox 7 Austin. There were no injuries reported. It is the only bridge that leads into and out of the island, though.
BREAKING: Barge strikes bridge in Galveston, Texas, partially collapsing rail line and closing the only road to a small island – AP pic.twitter.com/0vLlWRyqEK
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 15, 2024
About 9,000 people live on the island and the Texas A&M University campus in Galveston.
![After Baltimore, Now Galveston Bridge Collapses Due To A Large Barge Slamming Into it 2](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-11-21.jpg?resize=741%2C622&ssl=1)
Students have been informed by the university that “all vehicular traffic” is suspended on the bridge.
![After Baltimore, Now Galveston Bridge Collapses Due To A Large Barge Slamming Into it 3](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-11.png?resize=552%2C745&ssl=1)
After being sent to the bridge, engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation will “inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage.”
People are once again panicking about a barge hitting a bridge in Galveston, Texas.
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 15, 2024
1) The Pelican Island Causeway isn’t a significant piece of infrastructure, per se. It connects Galveston to Pelican Island which houses two museums and the maritime academy for Texas A&M, but… pic.twitter.com/AFuVrpQK17
The incident occurred about two months after the Port of Baltimore was rendered completely paralyzed when a huge container ship lost power and slammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The vessel is still not out of the way.
BREAKING: Explosives are now being used to attempt to free the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge in Baltimore
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 13, 2024
It has been stuck for 48 days in Baltimore harbor pic.twitter.com/ERPR3Hvjgm
The video footage on X demonstrates that there were no bumper systems or wooden shields to block a direct hit from a vessel on the bridge that connected Pelican Island to Galveston. Numerous bridges around the country are susceptible to ship hits, according to a recent article in The New York Times. That threat is still very real after today.
![After Baltimore, Now Galveston Bridge Collapses Due To A Large Barge Slamming Into it 4](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-12.jpg?resize=800%2C739&ssl=1)
This NYTimes map shows the most endangered bridges in America.
![After Baltimore, Now Galveston Bridge Collapses Due To A Large Barge Slamming Into it 5](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-12.png?resize=800%2C528&ssl=1)
These bridge strikes are a great source of inspiration for America’s foreign adversaries. It’s time for us to demand that the government stop wasting our money on foreign countries and instead safeguard vital infrastructure.
About two months ago, similarly, a ship collided with the Baltimore bridge, and GreatGameIndia reported how, according to data from Vessel Finder and the maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog, the cargo ship that collided with the Baltimore bridge, named the Dali, was also involved in a collision in Antwerp in 2016.