The Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester is well protected should a ship ever approach on a collision course like the container ship Dali that took out the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore March 26, writes Larry Higgs for NJ.com.
The bridge’s two piers are surrounded by large artificial stone islands in the Delaware River.
After the Key Bridge collapse, the Delaware River Port Authority hired a professional engineering firm to evaluate the current in-water bridge protections for the Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, said Mike Williams, communications manager for the Delaware River Port Authority.
The Commodore Barry Bridge was also the subject of a 2005 vessel collision protection study that led to the 2008 construction of the islands.
“We have considered a vessel similar to the one that struck the Key Bridge in our threat assessment studies,” Williams said. “The rock islands at the Commodore Barry Bridge are rated to be able to withstand a 125,000-ton ship traveling at 10 knots.”
Each stone island weighs 155,700 tons, so a vessel would likely run aground before striking a bridge pier, Williams said.
“To the best of our knowledge, no ship has ever struck a DRPA bridge,” Williams said.
Read more about the collision safety status of area bridges in NJ.com.
