Three Oregon bridges identified in NTSB's nationwide urgent safety assessment

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The National Transportation Safety Board has now issued 4 urgent recommendations on bridges in Oregon and nationwide in the wake of the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore.

READ MORE | MDTA: Key Bridge collapse sole fault of DALI, Bay Bridge evaluation underway

Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy says Maryland authorities could have and should have prevented the incident but failed to conduct risk assessments over the last three decades.

The Key Bridge's pier protection system hadn't been updated since it was built in 1977, which means it was designed when cargo ships were much smaller.

Homendy says her team had to dig for data to run calculations and were surprised by just how poorly the key bridge rated.

"It was recommended by AASHTO in 1991, it was recommended by AASHTO in 2009, they were part of the subcommittee on those recommendations and they especially should have looked at the change in vessel traffic certainly after the 2016 expansion of the Panama Canal," Homendy said.

The NTSB is urging 30 bridge owners to run the numbers on more than five dozen bridges across the country.

Two Oregon-managed bridges and one Washington-managed bridge are on the list: The Astoria Megler Bridge, St. Johns Bridge, and the Lewis and Clark Bridge, respectively.

Homendy says just because they're on the list doesn't mean they're in danger but not knowing the risks is unacceptable.

You can read the full report below:

The Departments of Transportation for both Oregon and Washington told KATU they will follow the NTSB recommendation and evaluate the bridges.

"We are committed to working with ODOT and other partners into the future to ensure bridge safety," a WSDOT spokesperson told KATU in an email.

"We welcome this new assessment because it will help us better understand risks at both of these bridges." an ODOT spokesperson said.

All three bridges are considered to be in "fair" condition, according to recent surveys by both states.

Repair work to the driving surface of the Astoria-Megler bridge is scheduled to start in 2026.