A barge crashed into a causeway connecting Galveston, Texas, to a small island on Wednesday morning, sending debris and oil into the Gulf, officials said.
The Pelican Island Bridge crash around 10 a.m. closed the causeway to vehicular traffic until further notice and cut off the only road to the island, the city of Galveston said in a statement. There were no reports of injuries. This bridge connects the north side of Galveston Island with the south side of Pelican Island, where the Texas A&M University campus and two museums are located.
The barge has a capacity of 30,000 gallons, but it's unclear how much oil spilled into Galveston Bay, according to the Galveston County Emergency Management Agency. said on social media.
Boat traffic in the strait was temporarily suspended and the Texas Department of Transportation is investigating structural damage to the bridge, county officials said. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. There was a brief power outage on Pelican Island, but power was restored by Wednesday afternoon.
Richard Fried, vice president of marine operations for Martin Midstream Partners, said the barge is owned and operated by one of its subsidiaries, Martin Operating Partnership. He said the accident occurred when the barge became detached from its tow and “drifted” onto the bridge.
He said the spill, which he described as “limited”, was contained by Wednesday afternoon.
“We have personnel on scene to assess the damage,” Fried said in an emailed statement. “The company has already contracted with a salvage company to assist in removing the barge from the bridge area.”
The incident comes on the same day that a senior U.S. Coast Guard official told a Congressional committee that states and other bridge operators should evaluate the types of vessels that sail near bridges, especially older vessels. Occurred.
The official, Lt. Gen. Peter Gauthier, is investigating the federal government's response to the March 26 cargo ship crash that caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore to collapse, killing six people and deepening anxiety. He was testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. About the current state of the country's infrastructure.
Galveston said in a statement that city, state and university emergency management officials responded to Wednesday's incident, and the U.S. Coast Guard was assessing the extent of the spill and “beginning the containment and cleanup process.” he added.
Texas A&M University Galveston announced on social media that power has been restored to the campus that houses the school's oceans and maritime programs.
Aerial footage from CBS affiliate KHOU-TV showed what appeared to be an abandoned railroad bridge that ran along the causeway collapsed. A large chunk of concrete and metal lay across the barge's bow, from which a long vein of oil leaked into Galveston Bay. Emergency responders gathered on the road and live footage showed a pickup truck arriving at the bridge.
Pelican Island Bridge is located just west of the Port of Galveston, a deep-sea passageway that is one of the busiest cruise ports in North America. More than 900 cruise ships, cargo ships and other vessels pass through the port each year, according to the website.
The bridge to Pelican Island was built in 1959 and carries an average of about 9,100 cars a day, most of them to and from campus, according to the Houston Chronicle. Most of the island is undeveloped and there is only one main road across the island.
In March, the Galveston County Daily News reported that the Port of Houston Authority approved an agreement with Galveston County to provide $100 million for a new vehicle bridge to the island and $300 million of land for a railroad bridge. Reported.
