RITBA conducting risk assessment of Newport Pell Bridge

NEWPORT, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority said it is conducting a risk assessment of the Newport Pell Bridge in response to a letter from the National Transport Safety Board. 

On March 20, the NTSB said that the Newport Pell Bridge was identified as one of 68 needing review to assess the danger of collapse after a vessel strike, and recommended RITBA to perform a risk assessment of the bridge. The NTSB said that the review came as part of investigations into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March 2024.

In response, RITBA said it began to review the vulnerability of the bridge’s infrastructure and search for engineering firms with experience in vessel strike analysis.

RITBA said it has given initial tasks to an engineering firm “experienced in performing vulnerability assessments of this nature.” RITBA is still finalizing the task order.

The risk assessment will include “analysis of historical vessel traffic using AIS data, waterway characteristics, navigation procedures, geotechnical and bathymetric data, and structural engineering specifications of the bridge,” according to RITBA.

The assessment is expected to be completed in about six months.

“Our research indicates that the vessels navigating the area are smaller than the container vessel involved in the Key Bridge incident,” RITBA Executive Director Lori Caron Silveira said. “Furthermore, existing pilot practices, navigational controls, and the design and construction of the main Pell Bridge piers, which extend approximately 100 to 150 feet below mean high water, constitute additional protective factors.”