GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The stunning collapse Tuesday of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that presumably killed six people has renewed bridge safety concerns nationwide, including right here in Northeast Wisconsin.
Although the Great Lakes shipping season opened early last week, marine traffic has yet to arrive in Green Bay. When they do, ship captains will once again face the narrow Fox River Shipping Channel, which can present its own challenges.
“The vessels that ply the Great Lakes are under the same constraints of power and steerage. We do have ample practice and contingency plans with the waterway safety committee,” said Port of Green Bay Director Dean Haen.
He said that committee plans what to do in the event of a collision-related incident like the one that occurred in Baltimore. Haen added that although accidents can always happen, there are safety procedures in place to try to prevent catastrophic incidents.
“On the waterways side, the bridges are well-lit. There are kingpin structures in that which are protecting approaches of the bridges, to reduce the chance of any type of collision hitting the physical structure of the bridge.”
Despite those precautions, a ship slamming into a bridge is something that’s happened before in Northeast Wisconsin.
In 2017, a 700-foot cargo ship called the Kaye E. Barker hit the Green Bay CityDeck while trying to maneuver through the Main Street Bridge (also known as the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge) at a tight angle. No injuries were reported.
Thomas Wynne, vice president and general counsel of the Interlake Steamship Company, explained the dilemma.
“The captain had to use his bow thruster to bring the bow back in line with the channel. This is just one of those spots where it’s an angled draw and that CityDeck is fairly close to the edge of the channel.”
Haen said, “Vessels, just as trains, they take a long time to stop.”
In addition to Brown County addressing waterway ship traffic, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation works to maintain all 14,000 bridges in the state — including those over the Fox River. A statement to FOX 11 from WisDOT reads:
Our thoughts are with those involved in the bridge incident in Baltimore. Safety is our top priority at WisDOT. We work to ensure all of the more than 14,000 bridges in Wisconsin are designed and inspected with safe travel in mind. WisDOT’s Bureau of Structures has a comprehensive bridge design, construction, inspection, and bridge management program. Bridge designs conform to national standards and accommodate anticipated vessel travel in the area. WisDOT’s rigorous inspection program allows for routine inspections to assess the condition of bridges throughout the state and ensure each structure is safe for the traveling public.
Haen emphasized that incidents involving bridges and cargo ships are rare and safeguards are in place to ensure smooth sailing.
“When you have saltwater vessels or foreign vessels coming into the system… as a layer of protection, a pilot will get on board,” he said.
For more information on the port of Green Bay, click here.
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