A barge struck a causeway connecting Galveston, Texas, to a small island Wednesday morning, sending debris and oil into the bay, officials said.
The Pelican Island Bridge was hit around 10 a.m., the city of Galveston said in a statement, and the roadway was closed to vehicle traffic until further notice, cutting off the only road to the island . No injuries were reported. The bridge connects the north side of Galveston Island to the south side of Pelican Island, which is home to a Texas A&M University campus and two museums.
The barge has a capacity of 30,000 gallons, but it is unclear how much oil spilled into Galveston Bay, the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management said. said on social media.
Vessel traffic in the canal was temporarily halted, county officials said, and structural damage to the bridge was being assessed by the Texas Department of Transportation. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Power was temporarily knocked out on Pelican Island, but was restored Wednesday afternoon.
Richard Freed, vice president of Martin Midstream Partners’ marine division, said the barge was owned and operated by one of its subsidiaries, Martin Operating Partnership. The accident occurred, he said, when the barge became detached from its tow cable and “drifted” toward the bridge.
The spill, which he described as “limited,” had been contained by Wednesday afternoon, he said.
“We have staff on site assessing the damage,” Freed said in an emailed statement. “The company has already hired a salvage company to help remove the barge from the bridge area.”
The accident occurred on the same day that a top U.S. Coast Guard official told a congressional committee that states and other bridge operators should evaluate the types of vessels operating near bridges, particularly the most elders.
The official, Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, was testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is examining the federal response to the March 26 cargo ship crash that toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six people and aggravating concerns. on the state of the country’s infrastructure.
The city of Galveston said in its statement that emergency management officials from the city, state and university responded to the accident Wednesday, adding that the U.S. Coast Guard was assessing the extent of the spill and “initiate containment and clean-up processes”.
Texas A&M University Galveston said on social media that power had been restored to campus, which is home to the school’s marine and maritime program.
Aerial footage from CBS affiliate KHOU-TV showed a collapsed portion of what appeared to be an abandoned railroad bridge that ran along the roadway. A large chunk of concrete and metal lay on the bow of the barge as a long vein of oil leaked from it into Galveston Bay. Rescue workers gathered on the roadway and live footage showed vans arriving on the bridge.
The Pelican Island Bridge is just west of the Galveston Harbor, a deep-water shipping channel that is among 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 its website.
The bridge to Pelican Island was built in 1959 and carries an average of about 9,100 cars per day, most of which are heading to and from campus, according to the Houston Chronicle. Most of the island is undeveloped, with only one main road running through it.
In March, the Galveston County Daily News reported that the Port of Houston Authority had approved an agreement with Galveston County to provide land for a new $100 million highway bridge and $300 million for a rail bridge. towards the island.
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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