Debate over Whether Protections Could Have Saved Baltimore Bridge
2024-03-31
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1In 2007, when a 274-meter-long container ship struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, it stood firm.
2No one died, either on the ship or the road above.
3The bridge's supports were protected by a fendering system of materials that were designed to soften such a strike.
4Now, people are asking if such a system, or other safety measures, could have saved Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.
5The Key Bridge recently collapsed after the container ship Dali lost power and struck it.
6Sherif El-Tawil is a University of Michigan engineering professor.
7He said there are several safety measures that "would have made a huge difference" had they been in place for the Baltimore bridge.
8El-Tawil said a fendering system could have softened the 300-meter-long ship's strike.
9The system includes long tubes called pilings attached to the river bottom that would have helped move the container ship away from the bridge.
10Another possible protection could have been an island of rocks around the bridge's supports.
11"It may seem like a very large force," El-Tawil said of the cargo ship.
12"But I think you can design around it, either through a protective system or by designing the bridge itself to have massive towers."
13Such protections are being questioned after the disaster, which took the lives of six workers on the Key Bridge.
14Experts say the 47-year-old bridge did not appear to have the protections that are common among newer bridges.
15The incident is raising questions about how much money American taxpayers are willing to spend to protect against these rare but deadly accidents.
16And not everyone agrees the Key Bridge could have been saved.
17Pete Buttigieg is the Transportation Secretary of the U.S.
18He recently said at a White House press conference that there has been a lot of debate about whether any of those protections could have avoided the disaster.
19He said it was a massive strike where the force of about 91,000 metric tons, much larger than a building, hit the bridge.
20Buttigieg did not directly answer a question about whether steps should be taken to protect the nation's bridges.
21But he noted that many bridges have been designed to better protect against strikes since a large truck hit Florida's Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980.
22That disaster killed 35 people.
23Baltimore's Key Bridge opened three years before the disaster in 1977.
24That was a time when container ships were much smaller.
25In recent years, the ships have grown to carry more containers to save on shipping costs.
26Mark Luther is a professor at the University of South Florida (USF) and a director of the USF Center for Maritime and Port Studies.
27Luther said that to go back and add protections to an existing bridge, like the Key Bridge, would be extremely costly.
28He added that to his knowledge no one has done it.
29Officials, he said, have accepted that there is a risk with bridges that were built in the 70s with what was then the latest technology.
30Roberto Leon is a Virginia Tech engineering professor.
31He said the technology is available to protect a bridge against a strike with a massive cargo ship like the Dali.
32But he warned that governments will always be weighing the costs and the risks.
33He questioned whether anyone would design protections for such a massive strike.
34He said, "Would you design it for such an enormous load? Because as the load increases, it becomes much more expensive."
35I'm Gena Bennett.
1In 2007, when a 274-meter-long container ship struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, it stood firm. No one died, either on the ship or the road above. 2The bridge's supports were protected by a fendering system of materials that were designed to soften such a strike. 3Now, people are asking if such a system, or other safety measures, could have saved Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Key Bridge recently collapsed after the container ship Dali lost power and struck it. 4Sherif El-Tawil is a University of Michigan engineering professor. He said there are several safety measures that "would have made a huge difference" had they been in place for the Baltimore bridge. 5El-Tawil said a fendering system could have softened the 300-meter-long ship's strike. The system includes long tubes called pilings attached to the river bottom that would have helped move the container ship away from the bridge. Another possible protection could have been an island of rocks around the bridge's supports. 6"It may seem like a very large force," El-Tawil said of the cargo ship. "But I think you can design around it, either through a protective system or by designing the bridge itself to have massive towers." 7Such protections are being questioned after the disaster, which took the lives of six workers on the Key Bridge. Experts say the 47-year-old bridge did not appear to have the protections that are common among newer bridges. 8The incident is raising questions about how much money American taxpayers are willing to spend to protect against these rare but deadly accidents. And not everyone agrees the Key Bridge could have been saved. 9Pete Buttigieg is the Transportation Secretary of the U.S. He recently said at a White House press conference that there has been a lot of debate about whether any of those protections could have avoided the disaster. He said it was a massive strike where the force of about 91,000 metric tons, much larger than a building, hit the bridge. 10Buttigieg did not directly answer a question about whether steps should be taken to protect the nation's bridges. But he noted that many bridges have been designed to better protect against strikes since a large truck hit Florida's Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980. That disaster killed 35 people. 11Baltimore's Key Bridge opened three years before the disaster in 1977. That was a time when container ships were much smaller. In recent years, the ships have grown to carry more containers to save on shipping costs. 12Mark Luther is a professor at the University of South Florida (USF) and a director of the USF Center for Maritime and Port Studies. 13Luther said that to go back and add protections to an existing bridge, like the Key Bridge, would be extremely costly. He added that to his knowledge no one has done it. Officials, he said, have accepted that there is a risk with bridges that were built in the 70s with what was then the latest technology. 14Roberto Leon is a Virginia Tech engineering professor. He said the technology is available to protect a bridge against a strike with a massive cargo ship like the Dali. 15But he warned that governments will always be weighing the costs and the risks. He questioned whether anyone would design protections for such a massive strike. 16He said, "Would you design it for such an enormous load? Because as the load increases, it becomes much more expensive." 17I'm Gena Bennett. 18Ben Finley reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19___________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21fender - n. a soft solid object such as an old tire or a piece of rope that is hung over the side of a boat so the boat is not damaged if it touches another boat, a wall 22huge - adj. very large 23massive - adj. very large, heavy and solid 24tower - n. a tall narrow building or part of a building, especially of a church or castle 25enormous - adj. extremely large