Prominent Bridge Engineer Says He’s ‘Not Surprised’ About How Baltimore Bridge Collapsed

A renowned British structural engineer specializing in bridge design says he was “not surprised” at the collapse of 📍Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a container ship named Dali heading to Sri Lanka, crashed into it and caused it to fall into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning.

After analyzing video of the bridge’s collapse, Ian Firth observed what seemed to be two defensive barriers in the water adjacent to the bridge, which are designed to shield maritime 🏗️Infrastructure from vessel impacts and are referred to as “dolphins,” the Washington Post reported.

Firth pointed out that because the Dali approached the Key Bridge “at an angle,” it rendered these protective measures ineffective in preventing the collision that resulted in the bridge’s collapse.

He said had the Dali been traveling straight on instead of at an angle, it likely would have hit the protective objects around the bridge, and he noted that if there were more vessel-protection objects around the bridge, instead of just two, the Key Bridge might still be standing.