Barge Allision Damages Galveston Bridge, Causes Spill

On the morning of May 15, a barge struck the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge to Pelican Island near Galveston, Texas, partially collapsing a rail trestle that ran alongside the road bridge. According to one local news source, the barge separated from the boat pushing it before striking the bridge. One barge worker was reportedly knocked into the water but was rescued. The boat was operated by Martin Petroleum.

Galveston’s office of emergency management said that the barge hit the bridge at about 10 a.m. Video from the scene shows the barge striking the decommissioned rail bridge and collapsing part of its span, some of which landed on the barge.

An undetermined amount of oil from the barge was visually confirmed in the water. The spill prompted a temporary closure of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Mile 350.5 to Mile 357, according to the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management. The bridge is on a side channel, so any further disruptions to water traffic on the GIWW were expected to be minor.

The strike shut down the road causeway that connects a shipyard and various maritime enterprises—including Texas A&M University’s maritime college—with the rest of the city of Galveston, and it temporarily cut power to the campus until backup power was restored. The 200 students on the island were allowed to use the road bridge to evacuate, although some chose to remain. The university said the campus would remain closed until May 17.

The extent of the barge’s penetration beyond the rail bridge toward the road causeway structure was not immediately clear. Originally opened in 1960, the bridge was rated by Federal Highway Administration officials as “poor” last year.