NTSB Report recommends local bridges be included in national safety inspections

NTSB Report recommends local bridges be included in national safety inspections

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as part of its investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore a year ago, is recommending that 68 bridges nationwide be evaluated to determine their hardiness in case of a ship strike. The Baltimore bridge was hit by a 1000 foot long container ship and collapsed.

On the list are three local bridges: the Astoria Megler Bridge, the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, and the St Johns Bridge in Portland.

The NTSB recommendations are purely precautionary and not based on existing safety concerns. The NTSB believes that had the Baltimore bridge been inspected as they are recommending now, that tragedy could have been avoided.

The NTSB has compiled a list of bridges nationwide in need of assessment, based on criteria such as age, clearance, and whether they have support piers in the water.

The first day of Spring is here

The first day of Spring is here

Today we’ll talk about the vernal equinox, the first day of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Did you know that the sun rises exactly in the east today and sets precidely in the west? We’ll talk about this and other interesting fact about the first day of spring.

The Tug Aurora and her barge, the Aloha Spirit, at anchor off Astoria.

A really big wave offshore, and a look at the concept of significant wave height

A really big wave offshore, and a look at the concept of significant wave height

We recently saw a 63-foot wave off the mouth of the river in the ocean, recorded by a data buoy offshore. While this is a big wave for us, it’s also within the parameters of a set of wave parameters called “significant wave height.”