Pelican Island Bridge was closed to all vehicles after it was hit by a barge at approximately 10 a.m. Central on Wednesday, May 15.
The City of Galveston, Texas, initially reported no injuries. However, the collision resulted in a temporary power outage on Pelican Island and an oil spill in the surrounding bay.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the spill to initiate containment and cleanup. A report by KPRC-TV in Houston said the intercoastal waterway was shut down due to the oil spill. Vessel traffic is suspended as officials continue to survey the damage.
One lane of the Pelican Island Bridge was temporarily reopened to allow for evacuations, but vehicles were not being allowed to drive back to Pelican Island, and it remained closed to all other traffic, according to a City of Galveston social media post.
Emergency officials from the City of Galveston, Galveston County, Texas A&M University at Galveston, U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Department of Transportation were continuing response efforts as well as the investigation as of Thursday, May 16.
Martin Midstream Partners L.P. owns the barge and said in a statement to a Houston television station that the barge broke loose from its tow. The company also said it was assisting with salvage efforts and confirmed that no additional product was leaking from the barge.
Local officials said the barge had a 30,000-gallon capacity, but it was unclear how much spilled from it.
Pelican Island Bridge is the lone road connecting Pelican Island to Galveston.
According to one local official, the county has been trying to replace the bridge for some time.
“It was in bad shape before this accident, and that’s going to cause some significant disruptions to Pelican Island,” Galveston County Judge Mark Henry told KTRK-TV. “People are going to have no real way to get there and back.”
Texas A&M University canceled classes at its Galveston Campus following the closure of the bridge.
A timeline for the potential reopening of Pelican Island Bridge was unknown as of Thursday, May 16, according to local reports.
Bridge issues
On March 26, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after it was hit by a cargo ship. Six fatalities resulted from the collapse. An emergency order remains in effect through June 8.
Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Conn., was closed for several days after a tanker truck caught fire in a three-vehicle crash on May 2 and damaged a bridge over the highway. LL
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