Video: Barge Hits Bridge Linking Galveston to Texas A&M Maritime Academy
On Wednesday morning, a barge hit a bridge to Pelican Island close to Galveston, Texas, shutting down a highway causeway and spilling oil into the water. The highway connects quite a lot of shipyard and maritime enterprises – together with Texas A&M University’s maritime school – with the remainder of town.
Galveston’s workplace of emergency administration mentioned that the barge hit the bridge at about 0930 on Wednesday morning. Video from the scene seems to indicate that the barge struck a decommissioned rail bridge, which runs parallel to the causeway. A span of the rail bridge has collapsed.
The extent of the barge’s penetration past the rail bridge – in direction of the separate causeway construction utilized by highway automobiles – was not instantly clear. The Texas Department of Transportation is on scene and evaluating the harm.
???? BREAKING REPORT: Barge Collision Causes Chaos in Galveston, Texas
In a startling incident early this morning, a barge collided with a bridge in Galveston, Texas, resulting in an oil spill and structural harm. Here’s what we all know to this point:
•Time of… pic.twitter.com/3w463ixVkO
— The Breaking Report (@TheBreakingRprt) May 15, 2024
??Here’s one other footage of a barge hitting the Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston, Texas.
Chemicals may be seen trailing off from the barge into the water.
There are not any stories of harm right now.@SGTnewsNetwork pic.twitter.com/e2kbMZ5Xhh
— ????????Salty Texan (@texan_maga) May 15, 2024
In an announcement, Texas A&M University confirmed that the bridge is now closed to all visitors. Electricity to the island was additionally briefly interrupted however has now been reconnected. An incident command middle has been arrange on campus and is working with state officers to find out the affect of the bridge shutdown on the varsity.
Over the course of the day, first responders and highway engineers supervised a sequence of auto evacuations on one lane solely, permitting residents and staff to get from Pelican Island to the Galveston aspect of the bridge.
Because of the oil air pollution within the water, the U.S. Coast Guard has briefly shut down a brief stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway whereas cleanup efforts are beneath method.
Courtesy Galveston Office of Emergency Management
