[Breaking] On Wednesday morning, a barge hit a bridge to Pelican Island near Galveston, Texas, shutting down a road causeway and spilling oil into the water. The road connects a variety of shipyard and maritime enterprises - including Texas A&M University's maritime college - with the rest of the city.
Galveston's office of emergency management said that the barge hit the bridge at about 0930 on Wednesday morning. Video from the scene appears to show 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 beyond the rail bridge - towards the separate causeway structure used by road vehicles - was not immediately clear. The Texas Department of Transportation is on scene and evaluating the damage.
#Breaking #Galveston #Barge
— The Breaking Report (@TheBreakingRprt) May 15, 2024
???? 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, leading to an oil spill and structural damage. Here’s what we know so far:
•Time of… pic.twitter.com/3w463ixVkO
??Here's another footage of a barge hitting the Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston, Texas.
— ????????Salty Texan (@texan_maga) May 15, 2024
Chemicals can be seen trailing off from the barge into the water.
There are no reports of injury at this time.@SGTnewsNetwork pic.twitter.com/e2kbMZ5Xhh
In a statement, Texas A&M University confirmed that the bridge is now closed to all traffic. Electricity to the island was also briefly interrupted but has now been reconnected. An incident command center has been set up on campus and is working with state officials to determine the impact of the bridge shutdown on the school. The college's administrators plan to issue regular updates as more information becomes available.
Courtesy Galveston Office of Emergency Management
