Questions have arisen following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore about whether the bridge had adequate impact protection—and how to protect it when it is rebuilt in future.
According to Kent Harries, a professor of structural engineering and mechanics at the University of Pittsburgh, the bridge had so-called dolphin barriers, which are typically rock-pile islands, concrete piles, or masses of sand encased in sheet pile walls to parry ships away from ramming important structures. However, the container ship Dali avoided the dolphin barriers when it crashed into the bridge’s support column on March 26, he said.
