Safeguarding B.C. bridges against potential ship collisions

The tragic bridge collapse in Baltimore is what experts call an unusual incident, but it’s something that also hits close to home. Vancouver is home to Canada’s busiest port, and massive ships like this one make their way in our waters every day. So, what are some of the things being done to prevent ship strikes here?

Safeguarding B.C. bridges

The more vessels that we see, the greater the risk could be. I mean, again, this is a very, very small risk. We are well on this path of looking at protective measures. Take the Lion’s Gate Bridge, for example. It spans one of BC’s busiest waterways. According to this 2018 report, about 4,500 vessel trips pass under the bridge every year.

That’s projected to go up to about 6,300 trips per year over the next 25 years. That risk assessment found the South Steel Tower to be a key vulnerability to vessel strikes. But the state says one solution in the works is adding a rock berm, a mini island of rocks that protect the bridge from being hit. Because of the steep angle of the rocks, when something hits it, it can only go so far through it before it actually just gets grounded, essentially.

The North Tower had a rock berm placed in the ’80s. It’s not clear when the rock berm will be complete for the South Tower, and a lot of influencing factors to that need to be well understood to ensure that we have the appropriate design.

The Iron Workers Memorial Bridge is also getting updated by adding protective columns called dolphins. Essentially, if something were to hit it, it would get deflected away from it and also absorb any impact or help lessen the energy that was going through it. Now, neither of these bridges have had catastrophic collisions, but there have been other incidents in BC’s history. In 1979, the Second Narrows CN Rail Bridge was struck by a cargo ship carrying logs during heavy fog. That bridge was closed for six months. And in 2011, a gravel barge struck the Queensboro Railway Bridge in New Westminster. It was inoperable for two months, causing major traffic disruption. Now, the Vancouver Port Authority says one of its mitigation strategies is to do simulations with pilots in case there is ever a power outage on a ship.

Overall, experts say it’s important to keep assessing the risk of ship strikes.

I think it’s high time that we learn from this incident and make sure that our existing infrastructure are well in position to deal with not only this kind of ship collisions that we observe today but other kinds of human or natural disasters that are happening around the world. Proactive efforts to build better resilience in these coastal waters.