MARYLAND – The Maryland Transportation Authority will move forward with the design phase of a $160 million project to improve pier protection at the Bay Bridge, according to a letter sent to the National Transportation Safety Board earlier this month.
The MDTA’s April 19 letter was issued in response to a March 20 request from NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. The request followed the agency’s March 18 report, “Safeguarding Bridges from Vessel Strikes,” which recommended enhanced assessments and strategies to mitigate collision risks at U.S. bridges.
Although not legally required to do so, the MDTA initiated the project in spring 2024 to evaluate and study the Bay Bridge’s protection systems. According to officials, the operational recommendations and concept development phases have been completed, and the design process will begin in summer 2025. MDTA says a timeline for the construction phase is still being determined.
The MDTA reports that Maryland has invested over $175 million in bridge safety and security infrastructure at the site in the past 10 years. According to the MDTA, the current pier protection system complies with its federal permit and, under national standards, does not require modification.
As part of the evaluation, the MDTA contracted the engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol to conduct a $600,000 vessel collision risk assessment. The firm applied the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Method II analysis, a standard used to evaluate the risk of ship strikes on bridges.
According to the MDTA, the study found that the Bay Bridge does not meet the AASHTO risk threshold applied to new bridges. However, the agency said it is developing a risk reduction plan with both short-term and long-term strategies. These could include operational measures like reduced vessel speeds and one-way transits, as well as physical protection measures such as dolphins and pier fenders.
The MDTA said it is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration as part of a multidisciplinary review process. The agency added that any new work will not interfere with ongoing studies to evaluate the potential replacement of the existing bridge spans through the Bay Crossing Study.