Earlier this week, a barge collided with a bridge on Pelican Island north of Galveston, Texas. The collision caused a portion of the bridge to collapse, falling onto the barge. According to reports from officials, no injuries were caused by the accident, although two crew members went overboard before being recovered.
However, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry noted the crash caused an oil spill into the surrounding water, where the barge had a capacity of 30,000 gallons. There are no reports on how much oil leaked from the vessel.
Footage of the incident shows the barge plowing into the bridge, causing debris, including pieces of railroad tracks, to fall onto the ship. The cause of the collision has not yet been determined. Pelican Island is connected to Galveston via the bridge, which was initially closed to traffic going in both directions.
The City of Galveston, Texas—Government Facebook page released a statement about the accident, noting that law enforcement and first responders were on the scene mitigating the damage. The message indicated that Pelican Island was not accessible by car at that time.
“The Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston is closed to all vehicular traffic after a barge collision on Wednesday morning at approximately 10 a.m. There were no reported injuries. Pelican Island is inaccessible to car traffic. Emergency management officials from the City of Galveston, Galveston County, Texas A&M University at Galveston, and the state – as well as local fire and police departments, U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Department of Transportation – are responding to the incident,” the post read. “Harborside Drive is open to east-west traffic; however, drivers will not be able to turn north toward Pelican Island from 51st and Harborside. Galveston police officers are in the area detouring traffic.”
The post further noted that, in light of the oil spill, the U.S. Coast Guard was on the scene beginning a “containment and cleanup process.” Furthermore, engineers from the Texas DOT were dispatched to determine the extent of the damage to the bridge’s infrastructure.
The post stated, “The collision has resulted in an oil spill in the bay. The U.S. Coast Guard is responding and will determine the extent of the spill, as well as initiate the containment and cleanup processes. Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation are also enroute to inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage. The bridge will remain closed until it is deemed safe to use. The City of Galveston will provide updates about this as information becomes available.” See footage of the accident below:
Moreover, Texas A&M University at Galveston is located on Pelican Island, where the accident caused disruptions at the campus. “Texas A&M University at Galveston officials are assessing campus impacts in coordination with city, county and state officials and will issue a communication at 12 p.m. and at 2 p.m. through the university’s emergency alert system, university email and social media. This is the latest update as of 12 p.m. The City of Galveston will provide information as it becomes available,” the statement read.
The latest update from the City of Galveston indicated that part of the bridge is now open to traffic going in one direction. “10pm: The bridge is currently open to vehicular traffic in one direction. Cars may exit Pelican Island one at a time. This process is taking some time. Traffic to Pelican Island is pedestrian only. Residents of Pelican Island may cross the bridge by foot,” the update read.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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