TAMPA, Fla. — The National Transportation safety board released a report on bridges across the country that need assessment. Of the 68 bridges highlighted, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was among them.

What You Need To Know

  • NTSB report highlights need for new assessments on 68 US bridges, including 2 in Florida 

  • The report comes from the investigation into the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore after it was struck by a container ship in March 2024

  • Sunshine Skyway and Napoleon Bonadarte Broward bridges need a new assessment, according to the report

The report lists the Skyway Bridge as “critical or essential” to be assessed for risk. The NTSB wants to be clear that this does not mean it is in danger of collapsing.

The NTSB report released a report titled “Safeguarding Bridges from Vessel Strikes: Need for Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Reduction Strategies."

It mentions both the Sunshine Skyway and Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge in Jacksonville. They were the only two Florida bridges mentioned.

Both are considered critical or essential because vessels frequently travel near these bridges and because they serve as important links in the strategic highway network.

The NTSB is advising the owners of the bridges to calculate the probability that they could collapse if hit by a ship, using the risk threshold established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials.

All the bridges on the list were assessed on a scale that was created in 1991. That was in response to the investigation into the Sunshine Skyway’s collapse back in 1980.

The recent report was released in the ongoing investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which fell after it was hit by a container ship on March 26 of last year.