GW Engineering faculty are regularly sought out by the media to provide research-based insight about national issues and global challenges. The recent collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland had many practitioners asking questions of how, why, and what’s next. Below is a summary of the expertise provided by GW Engineering faculty around this topic.
WRC-NBC4 interviewed professor Sameh Badie for the segment, “Engineer explains: Why couldn’t the Key Bridge withstand the ship crash,” in which he used a model bridge to visually explain why the Key Bridge couldn’t withstand the crash.
Here is an excerpt from the interview: “This type of bridge is a continuous steel truss bridge. It is a through bridge, which is made from three spans. The center span, which has an arch on top of it, is about a 1,200-foot long span. The failure that happened, unfortunately, was the ship hit one of the piers of the bridge, and the bridge is not designed to span right now for this distance.”
Watch the full interview on WRC-NBC4.
In the article “Engineering experts explain why Baltimore bridge collapsed after being hit by ship,” The National Desk interviewed professor emerita W. M. Kim Roddis about the structure of the bridge itself as investigations are being launched to piece together what caused the crash and why the bridge collapsed upon impact.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “I don’t think there’s any problem with the structure,” Roddis said, noting she looked at the navigation charts for the Baltimore Harbor.
Read the full article on The National Desk.
In the article “Time, money, lost business are part of hefty price tag to rebuild critical Baltimore bridge,” USA Today interviewed professor Sameh Badie about the varying factors affecting the cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Sameh Badie, engineering professor at George Washington University, said the cost of rebuilding the bridge will also depend on the new design.”
Read the full article on USA Today.
In the article “Outmoded bridge design likely contributed to catastrophic loss in Baltimore,” Politico interviewed professor Sameh Badie about how the lack of “fenders,” which are now a standard issue for new bridges, heightened the impact of the collision.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “If we have a fender around the pier or a man-made island – which is going to at least reduce the impact force on the pier, even if the ship reaches the pier – it’s going to be a much better situation compared to what we have seen,” Badie said.
Read the full article on Politico.
In the article “2 bodies in Baltimore bridge collapse recovered; 4 others remain missing: Live updates,” USA Today provided a summary of news updates on the bridge collapse for Wednesday, March 27th. In the section discussing the methods authorities intend to use to remove ship debris from the water, the author interviewed associate professor Joseph Barbera, along with several other experts.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Joseph Barbera, an associate professor at George Washington University whose research focuses on emergency and risk management, largely agreed with Simpson and emphasized that the degree of the damage will determine the process of removing the ship.”
Read the full article on USA Today.
In the article “Building a new Key Bridge could take years and cost at least $400 million, experts say,” the Associated Press covered speculation on the cost and time it will take to rebuild the Key Bridge through interviews with engineering professors like professor Sameh Badie.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “A project like this is going to be expedited, so everything is going to cost a lot more,” Badie said.
Read the full article in the Associated Press.
In the article “Baltimore bridge rebuild could take up to 10 years,” Fox reported on the state of the bridge and interviewed professor Sameh Badie for his expertise on how long it will take to rebuild.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “And Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, tells the news outlet the cost of rebuilding the bridge will also depend on the new design.”
Read the full article on Fox.
In the article “Baltimore bridge collapse will send more cargo ships to N.J.,” NJ.com interviewed professor emerita W. M. Kim Roddis for her expertise on how the collapse of the Key Bridge will affect New Jersey ports and change the future of bridge design to emphasize safety.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Baltimore ships could be diverted to ports in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania including the Port of New York and New Jersey’s four container terminals at Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal, Port Jersey Marine Terminal in Bayonne, Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island, and Red Hook Marine Terminal in Brooklyn, Roddis said.”
Read the full article on NJ.com.
In the article “Concrete structures meant to protect Baltimore bridge appear unchanged for decades,” NPR interviewed professor emerita W. M. Kim Roddis about the four structures, known as dolphins, built around the Key Bridge that are meant to prevent collisions such as this.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Even so, satellite imagery shows the dolphins constructed around the Betsy Ross Bridge appear more robust than the ones surrounding the now collapse bridge in Baltimore, said Kim Roddis, a structural engineer and professor at George Washington University.”
Read the full article on NPR.
In the article “Bridge projects across U.S. offer clues to what may replace Baltimore’s fallen span,” NPR interviewed professor Sameh Badie about different safety features that can be incorporated into the Key Bridge’s new design to offer protection against future collisions and how they will affect costs.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Sameh Badie, a professor at George Washington University's School of Engineering & Applied Science, says major bridges are designed to last a minimum of 75 years, assuming they are properly maintained, though most are expected to last much longer. Anticipating future capacity over many decades necessitates a certain amount of crystal-ball gazing, he says.”
Read the full article on NPR.