How many bridges are vulnerable to ship collisions? Researchers want to know

Jun 03, 2024

Quick Fix

— Could something like the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse happen again? Researchers from Johns Hopkins are studying this question.

— FAA's Mike Whitaker goes to the Hill to brief members on Boeing's safety plan, which the company submitted last week.

— Airports in 34 states across the country get big money from a 2021 infrastructure law.

IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. We’re glad you’re here. Send tips, feedback and song lyrics to Chris at cmarquette@politico.com and Oriana at opawlyk@politico.com and follow us at, @oriana0214 and @ChrisMarquette_.

"Oh, I been on for a thousand nights/ New York to London, different city every day, yeah."

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Driving the day

BEYOND BALTIMORE'S BRIDGE: Spurred by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, engineers at Johns Hopkins University are studying whether other bridges in the country are vulnerable to collisions with ships the size of the Dali.

Aided by a phalanx of students (and a National Science Foundation Rapid Response Research grant), the study's authors are also exploring whether the U.S. has underestimated how likely these kinds of collisions are.

— Your MT host caught up with research lead Michael Shields, a Johns Hopkins professor and engineer specializing in risk assessment, who said he got the idea to pursue the research shortly after the collapse. A colleague, Benjamin Schafer, emailed him wondering what the probability of an incident like that happening actually was. After some thought and back-of-the-envelope calculations, Shields answered that it's “probably higher than we would have expected it to be."

— The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials anticipates the annual bridge collapse probability to be one in 10,000 — but Shields said his team's "preliminary calculations show that we think it’s substantially higher than that." And considering how much bridges cost to build, it's imperative to “know what the real risk is before we make those investments," he said.

HOW WILL THEY DO IT? The academics will parse through global shipping data, examine shipping traffic under major bridges and look at how frequently ships deviate from their paths. They'll use that to assess the probability a ship will collide with a bridge and if that bridge will subsequently collapse. Shields said his team has coordinated with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s staff and they are aware of the study.

— The team expects to share preliminary results with stakeholders by summer’s end. The full study should take around a year.

WH TASK FORCE MEETING ON BRIDGE: The National Economic Council on Thursday convened a meeting with the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to strategize about the reopening of the Port of Baltimore and what actions the federal government can take.

Aviation

WHITAKER TO THE HILL: FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker has a busy June ahead of him. He's kicking it off with a visit to the Hill on Tuesday to update members of the House Transportation Committee about Boeing's progress on systemic safety and quality control issues since a door plug blew off a 737 MAX plane in January. Boeing submitted its action plan to the FAA last week and released a 10-page executive summary.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING FOR: Primarily, what Whitaker tells lawmakers about Boeing's progress, and what they take away from his remarks.

Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who chairs the committee, has said repeatedly that he needs a complete picture of what happened and a better sense of how to fix deficits — buttressed by investigative reports and data — before drafting any legislative response.

Although a legislative response might take a while, the panel could hold fact finding hearings in the meantime. For instance, Graves called a hearing examining the federal response to the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, even though the NTSB is over a year away from releasing its report.

A THOUGHT BUBBLE: As part of its action plan, Boeing listed several performance metrics that FAA would use to partially gauge its progress. But aviation journalist Jon Ostrower asks: If Boeing says these performance indicators are “new” steps to improve on its procedures, “what exactly was Boeing doing” before the Alaska Airlines’ incident?

DEVIL'S IN THE (IMPLEMENTATION) DETAILS: Ed Pierson, a whistleblower and former senior manager for Boeing’s 737 MAX program, echoed those sentiments, questioning what Boeing’s been up to since it promised similar action following the 2018 and 2019 MAX 8 crashes.

Pierson said of the latest plan: "That all sounds good, right? No one's gonna argue that this isn't [good], that reducing quality defects is not important, stabilizing production is not important, training employees — all of this is important. It's just, are they going to do it?”

BOEING STARLINER LAUNCH DELAYED: Boeing's initial try to fly its Starliner spacecraft with astronauts aboard was pushed back on Saturday shortly before it was set to take off, the Washington Post reported. An automated computer system called the delay and NASA said it would reschedule the launch this week.

BIG INFUSION OF MONEY TO AIRPORTS: The FAA awarded $186.7 million in federal funds to 91 airports from the 2021 infrastructure law for what DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg called "crucial upgrades," the Biden administration announced Friday. Among the largest awards are:

— $61.8 million for Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan to provide a path for aircraft rescue firefighting trucks and other airport vehicles.
— $23.5 million for San Diego’s International Airport in California to build a new 30-gate terminal.
— $19.7 million for Kodiak Airport to reconstruct a taxiway to meet FAA standards and improve safety.

NTSB INVESTIGATING CLOSE CALL AT REAGAN NATIONAL: The NTSB announced Friday it is investigating a near miss that happened last week at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

On the Hill

APPROPRIATIONS SZN IS UPON US: Congress is readying itself for a 2025 fiscal pileup on issues from the debt ceiling to budget caps. The House is preparing to pass its GOP-written funding bills this week — its first step toward addressing a fiscal menace that will begin to take shape after the November election, Caitlin Emma writes.

Electric Vehicles

WHY U.S. NEEDS CHINESE EVS: James Sallee, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, argues “the U.S. needs to stop worrying and love the Chinese auto industry."

This comes as the Biden administration has heightened tariffs on Chinese clean energy parts and cars in order to promote U.S. businesses and jobs. Meanwhile, California officials recently held a China-California business forum in Los Angeles to promote trade and investment. Blanca Begert has more.

trade

CHINA FIGHT WITH U.S. COULD UPEND WTO: Beijing’s challenge of U.S. clean energy subsidies could drastically alter the World Trade Organization — depending on how the Biden administration decides to defend them.

Officials in the U.S. could potentially argue climate change is an international emergency that allows countries that subsidize green industries — which the U.S. has done through the Inflation Reduction Act — to be exempt from global trade rules. Doug Palmer has more.

The Autobahn

— “Global airline bosses to address geopolitical, climate challenges.” Reuters.

— “With an eye on speed, Maryland seeks private team to rebuild Key Bridge." Washington Post.

— “Aircraft shortages turn into cash bonanza for some airlines.” Reuters.

— “Metro Red Line closure begins Saturday. Here’s what you need to know." Washington Post.

— “Mexico’s Maya Train is destroying ancient caves. Learn about the beautiful ‘cenotes’ under threat.” AP.

— “Tracking Turbulence: Emirates Joins Turbulence Aware Platform." Aviation Pros.

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