GALVESTON, Texas – The bridge connecting Galveston, Texas, to Pelican Island remained closed Thursday after a barge struck a pillar supporting the span, causing it to partially collapse, and a university urged staff and faculty to leave its campus there.
The accident happened Wednesday morning when a tug pushing two fuel barges lost control of them and one struck the structure, said David Flores, bridge superintendent for the Galveston County Navigation District. The bridge provided the only road access between Galveston and the small island.
The oil leak from the barge led to the closure of about 10.5 kilometers of the waterway. The barge, owned by Martin Petroleum, has a capacity of 30,000 gallons, but authorities have not said how much leaked into the bay.
The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to questions Thursday morning about the status of the oil spill.
Meanwhile, the barge remained alongside the bridge, trapped by debris, including rails that fell onto the vessel when the accident happened.
Texas A&Galveston M University recommended temporarily vacating the island.
“Given the rapidly changing conditions and uncertainty surrounding the Pelican Island Bridge outage, the Galveston Campus administration will relocate all Texas A&M residents of Pelican Island,” at least until Sunday, said in a statement Wednesday.
Fewer than 200 people associated with the school were on the island when the barge hit the bridge, according to the school.
Spokeswoman Shantelle Patterson-Swanson said the university will provide transportation and cover housing costs for those who decide to leave, but stressed that the school has not issued a mandatory evacuation.
In addition to the environmental impact of the oil spill, the region is unlikely to suffer major economic disruption as a result of the accident, said Marcia Burns, a maritime transportation expert at the University of Houston.
The affected area is miles from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which receives frequent barge traffic, and the Houston Ship Channel, a major shipping channel for ocean-going ships.
The accident occurred weeks after a cargo ship collided with a support column on the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, killing six construction workers.
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