Terrorist’s Next Target — America’s Bridges
The United States has over 700,000 bridges nationwide which carry millions of people and rail traffic across the nation every day. All of these bridges are routinely inspected for safety every two years, unless the bridge is rated in “very good condition” (every four years) or “structurally deficient” (ever year).
Many Bridges are Deficient, and Getting Older
According to “Transportation for America,” in 2013 over 66,000 bridges (11 percent) were classified as being “structurally deficient.” That’s one in nine bridges in the United States!
Another way of looking at this problem: In our Nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas alone, there are more structurally deficient bridges (over 18,000) than there are McDonald’s restaurants across all of the United States (over 14,000).
And American’s take 260 million trips over these unsound bridges every day.
Most bridges are typically built to last 50 years before they undergo major overhaul or even replacement. The average age for the 66,000 deficient bridges is 65 years old. And within the next 10 years, one in four bridges (170,000) will over 65 years old.
State repair efforts are mixed. Missouri repaired 640 of their bridges, Pennsylvania repaired 500, Ohio repaired 327, and Texas repaired 327 — these are major success stories. But Oklahoma added 77 more bridges graded “structurally deficient,” while New York added 61 additional bridges since the last survey done in 2011.
Terrorist Attack on Bridges Would Result in Devastating Results
Allowing bridges to remain in serious need of repair can result in a sudden critical repair that will shut down a critical transportation route, or worse, a catastrophic collapse resulting in loss in life and major economic impact for an entire region.
Worse yet, due to their already-weakened structural strength, a terrorist attack conducted against a major interstate commerce bridge would be devastating.
One example: the unassuming Portal Railroad Bridge stretching over the Hackensack River in New Jersey. Based upon a design from the 1840s, and built in 1910 (105 years ago), it reportedly supports almost 500 trains crossing it per day — it’s the busiest bridge in the Western Hemisphere for train traffic.
The Portal Bridge swings open several times a week to allow barges to pass up and down the Hackensack River, but often fails to lock back into place, causing frequent delays. These delays stack up trains on both sides of the river, all the way up to Boston and all the way down to Washington, D.C. “It is a single point of failure,” states Joe Boardman, Amtrak President.
Such a tenuously performing bridge would certainly be a very inviting target for terrorists carrying explosives.
What Can Be Done?
The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, and is one of ten agencies within DOT concerned with intermodal transportation. The mission of FRA is to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future.
FRA’s security mission includes the public safety of the freight and passenger railroad networks. Railroad security operational functions include uniformed police, special agents, state of the art security systems, and high speed redundant communications. In addition, railroad company dispatching centers monitor overall railroad situations, to include track and roadbed, bridges, tunnels, culverts, and electric traction systems.
In addition, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has published a “Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan” which specifically addresses Mass Transit and Passenger Rail security. This plan includes Security Inspections, Tunnel Security, and new technology development.
Working with public and private sector partners, TSA has implemented a variety of programs and initiatives that have enhanced security in mass transit and passenger rail systems. Government and industry continue to work closely to provide a secure environment for passengers and employees through training, public outreach, exercises, hardening of physical assets, and expanding visible/covert, random, and unpredictable security measures.
Hopefully, in conjunction with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, the railroad industry, the Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Security Administration will stay alert to any emerging terrorist efforts aimed at attacking one of America’s most vulnerable and most vital targets — our Nation’s vital bridge networks.
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