A barge collided into Pelican Island Bridge in Texas and caused an oil spill in the Gulf Coast bay.
The collision damaged the Pelican Island Causeway around 10am on Wednesday and forced traffic to stop temporarily, according to the City of Galveston.
‘Vehicle traffic across the Pelican Island Bridge has been halted,’ wrote the city on Facebook. ‘Vessel traffic in the channel has also been halted.’
Some railroad tracks that were on the bridge reportedly fell on the barge.
No injuries were reported.
Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M Galveston, had power temporarily interrupted and was using secondary power.
‘Vacuum gas oil from the barge has been visually confirmed in the water,’ added the city.
The barge, owned by Martin Petroleum, leaked 30,000 gallons.
It caused part of the Intracoastal Waterway to be closed for about 6.5 miles.
‘The US Coast Guard is responding and will determine the extent of the spill, as well as initiate the containment and cleanup processes,’ stated the city.
A tugboat that was reportedly backing out of Texas International Terminals was pushing two barges and lost control of them due to high and rough tide.
By Wednesday evening, the bridge remained closed as the Texas Department of Transportation continued assessing the damage.
Pelican Island Bridge links Galveston and Pelican islands.
‘The bridge will not reopen until it has been deemed safe,’ stated the city.
The barge crash happened less than two months after a cargo ship slammed into Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the entire span to dramatically collapse into the water.
Six construction workers who were on the bridge were killed, and many were saved as the cargo ship crew made a mayday call warning officials as they approached one of the pillars.
The remains of the Baltimore bridge were demolished in a controlled explosion on Monday.
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