On Wednesday, a barge hit the Pelican Island Bridge in Texas, stopping vehicle traffic into and out of the island for many hours.
Now, one lane of the bridge that links Pelican Island to Galveston has opened again, letting people exit the island. However, vehicles cannot drive onto Pelican Island. On Wednesday evening, it was noted that residents were able to cross the bridge by walking.
The incident happened at about 10 a.m. Officials in Galveston stated that there hasn’t been any reports of anyone being harmed. But, the county judge stated that two crew members had gone overboard but were rescued from the water.
Recordings from the scene depict the debris, including a portion of the railroad tracks that have fallen onto the barge.
The occurrence resulted in a spill of vacuum gas oil. The barge is said to have had a 30,000-gallon capacity. However, the county judge noted that it isn’t clear how much oil was on board.
The U.S. Coast Guard, as well as other agencies, have now arrived on the scene to figure out how much of a spill has occurred and to start the containment and cleanup methods.
TxDOT will examine the roadway to get to the damage, and the bridge will stay closed until it is authorized as safe.
An investigation is ongoing.
