CAPE CHARLES, Va. — Officials with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel say the span meets federal safety standards, even as questions mount following Sunday’s tractor-trailer crash.
Deputy Executive Director Tom Anderson said the bridge operates under what’s known as “Test Level 3” federal standards. That designation means the guardrail system is designed to withstand crashes involving passenger vehicles and lighter trucks.
According to officials, the guardrails along the 18-mile span are eight inches taller than the minimum height required under federal guidelines set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The bridge-tunnel carries more than 4 million vehicles each year.
Anderson said that compared with national benchmarks from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the facility’s fatality rate is less than half the national average.
“Accidents like this play on people’s fears and make them nervous,” Anderson said. “But your chances of having an incident like this happen to you are probably well less than 1 in 10 million.”
Some drivers have asked whether installing higher-rated barriers could improve safety. Federal bridge systems can be built up to “Test Level 5,” which typically requires a reinforced concrete wall designed to withstand impacts from heavy tractor-trailers.
Anderson said that the option is not feasible for the current structure. A Test Level 5 system would add roughly 600 pounds per foot to the bridge deck and girders.
“Our existing bridge really isn’t designed to handle that much weight,” Anderson said, adding that replacing the barrier system would require rebuilding the bridge.
Civil engineering experts say simply raising guardrails may not necessarily improve safety and could introduce other risks, including redirecting vehicles back into traffic lanes.
Officials say about 20% of the bridge-tunnel is inspected each year as part of routine maintenance and safety reviews.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of Sunday’s crash.
Anderson says a motor carrier inspector will attempt to retrieve data from the truck’s event data recorder if it is not too damaged.
