Halifax Harbour Bridges closely monitoring Baltimore bridge collapse, says safety measures are in place

Canadian authorities are trying to reassure the public about the safety of bridges in the country following the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, Md., early Tuesday morning.

The Halifax Bridge Commission said it has been watching the incident closely and if there is anything that can be learned in terms of safety, it will include it in its plans moving forward.

The bridge commission said risk assessments are done regularly and there are a variety of protection systems built in.

For example, a 1979 report recommended the installation of rock islands around the piers of the bridges in the event a ship lost the ability to navigate. The work was completed in 1983.

A later study showed there were no other structural measures needed to mitigate risk.

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The bridge commission said it also has an agreement with the Port of Halifax.

"Every time a ship is scheduled to go underneath our bridge, we are notified. We put people from our bridge patrol actually on the bridge, so that there are physical eyes watching the bridge,” said Steve Proctor of the Halifax Harbour Bridges.

“We also have a very elaborate camera system that can catch the ships from a great distance as they come towards the bridge, and we watch the bridge until it's cleared to the other side and then we give an all clear.”

The bridge commission also noted there are several emergency evacuation plans in place for both bridges which are practiced on a regular basis.

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