Large Barge Slams Into Galveston Bridge, Stranding Thousands On Pelican Island

As the Biden administration continues funneling billions of dollars to Ukraine and with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg nowhere to be found, America’s infrastructure continues deteriorating. Earlier today, a large barge crashed into a bridge in Galveston, Texas, causing a partial collapse. 

At approximately 10:00am, a barge owned by Martin Petroleum collided with the Pelican Island Bridge that connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island. Power was temporarily interrupted to Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M Galveston. Secondary power has been restored. pic.twitter.com/5zTOs2ODIb

— Galveston County OEM (@galvcountyoem) May 15, 2024

Fox 7 Austin reports that a barge crashed into the Pelican Island Bridge, causing a section to collapse. There were no reports of injuries. However, it’s the only bridge in and out of the island. 

BREAKING: Barge strikes bridge in Galveston, Texas, partially collapsing rail line and closing the only road to a small island – AP pic.twitter.com/0vLlWRyqEK

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 15, 2024

The island is home to approximately 9,000 people, along with the campus of Texas A&M University at Galveston. 

The university told students that “all vehicular traffic” is closed on the bridge. 

Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation have been dispatched to the bridge and will “inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage.”

People are once again panicking about a barge hitting a bridge in Galveston, Texas.

1) The Pelican Island Causeway isn’t a significant piece of infrastructure, per se. It connects Galveston to Pelican Island which houses two museums and the maritime academy for Texas A&M, but… pic.twitter.com/AFuVrpQK17

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 15, 2024

The incident comes nearly two months after a massive container ship lost power and rammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore, paralyzing the entire port. The vessel has yet to be removed. 

BREAKING: Explosives are now being used to attempt to free the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge in Baltimore

It has been stuck for 48 days in Baltimore harbor pic.twitter.com/ERPR3Hvjgm

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 13, 2024

The footage on X shows that the bridge connecting Pelican Island to Galveston did not have timber shields or any bumper system to deflect a direct blow from a vessel. The New York Times recently reported that dozens of bridges across the nation are vulnerable to ship strikes. After today, that threat remains clear. 

Here’s a map of America’s vulnerable bridges via NYTimes. 

America’s foreign enemies are getting a lot of ideas from these bridge strikes. It’s time for taxpayers to demand the government protect critical infrastructure instead of squandering the nation’s wealth in foreign lands.