8 of the worst bridge collapses in history

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, named after the poet whose words became the lyrics of the USA’s national anthem, spanned the Patapsco River near the Port of Baltimore.

In March 2024, a large cargo ship on the river below lost power and steering, causing it to ram into one of the bridge’s piers. The bridge completely collapsed, and six construction workers on the bridge lost their lives. Authorities had prevented further casualties by quickly stopping bridge traffic after receiving the ship’s mayday call.

The Morandi Bridge, or Ponte Morandi, in Genoa was an impressive bridge for its time. It was also unusual because its design relied more on concrete than on steel.

Opened in 1967, the bridge did not prove durable, suffering from corrosion and other structural problems. Eventually, in 2018, the Morandi Bridge collapsed, resulting in 43 deaths. An executive of the company responsible for the bridge later said he regretted not responding adequately to its deteriorating condition.

Another bridge with somewhat unusual construction elements was the Silver Bridge. Opened in 1928, it was a suspension bridge joining Ohio and West Virginia over the Ohio River. Rather than using steel cables, this bridge relied on eyebar chains, formed of straight pieces of metal joined via holes at each end.

In 1967, 46 lives were lost when the Silver Bridge collapsed after a chain broke. However, the problem was not the use of eyebar chains. It was the bridge’s design, which was completely vulnerable to a single broken chain.

The collapse of the suspension bridge over the River Bure in Great Yarmouth was especially tragic because so many children lost their lives in the disaster.

In 1845, a group of children and adults gathered on the Great Yarmouth Suspension Bridge to see a clown making a comical trip down the river in a washing tub. But the bridge was not able to bear the weight of so many people crowded into a small area. Its collapse killed 79 people, only 20 of whom were adults.

Built in 1967, the Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota arched over the Mississippi River, carrying traffic on Interstate 35 West. 

The bridge collapsed in August 2007 during rush hour, causing 145 injuries and 13 deaths. An investigation attributed the collapse to a design flaw and excess weight from crews repairing the bridge. However, the bridge had been in poor condition for some time, and its collapse sparked a national conversation about the maintenance of infrastructure in the USA.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge over the Tacoma Narrows strait was nicknamed ‘Galloping Gertie’ by its construction workers because of the way it oscillated in the wind. In fact, in 1940, the same year it opened, Galloping Gertie collapsed when its flexibility caused it to twist and increasingly oscillate in the wind – even though the winds that day were not very strong. Fortunately, no-one died in the collapse as the bridge was closed at the time.

Galloping Gertie taught engineers that they needed to understand the effects of aerodynamic forces on bridges, a factor that had not been considered before.

Since the original bridge collapse in 1940, two new bridges have since been built in the same location. The original replacement bridge opened in 1950 and was joined by an additional bridge in 2007, which was added to help meet increased traffic demands in the area.

The Québec Bridge over the St Lawrence River first collapsed in 1907, while it was still being constructed. Some of the workers had noticed that parts of the bridge’s steel structure were bending under strain, but the company building the bridge failed to take timely action about these warnings. 76 people working on the bridge died in the collapse.

An improved design for the bridge was created, and construction began again in 1913. But in 1916, the bridge collapsed once more, this time due to a flaw in the construction equipment used. On this occasion, 13 workers were killed.

Eventually, the bridge was completed in 1917, and it continues to carry Canada’s trains and cars to this day.

For many Americans, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after a boat collided with it was reminiscent of a similar disaster – the collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, Florida.

In 1980, a very sudden, disorienting storm caused a ship below the bridge to strike one of its piers. Part of the bridge collapsed, and due to the storm, drivers could not see that it was gone. The total death toll was 35. 

The bridge was rebuilt with far greater protection around its piers.