Barge Breakaway and Contact with Interstate 10 Bridge

What Happened

​​On September 19, 2019, at 2338 local time, during historic flood waters and high river current, 11 barges broke free from a San Jacinto River barge fleeting area just north of the Interstate 10 (I-10) bridge in Channelview, Texas, and 6 barges struck pier columns supporting the I-10 bridge. No pollution or injuries were reported. Total damages, including repairs to the I-10 bridge ($5.11 million) and removal of and repairs to the barges ($350,000), exceeded $5.46 million.​​

What We Found

​​The probable cause of the barge breakaway and contact with the I-10 bridge was the force of the river current acting on the moored barges at the San Jacinto River Fleet, which exceeded the capacity of the mooring lines, due to the extreme rise and flow of water in the San Jacinto River from Lake Houston dam'​s uncontrolled spillway release of water during a historic rainfall event. Contributing was the operating company not rearranging fleeting area tiers to mitigate the effect of current on barge tiers.​

Lessons Learned

​​Severe Weather Planning

Marine operating companies should develop and continuously evaluate severe weather plans to prepare for challenges accompanied by tropical storms and/or severe weather with the potential to cause flooding or swift water within their areas of operations. Severe weather can trigger prolonged periods of weather restrictions in navigable river watersheds and create ​challenging conditions due to high or swift water downstream.

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