This information is preliminary and subject to change.
On March 31, 2026, about 1936 local time (central daylight time), the towing vessel Karen Andrie was towing an empty asphalt barge under the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern (EJ&E) Railroad Bridge in the Indiana Harbor Canal in East Chicago, Indiana, when the bridge closed on the barge. No pollution or injuries were reported. On April 1, bridge technicians reported that the bridge was stuck in the open position with a potential risk of collapse. The estimated damage to the bridge is expected to exceed $2 million. The US Coast Guard has declared this incident a major marine casualty. The Coast Guard will lead the investigation, and the NTSB will investigate and determine the probable cause.
