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The 1980 collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
crossing Tampa Bay in Florida was a major turning point in the development of
vessel collision design criteria for bridges in the United States. As a result
of the collision of an empty bulk carrier with one of the bridge’s anchor
piers, 1,300 feet of the southbound span collapsed and 35 lives were lost in
vehicles which fell into the bay.
Since then, Modjeski and Masters has been at the
forefront of analysis and design with regard to vessel collision. Dr. Prucz, one
of the Principals of Modjeski and Masters, wrote criteria for the Design of
Bridge Piers with Respect to Vessel Collision in Louisiana Waterways for the
Louisiana Departmetn of Transportation and Development. He also coauthored
Chapter 60, "Vessel Collision Design of Bridges" in the recently
published CRC Bridge Engineers Handbook. Modjeski and Masters, under the
direction of Dr. Prucz, performed twenty five vessel collision risk assessments
for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development between 1995 and
1999. The structures included truss, girder, cable-stayed and moveable bridges,
many over the Mississippi River.
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