On Wednesday, a large barge struck a bridge in Galveston, Texas, spilling oil into the bay and damaging a portion of the bridge.
The bridge that leads to Pelican Island, just north of Galveston, was hit by a barge at approximately 10 a.m., according to the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). No injuries have been reported.
“A barge owned by Martin Petroleum collided with the Pelican Island Bridge that connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M Galveston,” Galveston County OEM wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday afternoon.
The university temporarily lost power, but the bridge, which is the only road leading to the island, has been closed to all traffic, according to a statement from Texas A&M Galveston.
The barge’s capacity is 30,000 gallons, officials said, and the spill has forced the closure of the Intracoastal Waterway.
“Vacuum gas oil from the barge has been visually confirmed in the water, causing a closing of the Intracoastal Waterway from Mile marker 350.5 to 357, approximately 6.5 miles,” Galveston County OEM wrote in a social media update on Wednesday afternoon. “The capacity of the barge is 30,000 gallons, and the amount that has leaked is unknown.”
“Vessel traffic in the channel has also been halted,” the OEM wrote in a separate post. “Structural impact to the Pelican Island Bridge is being assessed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).”
Galveston city officials said that the U.S. Coast Guard has responded to the incident and is working to determine the “extent of the spill and initiate the containment and cleanup processes.”
The bridge will remain closed until further notice.
This story will be updated as information becomes available.
