NTSB: Kentucky Had Complaints About Lighting on Bridge

The National Transportation Safety Board says Kentucky had received a warning about downed lights on the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge a month before a barge struck it and caused a 322-foot span to collapse into the Tennessee River.

The NTSB sent a letter to Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on Wednesday outlining the warning by the U.S. Coast Guard and recommending that the state verify the operation of navigation lighting on all bridges over navigable waters. The board also recommended that the state develop inspection and maintenance procedures to keep bridge lighting reliable and maintained.

The span in western Kentucky was knocked out Jan. 26 by an 8,200-ton cargo ship, the Delta Mariner. It reopened to automotive traffic in May.