INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — I-Team 8 looked at the safety of the truss bridges in Indiana after the bridge collapse in Baltimore.

The Indiana Department of Transportation told I-Team 8 the bridges are at risk of being hit by commercial ships in southern Indiana along the Ohio River, but the overall danger is low.

In a statement, INDOT said, “Incidents like what occurred in Baltimore are less likely to occur on our waterways due to the size and types of commercial watercraft that pass through.”

Typically, the type of commercial boats flowing along the Ohio River are barges. They are significantly smaller and weigh less than a large ship like the one that hit the bridge in Baltimore.

INDOT says it, “does not have any record of Critical Finding Incident Reports submitted for collision instances at any of the bridges that cross over navigable waterways.”

INDOT does have two damage inspection reports on record:

• SR 135 bridge between Mauckport, IN, and Brandenburg, KY in 2018 due to a minor barge hit: no substantial damage.
• I-64/Sherman Minton bridge in 2024 due to a minor barge hit: non-structurally detrimental damage was visible.
  • An additional minor barge hit was reported on the Sherman Minton Bridge in 2009 but did not result in any significant damage.

INDOT said state-maintained bridges are inspected every two years, at minimum, and regularly go through maintenance throughout the bridge’s life to ensure they are safe.