Study: NY state bridges need vulnerability assessment

Eleven bridges across New York state lack a vulnerability assessment. That assessment would show their risk of collapsing if hit by a boat.

That includes the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, which spans the Hudson River just north of Catskill.

All bridges designed after 1991 need to be assessed, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. They also recommend reviewing older bridges. It is telling states to make sure they implement risk reduction plans for all bridges.

This comes after an investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year, which killed six people. More could have been done to prevent that disaster, the NTSB said.