What would happen if Verrazzano was hit by a ship? Pols want simulation to find out

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Officials on Staten Island are calling for a computer-generated simulation to see what would happen if the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was struck by a cargo ship, similar to the tragedy that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

On Monday, Borough President Vito Fossella, along with state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) toured the harbor with the Coast Guard to understand the likelihood of a catastrophic event happening to the span.

The one takeaway Fossella and Scarcella-Spanton had is that they would like to have a computer-generated simulation show what could happen if there was an identical cargo ship drifting toward the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The purpose of the simulation would be to make sure the shoals of the rock formations underneath the span are enough to thwart a rogue ship from hitting the columns and collapsing the structure.

Scarcella-Spanton expressed deep gratitude to the Coast Guard for taking them on the tour and also for their hard work in keeping the waterways surrounding the borough secure. The senator also seconded Fossella’s idea of producing a virtual crash simulation in the near future.

“We discussed the idea of a simulation, which they said to reach out to the MTA to do,” said Scarcella-Spanton. “So, we are going to be doing that to see what we can do to make sure that people really do have peace of mind. Our waterways are the economic hub of everything that happens here.”

“So it is an extra layer of protection. You never want to say never, but they said ‘Next to zero,” said Scarcella-Spanton. “We also think that’s why it’s important to have the simulation done.”

Read the full article here.