The collision on the barge happened on Wednesday morning (Picture: KRIV)
A barge collided into Pelican Island Bridge in Texas and caused an oil spill in a bay in the Gulf Coast.
The collision damaged the Pelican Island Causeway around 10am on Wednesday and forced traffic to stop temporarily, according to the city government of Galveston.
‘Vehicle traffic across the Pelican Island Bridge has been halted,’ wrote the city on Facebook. ‘Vessel traffic in the channel has also been halted.’
Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M Galveston, had power temporarily interrupted and was using secondary power.
‘Vacuum gas oil from the barge has been visually confirmed in the water,’ added the city.
The barge, owned by Martin Petroleum, leaked 30,000 gallons.
It caused part of the Intracoastal Waterway to be closed for about 6.5 miles.
‘The US Coast Guard is responding and will determine the extent of the spill, as well as initiate the containment and cleanup processes,’ stated the city.
The barge crash happened less than two months after a cargo ship slammed into Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the entire span to dramatically collapse into the water.
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