The top of the span on the north side of the Mathews Bridge was damaged Thursday when the USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin struck the bridge while being towed to North Florida Shipyards. The bridge is closed to traffic until further notice. Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Goldman said the part of the bridge that supports the weight of traffic was damaged, forcing the closure for safety reasons. Engineers will inspect the bridge Friday morning and should have an estimate later Friday on how long it will take to repair the bridge.
The port side stern ramp on the USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin was damaged in the collision. The vessel is a civilian-operated cargo ship owned by the U.S. Navy and attached to the Military Sealift Command at Blount Island. It was being towed by tug boats when it hit the bridge. It is docked at North Florida Shipyards, its destination when the collision occurred.