Federal investigators say the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment that would have shown the Francis Scott Key Bridge was at significant risk of collapse from a ship strike long before its demise last year.

A top safety official said that state officials overseeing the bridge failed to conduct an assessment of its risk of collapse.

Nearly a year since the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after a container ship struck one of its piers, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that the owners of nearly 70 bridges across the United States conduct vulnerability assessments of the risk of collapse from a vessel collision.