Galveston's Pelican Island Bridge could collapse as barge that slammed into it ... trends now

The already unstable Galveston bridge where a barge crashed Wednesday could collapse or be condemned once the trapped vessel is moved from under it, Texas officials have warned.

Thursday morning, Texas officials called the bridge 'unstable,' but continued to allow residents of Pelican Island to use the overpass to evacuate to the larger Galveston Island, as the connector is the only access route to the mainland.

Law enforcement allowed one car at a time to drive off Pelican Island and into Galveston, a time-consuming process.

Cars are not being allowed to enter the island. 

'My concern is that they are going to deem the bridge unusable, which would not be a surprise,' Galveston County Judge Mark Henry told local station ABC 13.

'It was in bad shape before this accident, and that's going to cause some significant disruptions to Pelican Island.'

Henry added local officials had been trying to replace the bridge for a decade, and it was scheduled to be replaced next year.

'People are going to have no real way to get there and back, and with Texas A&M Galveston being there, that's going to dramatically impact A&M Galveston's ability to deliver education,' Henry explained.

Only about 200 people were on the island at the time of the crash. 

The causeway partially collapsed Wednesday, when the barge rammed it around after 10 a.m. after breaking free from a tow boat.

Aerial shots showed the vessel embedded into the side of the bridge, with part of the train trestle that runs along it having collapsed.  

Two crew members aboard the ship, owned by Martin Petroleum, went overboard but were safely recovered from the water.